It's an intriguing concept -- getting oral histories from a variety of Russians with some connection to Russia's year of revolution. Unfortunately, since the interviews were conducted in the 1990s and early 2000s, the interview subjects delivered their testimonies second-hand. The stories came from people who were children, and the memories usually came via their parents.

Bainton's sympathies are clear early on (as I suppose they should be). The Russian people set themselves free in February 1917, but were betrayed in the Bolshevik "coup" of October. Alexander Kerensky should have been a hero, but he was cast aside after appointing General Kornilov head of the army.

The book is easy to read, and the stories are interesting, but this isn't the first book you should read about the Russian Revolutions of 1917.