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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Want to reread - but stop before all the missing parts, it’s too unsatisfying. The rating is based on the completed sections
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was about 12 years old when I had to read in school for the very first time and back then I absolutelly hated it. Now, decades after, I decided to give this book another try. Wow!!! What a masterpiece this is. Gogol's writing is simply beautiful, his humor is sarcastic, and his knowledge and understanding of "Russian soul" is something that even Tolstoi doesn't have.
Sadly, Gogol wasn't able to finish this book. One can only wonder what else did he have in mind for Chichikov and all other characters.
Sadly, Gogol wasn't able to finish this book. One can only wonder what else did he have in mind for Chichikov and all other characters.
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
medium-paced
I only finished the first volume, and it was a struggle. The first half of the volume was too episodic for me - like reading The Hobbit - and the second half too incoherent. Such a structure could not be saved by Gogol's occasional humor.
Lowkey embarrassed :( it's just not as good as his short stories. A lot of pointless diatribes. Also, and this may be a convenient excuse, I have a suspicion that this is a bad translation. I'll come back when Pevear takes the wheel.
"Tutto da loro era rigido, rozzo, goffo, inadeguato, mal congegnato, privo di eleganza: in testa avevano un gran baccano, un parapiglia, una confusione, un'accozzaglia di pensieri- insomma, in tutto si rivelava la natura vuota dell'uomo, una natura rozza, pesante, inadatta tanto all'ordine domestico quanto ai convincimenti interiori, e inoltre scettica, pigra, sempre piena di dubbi e di un eterno timore"
The novel is not complet but what an enjoyable and interesting read. The comparisons to Dickens' Pickwick Papers are accurate, and it was very entertaining.