The White Guard (Mikhail Bulgakov, 1925 but not allowed to be published until 1966)

The story looks at life in Kiev in the unsettled times following Russia's withdrawal from WWI. Primarily told from perspective of a family with connections to czarist Russia - part of the Whites.

Author wrote this wonderful, far more famous, work.

Bolsheviks ("Reds"), czarists ("Whites"), Ukrainian nationalists are fighting in various areas outside Kiev.  German forces have been hanging around in the wake of Russia's surrender - and generally maintaining order in Kiev - but now are withdrawing (Germany having its own problems in late 1918.)

Deeply interesting look at such a messed-up time.  White resources are limited and leadership feckless; Petlyura leads the Ukrainian forces into Kiev but the Reds are gaining strength.  White efforts to resist Petlyura are less than feeble - mostly a few officers and cadets, with limited resources.

The family through whose eyes the story mostly is told:  Alexei (doctor); Elena (their sister with the husband who leaves); Nikolka (younger brother - inexperienced cadet).  They were friends with a few officers; a family member unexpectedly joins them.  Neighbor downstairs is robbed.

Descriptions of Kiev in winter. 

This being Bulgakov - several passages involving characters having dreams.

Per Wikipedia - Bulgakov is tracking the history of these times pretty closely (including the Petlyura character (who actually never appears in the story despite constant references)).  I know very little about the details here, so much of this was new.

Turns out Bulgakov made this into a very successful stage play - supposedly seen often by Stalin - but he wasn't allowed to publish the book.

I liked it.

Goodbye to All That (Robert Graves, 1929 (using 1957 text))

(360 pages)

Essentially an autobiography of early part of author's life, though includes elements not originally written to be used as such.  I don't know much about Graves, he was a very well-known poet and author.

By far the best part is the WWI discussion (also longest - book is much worthwhile just for this).

Starts with early family life; then author experiences English schoolboy life as someone who didn't fit in well.  Rules/traditions in those days - stifling.  Then gets into military and finds a lot of the same.  (Not wired for military, but WWI breaks out just as graduating.)

Endless connections via family, school, military.  The incredibly small world of Brit upper class.  I keep thinking that this connectedness was a big factor in sustaining Brit ascendancy - idea-sharing, common values - small island with outsized influence for a very long time.

Develops close relationship with George Mallory, they go climbing; he is best man at author's wedding.

German relatives - visits in prewar, later they are fighting on the opposite side; this connection leads to some suspicions during the war.

Front line/trench discussions really good.  I've also read a lot about this where it's part of a larger narrative in a novel (Parade's End, for example) or an overall history of the war (for example, this one by John Keegan); Graves's approach is different, effective - diary-style, where no compulsion to sacrifice details to a larger story arc.  Reminds of the wonderful Isaac Babel military diary-sketches (also in that the writer isn't a military-type, at all).

Exciting times in front lines but he also has quite a few other roles in the military - training, supply stuff - some in England, some back of the front lines - assigned there because of wounds, and also because of what they then called neurasthenia - his nerves were shot.  These discussions also interesting, in part because I've seen less of them.

As war winds down, Spanish flu kills mother-in-law; he travels on train with it.  That discussion is interesting in these COVID-19 days.

Socialism seems attractive after the war, which made some sense at the time.

Recounts interactions with Wilfred Owen and a lot of poets I don't know, Thomas Hardy, T.E. Lawrence - I found myself not so interested in his reminiscences of meet-ups with famous folk.

Other postwar stuff - married, four kids, Oxford degree, takes a teaching position in Egypt.

Ends at age 33; epilogue reports that he lived in Majorca quite a bit; remarried and had four more children.

Abigail (Magda Szabo, 1970)

(333 pages)

I picked this book because Hungary's positioning between the two world wars always seems like an interesting setting, and the review was favorable.

Then I became a little nervous that the plot might be too focused on life in a girls boarding school.  And there was quite a bit of that, but it fit into the story line quite nicely and I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit.

Protagonist is the 14 year old daughter of a Hungarian army general; spoiled, willful, enjoying life in Budapest; sent off to a provincial boarding school without much explanation and has a hard time fitting in.  Abigail is a statue that somehow seems to intervene when the girls have severe troubles.

Meanwhile the alliance with Hitler is going poorly, the Hungarian army is getting pummeled in the Stalingrad fighting, Germany is taking over in Hungary, tension and difficult decisions.

Author does a good job developing characters among the school girls, the faculty, etc.

Recommended.

The Kingdom of Copper (S.A. Chakraborty, 2019)

(609 pages)

Book club selection (via Emily; session held (via Zoom) 19 July 2020).

Second in a trilogy; we had read the first as a book club selection. 

Lots of action, actually violence - often rather heavy for my taste these days.

Mostly the same characters as in the first book.

Emphasis on tribal groups does remind of current political climate - where identity politics seem to attract votes - ugh.

The use of words and concepts from India, Persia, and what I'll call the Middle East is interesting. 

The plot not so much.  And I have trouble remembering what form of magic which characters can use, and what tribal characteristics apply.

The British Are Coming - The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (Rick Atkinson, 2019)

I very much liked the author's World War II trilogy (discussed here).  He seems to be bringing the same effective touch to the Revolutionary War - this is a great read.

I've never read much about the Revolutionary War, not sure why.  Hadn't realized there was so much action action prior to issuance of the Declaration of Independence.

Lexington, Concord stories (1775) - genuinely exciting; tough times for the Americans at Lexington but a sense of accomplishment in Concord.

The author's way of making many people (officers, rank and file, home front) come alive in just a few words; of supplying enough details (for example attaching numbers to supplies - gives a sense of scope); always without bogging down or losing the larger narrative.  Readable, interesting.

I had never read much of anything about the 1776 campaign in the southern states (only recalling the cannon balls embedded in the palmetto fort) - mostly a costly diversion for British, interesting discussion.

Benedict Arnold was so talented, involved in so much up north.

Scope of the war was impressive - south, Canada, New York (where British had great successes in 1776, perhaps only wanting for follow-through)  But the immense difficulties of sending an army across and sea, and supplying it.

In general, 1776 as a pretty dreary year for the Americans after the Declaration.  But then Trenton and Princeton - crossing the Delaware on Christmas night, 1776 - this was a much more difficult, and important, undertaking than I had ever realized. Lots of information throughout on the Hessians (who happened to be the target at Trenton, unfortunately for their reputation).

The so-often-repeated error (committed here by the British) of assuming that the local population will rise up in support with just a little success and encouragement - this shows up in invasions in many locations and time periods.

A lot went wrong for England; quite a few decisions that were bungled; but the scope of England's late 18th-century international activities is really impressive.

The colonies as having so much to work out in terms of governance; such variety among them.  An amazing intersection of ideas emerging in English colonies protected by oceans - a chance to work out governance in a new way.