Reviews - The Death of Ivan Ilych: Annotated

4.99k reviews for:

The Death of Ivan Ilych: Annotated

Leo Tolstoy

4.01 AVERAGE

auroraleighs's review against another edition

4.25

dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Tolstoy is always good, and this was a nice little poignant novella.

senoyreve's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

beautiful prose, a book that makes you want to live. i’ve been thinking a lot about the (in)finite expansion of our brains and how humans exist as self contained universes. i think this book in a way affirmed that. it’s a truly beautiful tale and i think i want to live more tranquilly but at the same time ivan suffers because he cannot face the pain or strife he begins to exist within. i think that you can never know when your universe will begin to contract and you can never know if you really did live right.

sarahbc93_'s review against another edition

4.0

So, as I’ve found with most Russian literature, this one took a little bit of getting into for me. But again, I’m not in the greatest of mindsets at the moment so that may have driven it more than the actual book itself.

Whilst this is a relatively short book, especially by Russian standards, but it still manages to hit all of the major themes that you expect to find in Russian literature. It’s dark, morbid, religious and slightly depressing.

But it’s an interesting look at life in the face of a death that you know is coming and can do nothing to stop. We’re so good as a society at ignoring the fact that we will all die at some point and don’t walk around with the knowledges of when exactly that will be, but when you’re faced with the knowledge that your death is imminent it will naturally alter your opinion on your life and the events that have led to where you now find yourself.

A good one to get ticked off of my tbr but not one I’m sure that I would go back to in the future.

lievenvg's review against another edition

4.5

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

madshs's review against another edition

5.0

Besides considerations as to the possible transfers and promotions likely to result from Ivan Ilych's death, the mere fact of the death of a near acquaintance aroused, as usual, in all who heard of it the complacent feeling that, "it is he who is dead and not I."

Var spent på hvor mye eksistensiell angst det er mulig å presse inn i 100 sider. Svaret var all den eksistensielle angsten.