Reviews

The Beggar and Other Stories by Bryan Karetnyk, Gaito Gazdanov

doctortdm's review against another edition

4.0

Except for 2 of the stories I thought this was an excellent book, hence a rating of 4.

dhn045's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

annrose_007's review against another edition

3.0

(3.5)

camillalice's review against another edition

2.0

I've been interested in Russian literature for years, so whenever I get a chance to try a new writer, I jump on it. Sometimes, it's love at first read, sometimes it doesn't work out. Unfortunately, in this case it's the latter.
Now, don't get me wrong, Gazdanov's writing is great, it's entirely personal here. I just didn't get into the stories and they just did nothing for me and I didn't feel compelled to keep reading. I'm sure it will work for others, I'm just not overly keen on character-centered stories.

Disclaimer - I received a free digital copy of this book courtesy of Pushkin Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

fearandtrembling's review against another edition

2.0

Bourgeois ennui doesn't win me over anymore. While Gazdanov can certainly spin a beautiful sentence, I read these stories over the course of a week or more and never felt any urgency to return to the book. In response to the very civilised, polished, world-weary tone of this book, I can only muster up a shrug.

I saw on Twitter that somebody had described him as "Sebaldian". I've yet to read Sebald, and plan to, and I hope to god it's nothing like this.