This was an interesting history book about some lesser-known early communists, who all lived in, or socialised in, the Hotel Lux in Moscow in the 1920s. The Hotel Lux was anything but luxurious, but provided accommodation for many of the international band of idealists who worked with the Comintern to spread the communist revolution throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
“The conviction which carried people from around the world to ultimately converge on destinations like the Hotel Lux emerged, in part, from that belief in the possibility of a beautiful future that was vindicated for many by their own experiences of 1917.”
The book focuses on the Irish woman, May O’Callaghan, and her close English/Jewish friends, sisters Nellie and Rose Cohen. It covers their friendships, relationships and eventual families as they moved around the world (Ireland, England, Russia, USA, Netherlands, France, Mexico, Switzerland, …) furthering the communist cause from the 1920s, through the Second World War, and how some of them fell foul of the increasingly dictatorial Soviet communist hierarchy under Stalin, though none gave up on their commitment to their communist ideals.
“For May and many others whose stories have been told across these pages, Moscow’s Hotel Lux in the mid-1920s was the place and moment through which their entire lives flowed. So many of their relationships, ideas, sacrifices and compromises were determined by those years.”
Communism appealed to people for different reasons. Many of those mentioned in the book sought freedom from national/international systems of persecution such as anti-Jewish Tsarist pogroms in Russia, colonialism, anti-queer legislation, misogyny, monarchy …. May and the Cohens met while working for the suffragettes in London. Initially, communism seemed to offer true equality for all, regardless of sex, race, birth, sexual orientation and nationality. Though, in practice, the promised freedoms became more and more restricted as the fight for control of the dialogue and the ultimate power-grab by Stalin closed down any opposition or diversity in thinking and activity.
“Although Bolshevism never offered a coherent plan for liberating those whose sexual preferences transgressed social norms, communism’s broad appeal to the oppressed resonated with some queer people. Among the tsarist-era laws abolished after the Revolution was one criminalising sex between men. In March 1934 an all-Union decree against ‘sodomy’ made the USSR the first state in modern history to recriminalise homosexual acts. Rose Cohen found herself working alongside men who once more found their sexuality the target of state laws in the very place they had sought sanctuary.”
I was shocked to hear that the communist opposition to the Nazis in Germany (which had been rather successful) was shut down by Stalin – well before his catastrophic pact with Hitler. Once German communists were permitted to oppose the Nazi rise to power, it was too late.
Other signs that the universal freedoms and equalities of a communist future were being diluted then shut down, slowly became apparent, but often were ignored or explained away by the devoted Comintern workers:
“Party members understood that the future of abundance for all was being worked towards, but it had not yet arrived. In the time of struggle towards communism, certain privileges needed to be granted to those carrying out the most important work.”
“A non-communist observer could baulk at the use of slave labour in Belomor, but someone committed to the idea that the ‘general line’ was ultimately correct could soothe their conscience by deferring to the external authority of the Party and imbibing the propaganda about ‘reforging’ errant citizens.”
“According to the official data of the Soviet secret police, the number of convictions for political crimes from 1921 to 1941 was more than three million, with 1,817,496 people placed in prison or sent to the Gulag during this same period. One historian’s estimate for the number of executions carried out from 1937–8 alone puts the number at approximately one million.”
There was a lot to learn from this book. Although most of the characters mentioned are not well known at all, they interacted with some of the most famous and influential people of the twentieth century, and can justifiably claim a part in its history.
Around the world, communist regimes have been some of the most despicable, immoral and restrictive. But, so many of the rights and freedoms we enjoy today come from early communist ideals, and we can thank May and her friends for their tireless work and idealism.
It took me a while to get into the book, and initially I thought there was too much padding and repetition. But by the end I was fully invested in the lives of the main characters and had to know what their fates were to be.
Another important aspect of the book, was the author’s investigation into his subjects: how he came to trace their movements across the world, and across the decades; the importance of personal letters; official files; memories of descendants … For any budding historian, there is so much here to learn.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in twentieth century history, especially that of political movements. It is not a quick read, but definitely a worthwhile one.

This is a fascinating and incredible story. An unlikely mix of individuals, an Irish radical, an East End Jewish family and German anti fascists. All are communist activists in the early 29th century whose lives cross in Moscow at the Hotel Lux. The Russian Revolution has passed and the early idealism is as yet untouched by the brutality of Stalinism. A forgotten period, evocative and at the heart of the tale is an unlikely love story. An amazing and original insight into ordinary lives which I really enjoyed. Well written and very readable.

I'll admit it wasn't immediately clear to me that his was a non-fiction book. It was some pages in before I realised the writing style was not a 'quirky' way of framing a story, but instead the recounting of an actual historian finding these things out!
I think that added to the difficulty of me 'getting into' the book as this isn't my usual type at all. But I'm glad I persevered as I really feel like I learned a lot that I otherwise wouldn't have ever known.
It gave me a great appreciation not only for the people mentioned and their journey but also the process of historians themselves. I've never considered how we go about finding all these details!
Worth it for something different and fleshing out these unknown areas of our histories

Readable and informative book .. people sort 'on the ground' living hopeful, radical lives in midst of much blockage in the real world .. they gathered by grace of kindnesses together in this abode: a hotel. OK, ok, there is a same-sex link but that's normal . I'm beginning to find highlighting that sexual orientation as notable or unusual a mystifying and tedious attitude .. it's 'normal' (I know that word itself is anomalous).
Following these lives and their political actions, founded on kindness, is interesting beyond doubt. Its the position of the followers and it's what most people actually live out ..so this volume fleshes out what real life for those of us who are counter the political stance of the many acting out opposition ourselves in authoritarian-lead countries... very persuasive with novelistic technique guiding us through .. really enjoyed it!

The book culminates in a queer love story between the daughters of the Cohens and Leonhards, forming an enduring partnership amid their parents' crumbling political visions. This multi-generational narrative provides a profound history of international communism, reflecting both on the past and its implications for the future.