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leonormsousa's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
TRIGGER WARNINGS
child death, death, terminal illness
REPRESENTATION
none
REVIEW
One novella in and I'm already a Tolstoy fan! I thought The Death of Ivan Ilyich was a sublime read. Exploring death, but mostly life, this little book came at the perfect time for me. It’s definitely a timeless story: 136 years after its publication, its themes continue to be incredibly relevant, especially the discussion on how a life lived according to society’s/other people’s expectations of you only leads you to regret. Besides the beautiful writing, which I was already expecting from a Russian classic, I adored all of the literary devices that Tolstoy used that came to prove how much of a genius he was. The only reason I couldn’t give the novella the full 5 stars was that the summary of Ivan’s life felt a little bit boring (although necessary!).
REPRESENTATION
REVIEW
One novella in and I'm already a Tolstoy fan! I thought The Death of Ivan Ilyich was a sublime read. Exploring death, but mostly life, this little book came at the perfect time for me. It’s definitely a timeless story: 136 years after its publication, its themes continue to be incredibly relevant, especially the discussion on how a life lived according to society’s/other people’s expectations of you only leads you to regret. Besides the beautiful writing, which I was already expecting from a Russian classic, I adored all of the literary devices that Tolstoy used that came to prove how much of a genius he was. The only reason I couldn’t give the novella the full 5 stars was that the summary of Ivan’s life felt a little bit boring (although necessary!).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Terminal illness
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