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In the First Circle
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 31 hrs and 52 mins
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In the First Circle
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Publisher's Summary
Moscow, Christmas Eve, 1949. The Soviet secret police intercept a call made to the American embassy by a Russian diplomat who promises to deliver secrets about the nascent Soviet Atomic Bomb program. On that same day, a brilliant mathematician is locked away inside a Moscow prison that houses the country's brightest minds. He and his fellow prisoners are charged with using their abilities to sleuth out the caller's identity, and they must choose whether to aid Joseph Stalin's repressive state - or refuse and accept transfer to the Siberian Gulag camps...and almost certain death.
First written between 1955 and 1958, In the First Circle is Solzhenitsyn's fiction masterpiece. In order to pass through Soviet censors, many essential scenes - including nine full chapters - were cut or altered before it was published in a hastily translated English edition in 1968. Now with the help of the author's most trusted translator, Harry T. Willetts, here for the first time is the complete, definitive English edition of Solzhenitsyn's powerful and magnificent classic.
What the critics say
"[An] indelible novel of towering artistry, caustic wit, moral clarity, and spiritual fire." (Booklist, starred review)
What listeners love about In the First Circle
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ryan F
- 2020-04-10
Mixed feelings
My thoughts:
- The writing and translation are superb. The use and control of language is as strong as any book I've read/listened to.
- It is an interesting tour of how Stalinist Russia functioned. Not pretty.
- Due to the Russian names and the narrator's general inability to differentiate character voices, the first third of the book is tough to follow. That there are so many characters doesn't help.
- While educational the story itself is only mildly interesting. Mildly interesting for 31-hours is no small feat. Pat on the back for me! Full disclosure, I listened to most of the book on 1.75 speed.
- Unless you are lover of the written word or are interested in getting an in depth look at Russia immediately after WWII, I wouldn't recommend taking on this listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2020-02-02
Chilling. "Democratic Socialists" Need to Read
This is a work of fiction. But knowing Solzhenitsyn's history lends it a lot of significance. A fine example of Soviet Dissident literature.
It's very well-written, with interesting characters and scenes filled with pathos. The translation by Harry T. Willets is excellent. The novel doesn't have much of a plot...more a series of anecdotes of "displaced persons" in 'half-way house'-level incarceration...intellectuals forced to serve the USSR while prisoners.
It's a little slow and at times confusing (I had to restart it once), but I got it as a Daily Deal and took a chance. Well worth it.
Derek Perkins is a fantastic Narrator. I'd love to hear him more.
I give this book a solid 7.5 stars out of 10.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Norman
- 2023-06-21
Sometimes hell is in your own mind
More than anything, this is about psychology, and how people can become accustomed to anything, if it drags on long enough.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ellis D Vener
- 2019-04-08
One of the five finest novels written in the 20th Century
If you want to understand where we are going you have to look at where we have been. This novel does that and the echoes of Stalin’s totalitarian rule of the USSR and his ambitions for the world still echo loudly today.
On top of that, “In The First Circle” is also a cracklingly told story which richly drawn characters.
It also does not hurt the narration is terrific.
Highly recommended.
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56 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caroline Brown
- 2019-04-19
The debate
Life in a socialist state run prison system - should be required reading as a warning about an overpowering omnipresent state
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46 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Todd
- 2019-12-13
Masterpiece is an Understatement
I've never read anything like this. I have heard a lot of the author in recent years and this seemed to be a good place to start as Gulag Arch is still in production in Audible.
The awareness of some characters and the complete lack of awareness in others paints a picture that is just incredibly terrifying. Once you read a book of this quality it really reshapes the way you view literature and what "quality" actually means.
One tip to anyone about to start the audible version - PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE NAMES OF CHARACTERS! Being a non-Russian speaker, I did at times have a difficult time remembering all of the characters because they are quite complex and there are quite a few. They are all very important and needed, it just took me some time to remember who was who and once you pick up on the story line it becomes easier. But I've actually thought about listening again and making note cards for myself with quick bullet points about each and which sub-plot the character is involved in.
This is no way, I repeat, no way takes anything away from the book AT ALL.
Calling the novel a Masterpiece does not even begin to do it justice. Thank you to the Solzhenitsyn for giving all of us this!
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37 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- HistoricalReader
- 2018-11-08
Outstanding!
An outstanding narration of one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. I very much hope we will see other works by Solzhenitsyn from Audible (e.g. Cancer Ward).
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29 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Handyman
- 2019-03-22
Fiction based on fact
I've read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich twice, but really began to understand the power of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's genius as I listened to this book. The chapters delving into Stalin's inner thoughts (starting with Chapter 19, The Birthday Hero) are fascinating and entertaining even as that part of the novel steps away from the main plotline. And the narration is outstanding!
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27 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2019-06-08
Excellent fictional history.
He engagingly relates the oppression of the Workers Paradise. A history of our future (2019) with Progressives on the rise.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. Benuck
- 2019-07-26
Powerful
A very important work. Incredibly well written. I was concerned that it would be hard to follow the story line on audio, but that was not the case. Living in a western democracy, we take so much for granted.
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KSJ
- 2020-04-10
100 Stars
Solzhenitsyn is a master of political fiction. It’s like A Tale of Two Cities for the USSR… only much better. It resonates brilliantly and truthfully from the smallest human detail to the largest instance of geopolitical madness.
If you haven’t had occasion to consider it before, Solzhenitsyn will make it abundantly clear why such a nice idea like communism (“Hey, let’s all share everything and be fair!”) was, is, and always will be fatally flawed… The problem, you see, is that it fails to take into account ALL of human nature - all the darkest bits being inseparable from the good ones.
In the First Circle is a master work that I have read many times. That being said, if you are new to Solzhenitsyn you should be aware that it has a large cast of characters and many intertwining threads, and for some people it might be a little difficult if they don’t have some general knowledge of the Stalin era of the USSR.
But this is easily remedied! Begin with Solzhenitsyn’s A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. It is very short, deceptively simple, brilliantly written, and it will orient you to the world portrayed in Solzhenitsyn‘s other works. That’s how it happened for me…
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- mathew riedhammer
- 2019-11-27
Names are hard to follow
Book is very good, but it would help early on to take down the names with quick descriptions, make sure you use all 3 names because the author uses them almost interchangeably
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J.Brock
- 2019-09-28
Best Reread
“In the First Circle” could not be more time appropriate for those of us in the west. The first time I read it it felt a bit distant. But now, Its happening here as we speak. As authoritarianism takes root, the story of arrests, imprisonment, forced confessions, et al seem as real as they could possibly be. This should be required reading!! Don’t wait.. READ this.
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10 people found this helpful