The writing was so clever, so funny, so lighthearted even, with a charming interspersion of Russian names, which I happen to love for their complexity and diminutives, yet still it was such a slog. It almost presents as a narrative, with extensive forays into long lists. Lists of manners of torture, for instance, and the laws and decrees which could be used to imprison people for any actions found within yet another extensive list of innocent and ordinary actions. Overall, it was far too long to be enjoyable, but so too were the prison sentences handed out to meet quotas. I’d like to think Americans would never allow their government to treat them so poorly, but then again, Russians strike me as no pushovers. Tough people, the Russians must be to live in such inclement environments, subsisting on potatoes, beets, cabbage, and vodka. So, overall, a cautionary tale worth the 700 pages of reading.