This is a rough, but important read. Written by a Russian, for Russians; it is not so easily accessible for those of us outside of that locale both spatially and temporally. I'd suggest that those who wish to embark on this journey already have an invested understanding of Russian revolution history of the early 20th century, otherwise you'll end up missing some of the conceptual framework that Solzhenitsyn takes for granted that you know.

With that being said, the translation is done very well, and Solzhenitsyn must be commended for writing what must be some of the toughest paragraphs put to paper in a manner that is respectable to those that were trod underfoot, whilst not leaving out anything that he could corroborate happened. All the while making such a dreary and somewhat repetitious set of situations have their time in our memory, so the collective conscious learns and hopefully never forgets the depths we as a people can achieve.

Another commendation must be Solzhenitsyn's writing style and methods with which he draws letters, personal experience & copious second hand accounts into one story crossing over half a century of time.

I don't think I'm in a position to comment much on the content specifically, but can say without a doubt you should read this.