To be perfectly honest, I'm only half way through Chapter 2, but so far this book has been really interesting. Instead of portraying Stalin purely as a tyrant, Montefiore explores his human side by starting the book with his second wife's suicide and exploring their marriage. Personally, this has made me continue reading the book with a much more open view of Stalin; I'm sure this will prove useful when trying to understand why Stalin made certain decisions that, in the past, I may have just accepted were because he was 'evil'. Montefiore also takes quite a narrative, almost fictional approach with descriptions such as 'looked like a mad poet' which, although it makes the novel rather difficult to draw concrete facts from, makes it more interesting and stimulating to read. It's amazing (so far) and I definitely recommend it. ED
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