274 Books
See allWhile it's well enough written, it's nothing especially newsworthy. If you somehow thought Putin was an interesting or fair person, you needed to read this book. If you thought he was a thug, then you didn't need a whole book to reaffirm what you thought.
As reliably readable as ever; however there's just not enough variety of subject here to fill a book. Started skimming at p 30. Put it away for good about p 80.
What a self/important, self-obsessed gasbag.
The book was famously passed around like samizdat for ages, but it is tedious and avoids much about the man that is interesting or important. I took me years to get round to this, but I was driven by the sense that I should really read what is said to be such an important work.
Spare yourself the effort. Life is too short.
Here is a a nice little wrap up of the man from a 1,000+ series of interesting vignettes
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2018/08/erik-visits-american-grave-part-299
Just kept thinking of Capra's “You Can't Take It With You” as I read this. Plus ça change.