Reviews - The Death of Ivan Ilych: Annotated

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5.01k reviews for:

The Death of Ivan Ilych: Annotated

Leo Tolstoy

4.01 AVERAGE

toni_7's review against another edition

3.0

dark reflective sad medium-paced

joaocaetanoneves's review against another edition

4.25

reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

An 18th century Russian judge comes to term with his own life as it nears the end due to a gruesome and painful disease and realizes he might have lived his life wrong.

booktrotter_bxl's review against another edition

4.0

It's only a bruise..

I am a sucker for short stories, I love them. So it was no surprise that i would love this short story by the master Tolstoy. The story describes the death of a public prosecutor living his life in a firmly comfortable way. Through his life happen some changes within his marriage and work carreer, but it's not until Ivan gets a bruise on his thigh that things really start changing.
Ivan develops problems with his kidney and bowels which put him in a constant state of pain. He slowly gets to die in his little room where he is kept hidden from the outerworld. Ivan screams 3 days in a row from the unbearable pain and dies afterwards.

This short story ends with a , in my opinion, sort of parabel which is an allegory for the short story itself, more so the human hypocrisy and hierarchical conflict as a result of someone else's death.

larabfernandes's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

iridescencedeep's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Affecting, but not compelling, if that makes sense. My main reaction was that my jaw was very slowly dropping in horror throughout the book. It was quite depressing! But also I never really cared.