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Title: Mediocre Russian Dystopian Novel
Review: I'll surely grant that Tatyana Tolstoya is a fine writer and excellent stylist. However, I did not find her dystopic view of a Russian future all that compelling. Margaret Atwood has covered much of the same terrain in several novels, most notably her splendid "The Handmaid's Tale" with a gripping plot and memorable characters. Unfortunately I found none of Tolstaya's characters of interest, with the possible exception of Benedikt. Anyone interested in reading great dystopian novels should turn to Orwell and Atwood first, before reading this slender tome.
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