Paustovsky was born in Moscow in 1892 and as a young boy moved to Kiev where he was brought up. His father left the family and they were back in Moscow when WWI broke out. Paustovsky became an orderly on an ambulance train, and after the Civil War became a full-time writer, although always remaining somewhat outside the mainstream. He was never a dissident but belonged rather to the Russian romantic tradition. He was sometimes attacked for not reflecting contemporary society but managed to steer a safe course through difficult times whilst so many other writers perished. He never attacked to regime directly, but kept away from literary circles. He wrote about the past, about nature, historical figures and a good deal of children’s literature. Real fame came to him with the publication of his six volume autobiography, The Story of a Life, and we have here the first three volumes, newly translated by Douglas Smith. It’s a long, and rather slow, read but atmospheric and nostalgic for a lost world, beautifully written, but I found some of the long descriptions dragged a little for me and I was never fully involved. Considering the tumultuous times he lived in, there is little direct engagement with the politics and the cataclysmic events he lived through, casting a rather rose-tinted shade over everything. Well worth reading for a portrait of Russia during his lifetime, but perhaps not a totally comprehensive one.

This wasn’t the kind of thing I would normally go for, but I loved it. It was written with so much compassion and kindness, I felt I knew the characters – flaws and all – like my own family.

Long but beautifully written (and translated) account of the first part of Paustovsky's life. Although I studied Russian at university, I had never heard of him but I loved his descriptions of nature, everyday life and details of humanity amid war and revolution. His experiences bring this critical period of history to life, and reading about his times in Ukraine felt especially poignant in the light of the Russian invasion still going on now.

Books this long are often intimidating to start but The Story of a Life is definitely worth reading.
I found the format and writing style easy to follow, it is fascinating and descriptive. Sometimes you get lost in the detailed descriptions.

I was given a copy of The Story of a Life by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

What a life. It is a story of a world that is long gone now, a life without communications where family and friends are what makes life essential - especially for people from the far reaches of Europe to the east. I found it nostalgic and rather wonderful, lyrical and wonderful. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

This is a long, slow read, full of highly descriptive memories of the author’s childhood and youth during tumultuous times in Russia’s history. The detailed descriptions make it a little hard going at times and often detracts from the flow of the narrative, but there is no doubt that this is an important account of events from the viewpoint of an ordinary citizen, albeit one with an extraordinary memory for detail. Possibly more of a text for a social historian than a casual reader.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that you want to put on pride of place on your best bookshelves and read it over and over again. Wonderful.

Well-written but long stretches of descriptions of idyllic times and nature without much propelling any kind of narrative beyond description and reminiscences for its own sake. It paints an interesting portrait of a long-lost Russia and how it went through significant change but quite often I wouldn't be that taken with what was happening. Patient readers will get the most out of it but I'm not sure I'd say it's a must-read classic.

At times a little hard going because of the wealth of material, this is an astonishing account of a young man’s life during the most moments events in Russian history. War, revolution starvation are part of his initiation into adulthood. Independence is thrust upon him while still at school, and while writing was his passion he took many menial jobs to stay alive. Woven through this is a cast of many people who come into his life, and go out of it, and his love of his country and its people, in all their colourful personalities shines through. Post revolutionary chaos, and warring factions sweep him along in terrifying near death experiences, with always a moment for quiet reflection and some of his best loved poetry.
I feel I understand a little more of the history of this time, and marvel at the resilience and humanity of the author. He comes across as very much his own man.

I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of Paustovsky. The Story of a Life is exactly what the title suggests and this author deserves wider recognition. His writing is superb and the translation seems sympathetic and it reads very well. This book follows in the tradition of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and more recently, Vassily Grossman; it’s a blockbuster about ordinary people and the minutiae of day to day life.

In this case, it’s Paustovsky’s own story. The book is huge but it’s so well written that the pages fly by. He gives insight into different times in a very different world. The narrative covers the first twenty or so years of the 20th century. It starts with the death of Paustovsky’s father and his incredible effort to return home. The detail of the landscape and people leaps from every page as the reader gains insight into poverty, the First World War, Russian revolution and more. He attends a Lenin rally and nails the atmosphere to perfection, but also captures ‘the common man’ in the soldier next to him as he learns his life story from a photograph. There are so many vignettes that almost stand alone, they’re so memorable, but the whole is sewn to a perfect panoramic picture.

This is a book to savour; it’s filled with honesty and hope rather than doom and gloom of the turbulent times in which he lived. It’s a book I’ll revisit and one I’ll recommend without hesitation. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in some 60 decades. Simply astonishing.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

"The Story of a Life" is a stunning autobiographical novel in which Konstantin Paustovsky reminisces about his childhood and youth in the Ukraine and Russia from the late nineteenth century to the Soviet era. The author excels in descriptions not only of people and landscape, but also of his own memories of what it felt like to experience life as it changed so much over those years, including times when he may have been too naive to grasp what exactly was happening. The translator is to be congratulated for producing wonderful text in English which perfectly captures the lyricism associated with Russian literature.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have read, and luckily for me, there's more to come from this author who is too little known in the English-speaking world.

With many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this important book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me. I did not finish only read a quarter of it but that does not detract from the writing.

The Story of a Life is a classic that deserves to be rediscovered. It’s a spirited and intimate coming of age memoir that captures the tumultuous events and remarkable characters of early twentieth century Soviet history.

This excellent new translation perfectly captures Paustovsky’s voice. He’s one of those wonderfully natural autobiographic writers who manages to be conversational and poetic all at once, echoing the epic Russian novellists, and Smith’s translation does justice to both his tone and narrative.

Yes, it’s a long book that requires a bit of commitment, but The Story of a Life is well worth the effort.

This is a work by a giant and a giant work indeed. Do not let the lenght of pages scare you. Paustovsky is a master story teller and one can learn a lot about Russia and Russians by reading this book. It also gives a unique view of Russia in years of World War I.

This is the most remarkable books I have ever read. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of Paustovsky. Dramatic scenes from a time of war and revolution but although theses events are covered in detail there is often an emphasis on ordinary people and their characters. He also describes the weather and nature in vivid detail. I loved this book so much it’s wonderful.