One of the greatest masterpieces of the twentieth century
Times Literary Supplement

One of the greatest masterpieces of the twentieth century
Times Literary Supplement

One of the greatest masterpieces of the twentieth century
Times Literary Supplement

It is only a matter of time before Grossman is acknowledged as one of the great writers of the 20th century...Life and Fate is a book that demands to be talked about
Guardian

It is only a matter of time before Grossman is acknowledged as one of the great writers of the 20th century... Life and Fate is a book that demands to be talked about
Guardian

It is only a matter of time before Grossman is acknowledged as one of the great writers of the 20th century... Life and Fate is a book that demands to be talked about
Guardian

Vasily Grossman's novel is burnt in my memory, not only by its huge canvas, its meditation on tyranny, and its dazzling description of war, but also because this is the novel that made me cry - not just a few leaked tears, but a full-scale sobbing episode - in Montpellier airport... Grossman lost his mother in a concentration camp. In Life and Fate, he writes with tenderness, and pain, not only of that experience but of what it is like to survive tyranny. A classic indeed
Gillian Slovo, Independent

Vasily Grossman's novel is burnt in my memory, not only by its huge canvas, its meditation on tyranny, and its dazzling description of war, but also because this is the novel that made me cry - not just a few leaked tears, but a full-scale sobbing episode - in Montpellier airport... Grossman lost his mother in a concentration camp. In Life and Fate, he writes with tenderness, and pain, not only of that experience but of what it is like to survive tyranny. A classic indeed
Gillian Slovo, Independent

One of the finest Russian novels of the 20th century
Daily Telegraph

Vasily Grossman's novel is burnt in my memory, not only by its huge canvas, its meditation on tyranny, and its dazzling description of war, but also because this is the novel that made me cry - not just a few leaked tears, but a full-scale sobbing episode - in Montpellier airport... Grossman lost his mother in a concentration camp. In Life and Fate, he writes with tenderness, and pain, not only of that experience but of what it is like to survive tyranny. A classic indeed
Gillian Slovo, Independent

A literary genius. His Life And Fate is rated by many as the finest Russian novel of the 20th century
Mail on Sunday

A literary genius. His Life And Fate is rated by many as the finest Russian novel of the 20th century
Mail on Sunday

One of the world's great war novels
Independent on Sunday

One of the world's great war novels
Independent on Sunday

One of the great writers of the last century
Observer

A literary genius. His Life And Fate is rated by many as the finest Russian novel of the 20th Century
Mail on Sunday

Vasily Grossman’s masterpiece, Life and Fate, is fascinating for many reasons, and one of them is the way that it is both a pastiche and a personal statement; a conscious, cold-blooded attempt to sum up everything Grossman knew about the Great Patriotic War, and at the same time to rewrite War and Peace
London Review of Books

Vasily Grossman’s masterpiece, Life and Fate, is fascinating for many reasons, and one of them is the way that it is both a pastiche and a personal statement; a conscious, cold-blooded attempt to sum up everything Grossman knew about the Great Patriotic War, and at the same time to rewrite War and Peace
London Review of Books

One of the world's great war novels
Independent on Sunday

Vasily Grossman’s masterpiece, Life and Fate, is fascinating for many reasons, and one of them is the way that it is both a pastiche and a personal statement; a conscious, cold-blooded attempt to sum up everything Grossman new about the Great Patriotic War, and at the same time to rewrite War and Peace
London Review of Books

Kathryn Hewitt 02 May 2012

Everyone won't read it, because it's rather huge, but they ought to. I've learnt loads about Russian/Second World War history from it to start with. Got a bit confused with the large number of characters, compounded by the Russian way of calling people by several different names, formal and informal. Characters are brilliantly portrayed, with all their strengths and weaknesses, and Grossman has fantastic insight into why seemingly decent people do horrific things. It is very matter-of-fact, with no sensationalisation, despite the incredible nature of what happens. Very highly recommended.