Discard all earlier biographies

The access to archival material not previously available means this book trumps everything which came before it.

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Engrossing

Fantastic narration. A timely reminder of how deranged and fanatic communists really are. Viva liberty!

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A Haunting annotation of one of history’s great monsters.

A fantastic work by Simon Montefiore, incorporating such varying evidence from personal testimony to the written annotations of Stalin himself. While it’s not a perfect work, and it never seeks to exceed its goal of providing a detailed sketch of Stalin himself, it is well worth listening to for anyone interested in the history of the Soviet Union.
Johnathan Aris also preforms beautifully, playing with the original text and adding an all-important sense of wryness to proceedings.
Highly recommended.

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Brutal

Such a selfish and brutal man, couldn't say I felt sorry for the man's demise, could not have come sooner.

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Best book written..

Simon Sebag Montefiore, bloody great Author, great story, beautiful voice-over by Jonathan Aris..just made the listener deeply apart of the story....fantastic..Alan ..Australia

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Stalin.... bad hombre

Fascinating book. I knew Stalin was an evil dictator, but had no idea it was so dangerous to know him personally.

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Tour de Force

Brings Stalin and his magnates to life in a unique and powerful way. The personal notes and diaries are particularly valuable in understanding the humanity, mostly for ill but sometimes good, in these men. Mostly it shows the evil Stalin did (and others can and did do)in the name of an aggressively secular, anti religious movement. Beautifully written and brilliantly read

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Stuff we need to know

Have just finished "The rise & fall of the third Reich"
So this book fitted in perfectly, so as to get both points of view.
Gee what a murderous bunch of complete peasant animals, even animals would have better ethics than those thugs.
Everybody lived in fear, Stalin picked a random victim, tortured them to keep everybody frightened then told them what to confess, which the victims did, as well as implicating some more victims, then killed them, then proceeded to torture & kill all family members. Hitler too, had an obsession with signed confessions.
And here we sit today, in comfort, saying that could never happen, & it will never happen again.
Well:- just look at people's behaviour with our very own "Lockdown" " Pandemic" etc, in these most recent times.
They said some people loved Stalin till they died, they like us in modern times, were Brain washed.
It can happen again.
A must read if you want an insight into how a Tyrant is made & thinks, & the signs of power going to their heads, both Hitler & Stalin shared that path.
Enjoy & Grimace.

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Has changed my perspective

A comprehensive and detailed account of the life and times of Stalin. Found details and nuances of his character that is seldom talked about

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one of the most enthralling books I've listened to

Finely read with a character driven narrative.

I found this audiobook a pleasure to listen to from the first minute until the last.

The narration was first class.

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5 people found this helpful