I. Grekova

Mr. Levin is a member of one of the families that "made the revolution," and then passed all the tests that befell him in the 20th century. This book is, without a doubt, one of the outstanding novels about the tragic fate of Jews under Stalin's regime and its purges.

Five women of different backgrounds move into an apartment in Moscow during World War II. The novel chronicles the tensions resulting from differences in intellect, culture, class, not to mention lack of space and a shortages of the basic necessities of life. The author is a Russian mathematician.