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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
"A Russian song is like water in a mill pond. It seems stopped up and unmoving. But in its depths it constantly flows through the sluice gates, and the calm of its surface is deceptive.
By all possible means, by repetitions, by parallelisms, it holds back the course of the gradually developing content. At a certain limit, it suddenly opens itself all at once and astounds us. Restraining itself, mastering itself, an anguished force expresses itself in this way. It is a mad attempt to stop time with words."
So, this book! What can I say about this book? It was frustrating, difficult, and glorious. I was challenged. It made me think. Pasternak's writing style is more philosophical and less character driven and not at all what I expected. As my library-edition says on the cover: Pasternak meant every word that he has written.
I decided to read this book because I wanted a love story with a winter theme. I remembered watching the movie a million years ago and since I hadn't read the book, and I was recently discussing Russian authors on Goodreads with Jim, borrowed Doctor Zhivago from the library. I was about 50 pages in when I had a WTF moment. WTF is going on? Who are all these characters with numerous names = formal names, patronymics, and nicknames -- and I mean that in the plural sense, as in, numerous nicknames. So, I had a moment of choice where I could take the book back to the library or begin again. I began again. BUT, I took pen to paper and made copious notes on everyone. I felt as though I were back in University but it helped a lot. I also had to give myself a crash course on the Russian Civil War. I thought about getting a book from the library but did it the lazy way by googling everything and anything I could find. That also helped in my understanding and am so grateful I did this. (I also watched the movie last night after finishing the book. Just 'cuz.)
I am not so arrogantly stating that I understand this period of Russian history in any way shape or form but at least I can appreciate (superficially) where Pasternak is coming from. The chapters on life in Moscow at the beginning of the Revolution and the family's train passage to the Urals was incredible. I don't want to spoil anything, but I cannot imagine being confined to your home because of bullets (stray or otherwise) flying everywhere.
The writing is beautiful and poetic and although it was not the love story I supposed, I relished my time with Yuri and Lara. I plan to keep my notes and to read this book again in the not-so-distant future. It deserves a second read-through but I need something a bit less academic for a little while. Reading a novel while checking your notes every other sentence was certainly a different experience. The usual flow wasn't there and I would like to experience the novel that way. This may take numerous reads but I am up for the challenge
By all possible means, by repetitions, by parallelisms, it holds back the course of the gradually developing content. At a certain limit, it suddenly opens itself all at once and astounds us. Restraining itself, mastering itself, an anguished force expresses itself in this way. It is a mad attempt to stop time with words."
So, this book! What can I say about this book? It was frustrating, difficult, and glorious. I was challenged. It made me think. Pasternak's writing style is more philosophical and less character driven and not at all what I expected. As my library-edition says on the cover: Pasternak meant every word that he has written.
I decided to read this book because I wanted a love story with a winter theme. I remembered watching the movie a million years ago and since I hadn't read the book, and I was recently discussing Russian authors on Goodreads with Jim, borrowed Doctor Zhivago from the library. I was about 50 pages in when I had a WTF moment. WTF is going on? Who are all these characters with numerous names = formal names, patronymics, and nicknames -- and I mean that in the plural sense, as in, numerous nicknames. So, I had a moment of choice where I could take the book back to the library or begin again. I began again. BUT, I took pen to paper and made copious notes on everyone. I felt as though I were back in University but it helped a lot. I also had to give myself a crash course on the Russian Civil War. I thought about getting a book from the library but did it the lazy way by googling everything and anything I could find. That also helped in my understanding and am so grateful I did this. (I also watched the movie last night after finishing the book. Just 'cuz.)
I am not so arrogantly stating that I understand this period of Russian history in any way shape or form but at least I can appreciate (superficially) where Pasternak is coming from. The chapters on life in Moscow at the beginning of the Revolution and the family's train passage to the Urals was incredible. I don't want to spoil anything, but I cannot imagine being confined to your home because of bullets (stray or otherwise) flying everywhere.
The writing is beautiful and poetic and although it was not the love story I supposed, I relished my time with Yuri and Lara. I plan to keep my notes and to read this book again in the not-so-distant future. It deserves a second read-through but I need something a bit less academic for a little while. Reading a novel while checking your notes every other sentence was certainly a different experience. The usual flow wasn't there and I would like to experience the novel that way. This may take numerous reads but I am up for the challenge
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
dr zhivago is such a knob
just read the sparknotes summary, it’s 3 paragraphs and just as good.
just read the sparknotes summary, it’s 3 paragraphs and just as good.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
I have a print copy of this book, but I thought it might be easier to listen to it on Audible. For the first 100 - 200 pages I was so confused by all the names of people and places. I really think I should have just read it so I could have actually seen the words. Once I got a little farther in, however, I started to get into the details of the story a bit more. Having a little understanding of the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war helps the reader to follow the plot. I had just enough. The epilogue in this edition explains the difficulties of getting this novel published, and I found that really fascinating.
Got really depressed during reading it (not related to the book) and the book was making it worse so I stopped. I want to pick it up again because I loved it initially but I think I'd have to start from beginning.
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No