In this volume, Rybakov's ability to seamlessly weave the threads of the trilogy's principal characters with those of the objective events taking place is at its height. In this regard, the novel stands in the great Russian tradition of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace and Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate . The second and third volumes sacrifice something of the style and artistry of the first, reflecting, perhaps, the author's sense of having limited time. Nonetheless, they make for enthralling reading and have exceptional moments. In this instant Stalin, the embodiment of police cynicism and reaction, is juxtaposed against Trotsky, whose message is imbued with optimism and faith in human solidarity.
Life is beautiful.
Let future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence and enjoy it to the full. Stalin reads these lines in silent fury. The response to the novels varied. Deti Arbata initially gained a large following. The Soviet journal in which it first appeared had to boost its normal press run of 150,000 to 800,000.