Reviews
"Terrific . . . Montefiore's portrait of Stalin and his circle is a deeply researched and wonderfully readable accomplishmentscholarship as a kind of savage gossip . . . its sensationalism redeemed by Montefiore's deep grounding in the facts." Lance Murrow, Time "Montefiore's superb book offers a closer look at this personal side of Stalin and his top collaborators. Indeed, no Western writer has got as close. He trawled through newly opened (and often subsequently closed) Soviet archives, which brought some astonishing material to the surface . . . [A] dark and excellent book." Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books "A fascinating biography . . . The first intimate portrait of a man who had more lives on his conscience than Hitler."Richard Pipes, New York Times Book Review "Mr. Montefiore draws upon new archival material, unpublished memoirs and interviews with survivors of that era (including many children of Stalin's associates and underlings) to create a harrowing portrait of life in the dictator's inner circle. In doing so, he gives us an intimate look at Stalin himself and the culture of sadism, ruthlessness and dread that flourished around him, fueling a murderous regime that would leave tens of millions of people dead."Michiko Kakutani, New York Times "A well-researched and insightful book . . . The narrative adroitly catches the atmosphere of the time."Richard Lourie, Los Angeles Times "A fascinating, superbly written study . . . There is much news here and much to ponder. Altogether extraordinary, and required reading for anyone interested in world affairs." Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Because of its extraordinary detail, this portrait of Joseph Stain is as realistic as is currently historically possible . . . By illustrating how Stalin acted in private, Montefiore has produced a landmark work that rounds out political biographies of the tyrant." Booklist (starred review) "There are many Stalin biographies out there, but this fascinating work distinguishes itself by its extensive use of fresh archival material and its focus on Stalin's ever-changing coterie."Publishers Weekly "If you plan (wisely) to read only one book about Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, let it be "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar." Simon Sebag Montefiore, writing with the skill of a novelist . . . has based his highly readable biographical thriller solidly and factually not only on all of the preceding scholarly studies of the Soviet dictator but also upon newly available archival materials."Seattle Times, "Terrific . . . Montefiore's portrait of Stalin and his circle is a deeply researched and wonderfully readable accomplishmentscholarship as a kind of savage gossip . . . its sensationalism redeemed by Montefiore's deep grounding in the facts." Lance Murrow,Time "Montefiore's superb book offers a closer look at this personal side of Stalin and his top collaborators. Indeed, no Western writer has got as close. He trawled through newly opened (and often subsequently closed) Soviet archives, which brought some astonishing material to the surface . . . [A] dark and excellent book." Ian Buruma,New York Review of Books "A fascinating biography . . . The first intimate portrait of a man who had more lives on his conscience than Hitler."Richard Pipes,New York Times Book Review "Mr. Montefiore draws upon new archival material, unpublished memoirs and interviews with survivors of that era (including many children of Stalin's associates and underlings) to create a harrowing portrait of life in the dictator's inner circle. In doing so, he gives us an intimate look at Stalin himself and the culture of sadism, ruthlessness and dread that flourished around him, fueling a murderous regime that would leave tens of millions of people dead."Michiko Kakutani,New York Times "A well-researched and insightful book . . . The narrative adroitly catches the atmosphere of the time."Richard Lourie,Los Angeles Times "A fascinating, superbly written study . . . There is much news here and much to ponder. Altogether extraordinary, and required reading for anyone interested in world affairs." Kirkus Reviews(starred review) "Because of its extraordinary detail, this portrait of Joseph Stain is as realistic as is currently historically possible . . . By illustrating how Stalin acted in private, Montefiore has produced a landmark work that rounds out political biographies of the tyrant." Booklist(starred review) "There are many Stalin biographies out there, but this fascinating work distinguishes itself by its extensive use of fresh archival material and its focus on Stalin's ever-changing coterie."Publishers Weekly "If you plan (wisely) to read only one book about Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, let it be "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar." Simon Sebag Montefiore, writing with the skill of a novelist . . . has based his highly readable biographical thriller solidly and factually not only on all of the preceding scholarly studies of the Soviet dictator but also upon newly available archival materials."Seattle Times From the Hardcover edition., "Terrific . . . Montefiore's portrait of Stalin and his circle is a deeply researched and wonderfully readable accomplishmentscholarship as a kind of savage gossip . . . its sensationalism redeemed by Montefiore's deep grounding in the facts." Lance Murrow,Time "Montefiore's superb book offers a closer look at this personal side of Stalin and his top collaborators. Indeed, no Western writer has got as close. He trawled through newly opened (and often subsequently closed) Soviet archives, which brought some astonishing material to the surface . . . [A] dark and excellent book." Ian Buruma,New York Review of Books "A fascinating biography . . . The first intimate portrait of a man who had more lives on his conscience than Hitler."Richard Pipes,New York Times Book Review "Mr. Montefiore draws upon new archival material, unpublished memoirs and interviews with survivors of that era (including many children of Stalin's associates and underlings) to create a harrowing portrait of life in the dictator's inner circle. In doing so, he gives us an intimate look at Stalin himself and the culture of sadism, ruthlessness and dread that flourished around him, fueling a murderous regime that would leave tens of millions of people dead."Michiko Kakutani,New York Times "A well-researched and insightful book . . . The narrative adroitly catches the atmosphere of the time."Richard Lourie,Los Angeles Times "A fascinating, superbly written study . . . There is much news here and much to ponder. Altogether extraordinary, and required reading for anyone interested in world affairs." Kirkus Reviews(starred review) "Because of its extraordinary detail, this portrait of Joseph Stain is as realistic as is currently historically possible . . . By illustrating how Stalin acted in private, Montefiore has produced a landmark work that rounds out political biographies of the tyrant." Booklist(starred review) "There are many Stalin biographies out there, but this fascinating work distinguishes itself by its extensive use of fresh archival material and its focus on Stalin's ever-changing coterie."Publishers Weekly "If you plan (wisely) to read only one book about Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, let it be "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar." Simon Sebag Montefiore, writing with the skill of a novelist . . . has based his highly readable biographical thriller solidly and factually not only on all of the preceding scholarly studies of the Soviet dictator but also upon newly available archival materials."Seattle Times
