LENIN'S TOMB

For seventy years history had been overshadowed by the fictions of the Soviet empire. Then in 1990 history returned with a vengeance. Combining meticulous historical scholarship with on-the-spot journalism, David Remnick takes his readers all over the former empire, weaving together the heroic stories of those who risked their lives to gather records, those who challenged the system, and those who conformed but waited for the opportune time to act. The result is a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the fascinating transition from party dictatorship to hard-won freedom. This is an important book, and Michael Prichard's reading pays tribute to that importance. It is careful and thoughtful, yet fraught with excitement. When Yeltsin mounts the tank outside the Russian parliament building, Prichard's voice mirrors the tension and triumph in Remnick's prose. The audio production is a flawlessly clear yet moving vehicle for the author's work, and as honest a way to read history as having the print copy in hand. P.E.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]