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laura_huey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This beautiful translation by Pevear & Volokhonsky was superbly read by Juliet Stevenson. I sometimes found it hard to keep track of the vast array of characters because of the use of first name & patronymic, surname only, and a wide range of nicknames for each person. It’s slow moving and the characters are very complex, but well worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Deportation
kimveach's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've wanted to read this book for a long time, and I finally did. It was a long slog. While parts of the book were fascinating, there was too much war and philosophy for me to truly enjoy it. The translation was excellent. It had lots of notes that helped explain the references Pasternak was using. Without these, it would have been difficult for me to comprehend. I can appreciate this book, primarily since it was written against the government's wishes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Deportation
flara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have so many thoughts I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start on a positive note before I spiral: I think Pasternak did an excellent job at portraying very specific period of time in Russian history. I have relatives who lived in those places at those times and it felt like I could see into their lives, even though we have never met. Pasternak gives you little vignettes of places and 'happenings' that don't contribute much to the plot but yet they complete the picture and bring you closer. I felt like I was watching (reading) a B-roll and Doctor Zhivago was a film series.
I would much prefer if this was called General Zhivago, a book about Yuri's mysterious brother who randomly comes in and out and saves Yuri's ass. How am I supposed to care about a man, who doesn't appear to care about anyone, has children with multiple women to whom he proclaims his love and affection but then never really thinks about those children ever again? How was this supposed to be a love story??? At the beginning I was grasping for any encounter between Yuri and Lara, but that was because I always knew they were meant to be together at some point. However, as soon as they did come together, I didn't care at all, because there was nothing to care about. They say they love each other and so on, but I didn't find it believable.
And now the children part. Yuri is forced to join a partisan group during his wife's pregnancy. This is during a horrendous civil war that followed a world war. Everything is in shambles, people are struggling to survive. His wife is in a foreign village PREGNANT. Yuri sees burning villages. He is a witness to a soldier murdering his wife and children because he could not stand the thought of the Whites coming and killing them, so he decided to end their lives' swiftly, by himself, to spare them from suffering. Yuri is also witness to mother just abandoning their newborn babies to the wilderness, because they have no milk, and apparently leaving your child to be eaten by a wild animal is preferable to a long dying of hunger. He experiences all of this, and his main thought after finally escaping the Red partisans and getting to Yuriatin is 'I better get myself shaved and my hair cut before I see Lara'. May I please remind you that at the beginning of the book Yuri is an orphan boy who cries over the death of his mother. You'd think he would want to make sure that his children never have to experience an absent parent. Oh and then he has more children with a much younger woman and he he pulls a disappearing act on them too??? WTF Yuri???
Vasya, a young man who joins him for a brief period at the end of the book, is by far the cleverest character, because he eventually realises that Yuri is full of BS and that Yuri is putting minimal effort into 'trying to reunite with his family'. How did this man get not one, not two, but three women into subjecting all their devotion to him, I will never understand. I realise that he is most probably suffering from all sorts of trauma, and we can see that he slowly looses his marbles towards the end. But it seems that his shortcomings were simply magnified by the violent events and passing of time; they were there before.
Also, why does everybody keep running into each other? 500+ pages, over 10 000km, and yet everyone and everything is connected? This is where I truly felt like I was watching (reading) a film series, because the coincidence was astronomical.
I'm sure I found many other things completely outrageous, but I can't recall them right now. I think this book has merit for its portrayal of historical events and capturing the essence of those times. But it fails as a vessel for Zhivago's and Antipova's lovestory.
I would much prefer if this was called General Zhivago, a book about Yuri's mysterious brother who randomly comes in and out and saves Yuri's ass. How am I supposed to care about a man, who doesn't appear to care about anyone, has children with multiple women to whom he proclaims his love and affection but then never really thinks about those children ever again? How was this supposed to be a love story??? At the beginning I was grasping for any encounter between Yuri and Lara, but that was because I always knew they were meant to be together at some point. However, as soon as they did come together, I didn't care at all, because there was nothing to care about. They say they love each other and so on, but I didn't find it believable.
And now the children part. Yuri is forced to join a partisan group during his wife's pregnancy. This is during a horrendous civil war that followed a world war. Everything is in shambles, people are struggling to survive. His wife is in a foreign village PREGNANT. Yuri sees burning villages. He is a witness to a soldier murdering his wife and children because he could not stand the thought of the Whites coming and killing them, so he decided to end their lives' swiftly, by himself, to spare them from suffering. Yuri is also witness to mother just abandoning their newborn babies to the wilderness, because they have no milk, and apparently leaving your child to be eaten by a wild animal is preferable to a long dying of hunger. He experiences all of this, and his main thought after finally escaping the Red partisans and getting to Yuriatin is 'I better get myself shaved and my hair cut before I see Lara'. May I please remind you that at the beginning of the book Yuri is an orphan boy who cries over the death of his mother. You'd think he would want to make sure that his children never have to experience an absent parent. Oh and then he has more children with a much younger woman and he he pulls a disappearing act on them too??? WTF Yuri???
Vasya, a young man who joins him for a brief period at the end of the book, is by far the cleverest character, because he eventually realises that Yuri is full of BS and that Yuri is putting minimal effort into 'trying to reunite with his family'. How did this man get not one, not two, but three women into subjecting all their devotion to him, I will never understand. I realise that he is most probably suffering from all sorts of trauma, and we can see that he slowly looses his marbles towards the end. But it seems that his shortcomings were simply magnified by the violent events and passing of time; they were there before.
Also, why does everybody keep running into each other? 500+ pages, over 10 000km, and yet everyone and everything is connected? This is where I truly felt like I was watching (reading) a film series, because the coincidence was astronomical.
I'm sure I found many other things completely outrageous, but I can't recall them right now. I think this book has merit for its portrayal of historical events and capturing the essence of those times. But it fails as a vessel for Zhivago's and Antipova's lovestory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Death of parent
Minor: Cannibalism
rosseshelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
❝ Everything had changed suddenly— the tone, the moral climate; you didn't know what to think, whom to listen to. As if all your life you had been led by the hand like a small child and suddenly you were on your own, you had to learn to walk by yourself. ❞
I enjoyed reading this book because the ability of the author’s eloquent depiction of the conflicting emotions that stemmed from the October Revolution and its consequences deeply resonated with me and significantly transformed my understanding of Russian history. Through the character, Yurii Zhivago, the book conveyed a profound perspective that helped me comprehend Russia’s central role, navigating through periods of both despair and hope. The intricately woven narrative vividly explores the interconnected fate of Yurii, his loved ones, and his friends with the soul of Russia.
The book is replete with powerful, emotional, and inspiring scenes that transcend the characters’ challenging circumstances. It adeptly elicited a wide spectrum of emotions within me, ranging from profound frustration and sorrow to amazement, optimism, and elation. I am safe to say, that this book has left an indelible impression on me, captivating my imagination and emotions long after reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, and War
julianh's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Murder, and Pregnancy
mmefish's review against another edition
Nope, I can't. I don't feel as comfortable with Russian as ~5 years ago, and maybe that's why reading this feels like I'm losing my mind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Suicide, and Blood
edensbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
pasinsky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Ho amato questo romanzo. La lettura è stata abbastanza veloce, anche grazie al fatto che la maggior parte dei capitoli fosse piuttosto breve. Personaggi ben costruiti e ambientazione affascinante. Assolutamente da leggere per chi sia interessato al periodo della rivoluzione russa e agli anni immediatamente successivi.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship