Heroes

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

A unique and personal tribute to 101 men and women who - in thought, word or deed - have left an indelible mark in the annals of human achievement.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History, Biography, Reference, Historical

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Simon Sebag Montefiore is the author of the global bestsellers 'The Romanovs' and 'Jerusalem: the Biography,' 'Stalin: the Court of the Red Tsar' and Young Stalin and the novels Sashenka and One Night in Winter and "Red Sky at Noon." His books are published in 48 languages and are worldwide bestsellers. He has won prizes in both non-fiction and fiction. He read history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University, where he received his Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD).
'The Romanovs' is his latest history book. He has now completed his Moscow Trilogy of novels featuring Benya Golden and Comrade Satinov, Sashenka, Dashka and Fabiana.... and Stalin himself.


Buy in the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Winter-...

"A thrilling work of fiction. Montefiore weaves a tight, satisfying plot, delivering surprises to the last page. Stalin's chilling charisma is brilliantly realised. The novel's theme is Love: family love, youthful romance, adulterous passion. One Night in Winter is full of redemptive love and inner freedom." Evening Standard

"Gripping and cleverly plotted. Doomed love at the heart of a violent society is the heart of Montefiore's One Night in Winter... depicting the Kafkaesque labyrinth into which the victims stumble." The Sunday Times

"Compulsively involving. Our fear for the children keeps up turning the pages... We follow the passions with sympathy... The knot of events tugs at a wide range of emotions rarely experienced outside an intimate tyranny." The Times

"The novel is hugely romantic. His ease with the setting and historical characters is masterly. The book maintains a tense pace. Uniquely terrifying. Heartrending. Engrossing. " The Scotsman

“Delicately plotted and buried within a layered, elliptical narrative, One Night in Winter is also a fidgety page-turner which adroitly weaves a huge cast of characters into an arcane world.” Time Out

“A novel full of passion, conspiracy, hope, despair, suffering and redemption, it transcends boundaries of genre, being at once thriller and political drama, horror and romance. His ability to paint Stalin in such a way to make the reader quake with fire is matched by talent for creating truly heartbreaking characters: the children who find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy, the parents…. A gripping read and must surely be one of the best novels of 2013. ” NY Journal of Books

"Not just a thumpingly good read, but also essentially a story of human fragility and passions, albeit taking place under the intimidating shadow of a massive Stalinist portico." The National

"Seriously good fun... the Soviet march on Berlin, nightmarish drinking games at Stalin's countryhouse, the magnificence of the Bolshoi, interrogations, snow, sex and exile... lust adultery and romance. Eminently readable and strangely affecting." Sunday Telegraph

" "Hopelessly romantic and hopelessly moving. A mix of lovestory thriller and historical fiction. Engrossing." The Observer

“Gripping. Montefiore’s characters snare our sympathy and we follow them avidly. This intricate at times disturbing, always absorbing novel entertains and disturbs and seethes with moral complexity. Characters real+fictitious ring strikingly true.It is to a large extent Tolstoyan …..” The Australian

“Enthralling. Montefiore writes brilliantly about Love - from teenage romance to the grand passion of adultery. Readers of Sebastian Faulks and Hilary Mantel will lap this up. A historical novel that builds into a nail-biting drama … a world that resembles… Edith Wharton with the death penalty.” Novel of

Reviews

[Karin Künnapas · Rating 4 out of 5]

See on raamat, mida on hea aeglaselt ja väikeste ampsude kaupa lugeda. Lühikesed kirjeldused 101 inimesest, kes on ajalukku endast kuidagi märgi maha jätnud. Eks saaks vaielda miks ja kuidas keegi selle välja on teeninud ja kui palju olulisi inimesi välja jäänud, aga ega ei jõuagi kõiki katta. Minu arust tore populaarteaduslik ja ka hariv ülevaade ajaloohuvilistele.

[Johann Brandstatter · Rating 1 out of 5]

History is always written by the victor ! - History books, or in this case, the choice of " heroes " can be just as contentious. Who to select ? Why is he or she a " hero " (heroine) ? You need no better proof than this book and this selection. Some of the " heroes " should not be in this book at all, unless of course one is comfortable with the fact that they caused the death of millions of people.
The " heroes " or at times monsters as described in this book, did not build anything. They forced other people to build it for them. Apart from sprouting phrases, they were often not able to consume breakfast without help.
Simon's linking of the " heroes " described to " royalty " or " nobility " is quaint if puzzling. Does that make them a better class of people ? Were they born different to us ? Born to greatness ? When it comes to North American " heroes " or Margaret Thatcher ( ideally paired with Ronald Reagan ), Simon goes off into the wild yonder. Sycophantic drivel would be the best description. History and the present do not bear him out !
Lovely presentation, easy to read, but be prepared for the odd laugh and a shake of the head. I suspect Simon might have at some time written for the lower class of women's magazines ( no offence ). I bought it second hand, for a fraction of the listed price... just as well.

[Duzzlebrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book loses a whole star for using a picture of Gerard Butler to illustrate Leonidas of Sparta. A whole star, Montefiore, you could have had that star but noooo, you had to drag in that awful movie! Seriously, though, this book is lavishly illustrated, covers a wide range of people and times, with plenty of additional reading boxes to give information on the backgrounds of various people. It's meant to be interesting, not scholarly.

[Nielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall in love saat baca buku sejarah ini, tidak bosan untuk dibaca karna bahasa yang digunakan mudah dipahami dan setiap pahlawan yang diceritakan dibuku ini sangat heroik dengan perjalananya masing-masing. Rekomended banget !!

[Sam Sahota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Montefiore at his exquisite best with Heroes. I adore this book and refer to it regularly.

[Tyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Sebag Montefiore has a great way of making things interesting and moving with his writing. Not only he wrote about why these men and women are included in his 'heroes' list, but for each character, there's a section that explains something associated with him/her, be it make-up of the age or a famous poem.

But of course, it's actually difficult to decide who's a hero and who's not. You may protest the presence of, say, Kemal Ataturk or David Ben-Gurion in the list. But all in all, this book has been a great read.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reading for history fans who don't want to have to concentrate terribly hard - although juxtaposition of Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela will raise plenty of non-Tory eyebrows. There is a companion volume "Monsters".