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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
DNF. 100 pages in and I give up. I'm somewhat ashamed but this book has been page after page of the most uninteresting events imaginable. I'll leave my bookmark in it and give it another try perhaps one day.
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a strange, fragmented book. I don't think I've read a "classic" in a long time that left me so surprised that it had somehow traversed the labyrinth of reputation to wind up being along the most noted 19th century Russian books. I probably hadn't read a headscratcher of this sort since Moby Dick. But here we are, with it a major, influential work. Undoubtedly, the fact that he died while writing it contributes to the difficulty in piecing it all together. It was meant as a three volume work, but only the first volume is intact. He burned large sections of the second volume before his death, while his editor had only parts on hand to finish the work with. Nothing of the third volume (if ever written) remains. Parts are quite funny, and you get the kind of tour is Russian society that Tolstoy became famous for. You're just always left wondering when it is going to all come together and get some momentum. It never does.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This could've been a great read for me. It has all the right ingredients. An inviting storyline, diverse characters and a grand vision to depict all of Russia. But Gogol's writing style is pretty boring. It has a lot of digressions, and though common in 19th century literature, Gogol's were not very interesting. It constantly made me think to get on with the action already.
I liked Part Two better than Part One. The characters Chichkhov meets were more sympathetic and the hijinx more fun. There was also, an added depth compared to the sardonic bent of the first part. Too bad that it is unfinished but what we have left shows the glimmer in what could have been if he had finished all 3 parts of his epic poem
I liked Part Two better than Part One. The characters Chichkhov meets were more sympathetic and the hijinx more fun. There was also, an added depth compared to the sardonic bent of the first part. Too bad that it is unfinished but what we have left shows the glimmer in what could have been if he had finished all 3 parts of his epic poem
funny
reflective
slow-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
funny
lighthearted
Why don’t straight men know how to be catty like that anymore
Een boek met best veel humor, alleen jammer van deel 2 dat niet voltooid is en een beetje prekerig wordt
5 star score does not cover the unfinished and inferior part 2.