Reviews

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

houxli's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I like the bird's eye view of the Russian Revolution, then the slow zoom-in on the principal cast. Every character is afforded dignity, never reduced down to shorthand. It's culturally full, with references to mysticism and the Asian population of a country that is Mostly in Asia. Every character has a different idea of what's happening, but the conflicts are rarely political but personal. Yet the personal is political, and that's the connecting tissue of the novel.

madeleinesbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Found it a bit harder to get into when compared with other Russian novels. 

jess_mango's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

midwifereading's review

Didn't finish. 2nd star given for some of the rich descriptive passages. Just couldn't get into this one.

vicdonalds02's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Possibly my favorite book of all time.  Still deciding.

khyland's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jeffreywbush's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

readlit247's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A classic; if you want to know the soul of Russia, read this book. If you want to learn about the Russian Revolution, read this book. If you want a tragic love story, read this book.

isasct's review

3.0

My score is more personal than matter-of-fact. I enjoyed reading it, but personally the Russian novel, centuries epic story was not for me. I definitely missed more character in depth, as I didn’t empathize with anyone enough to care about anyone’s fate. The style was the easiest of any Russian writer I’ve tried so far. 496 pages later I’m free, but also happy.

siraels's review

2.0

If only it didn't have so many pages and there weren't that many characters. This book is basically about the main character's affairs with two women and not caring about his wife who (surprisingly) doesn't like his affairs.