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colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
It was a short ebook and it went by rather quickly and dint think much of it when I finished it yesterday. But I've been thinking of it and while it was short the ghost story definitely did something. Cool way to mix playing cards and a ghost story in one.
alishajuma's review against another edition
4.0
A story about how individuals can become corrupted by greed, with a fun supernatural twist.
I feel like many of Pushkin’s stories suffer from concept fatigue; because Pushkin was such an inspiration to so many great writers, his stories lose their novelty and impact.
Despite this, 'The Queen of Spades' stands as an enjoyable short story with a unique blend of elements.
I feel like many of Pushkin’s stories suffer from concept fatigue; because Pushkin was such an inspiration to so many great writers, his stories lose their novelty and impact.
Despite this, 'The Queen of Spades' stands as an enjoyable short story with a unique blend of elements.
muzzystbrigid's review against another edition
4.0
9/10
First off, please just normalize the short story at this point. At large, it feels like the English literary tradition has sidelined short stories to the work of amateurs and apprenticeship, but this work is a prime example of the depth that can come from one that is well written.
Brevity and Precision are the name of the game for Pushkin and the employment with both of these in his writing makes it such a real thrill. His word selection and utilization is so lean, efficient, and enjoyable that it’s like a juicy medium rare burger that you can’t put down. The Queen of Spades itself took just over an hour and a half to read but felt more like 15 minutes, and to that I give old Sasha a lot of credit.
Although much of the story is centered around an antiquated card game called “faro,” as a poker player (and a shitty one at that) the themes and tropes of this text are relatable on a variety of levels. This book not only serves as a lesson in the vice, but at the same time is an examination of wealth, old age, and the Russian soul.
It looks at the Russified German, named Hermann, and his pursuit of wealth. A real contradiction, he would go to watch people gamble for hours into the early morning, yet never pick up a card due to his strict fiscal discipline. All that changes when he hears the story of the Wandering Jew aiding a countess with a trick to beat the house.
This sort of ignites a pastors-daughter complex within him as he actively rebels against his previously held discipline and preconceived morals in pursuit of this cabalistic secret.
All the rest, I will leave up to those who take up this short story. The symbolism and metaphors in this aren’t as strong as other Russian literary classics, but that is to be expected as Pushkin is a touchstone for many of them and in his time the Russian literary tradition was in its infancy. In that respect, it is closer to the source material that ultimately spawned it, and in the law of proximity, this makes it both easier and harder to analyze.
With that being said, I couldn’t recommend this short story enough for sheer enjoyment on its own, let alone the compelling writing style and sheer historical significance of this ultimate example of the incredible short story tradition of Russian literature.
First off, please just normalize the short story at this point. At large, it feels like the English literary tradition has sidelined short stories to the work of amateurs and apprenticeship, but this work is a prime example of the depth that can come from one that is well written.
Brevity and Precision are the name of the game for Pushkin and the employment with both of these in his writing makes it such a real thrill. His word selection and utilization is so lean, efficient, and enjoyable that it’s like a juicy medium rare burger that you can’t put down. The Queen of Spades itself took just over an hour and a half to read but felt more like 15 minutes, and to that I give old Sasha a lot of credit.
Although much of the story is centered around an antiquated card game called “faro,” as a poker player (and a shitty one at that) the themes and tropes of this text are relatable on a variety of levels. This book not only serves as a lesson in the vice, but at the same time is an examination of wealth, old age, and the Russian soul.
It looks at the Russified German, named Hermann, and his pursuit of wealth. A real contradiction, he would go to watch people gamble for hours into the early morning, yet never pick up a card due to his strict fiscal discipline. All that changes when he hears the story of the Wandering Jew aiding a countess with a trick to beat the house.
This sort of ignites a pastors-daughter complex within him as he actively rebels against his previously held discipline and preconceived morals in pursuit of this cabalistic secret.
All the rest, I will leave up to those who take up this short story. The symbolism and metaphors in this aren’t as strong as other Russian literary classics, but that is to be expected as Pushkin is a touchstone for many of them and in his time the Russian literary tradition was in its infancy. In that respect, it is closer to the source material that ultimately spawned it, and in the law of proximity, this makes it both easier and harder to analyze.
With that being said, I couldn’t recommend this short story enough for sheer enjoyment on its own, let alone the compelling writing style and sheer historical significance of this ultimate example of the incredible short story tradition of Russian literature.
lerochkabelochka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
tarabramatara's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Father of Russian Literature slays 😉
pipareykir's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5