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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
fast-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Story of a man who achieved quiet a lot. He had a family, a well-appointed home as well as a great paying job. Throughout his life, he faced obstacles, frequently falling back on his work to regain peace. I see Ivan Illich as a character similar to William Stoner. For both of them, work was a way of escaping from the struggles. One day Ivan’s health starts to decline. This makes him reflect on the real value of his life.
3.7? nothing spectacular
3.7? nothing spectacular
Often I have a belief that a book has to be life-changing for it to be great, and although this novella was not life-changing it was definitely great. We follow Ivan Ilyich, a man who encounters death. We see Ivan's feelings towards death and how that changes throughout the rest of his life. Reading this right after Stoner by John Williams was interesting because they were quite similar. We follow both men through their course of life up until their last breaths. Tolstoy writes so we can understand trivial parts of our life and makes sense of them. That's why he's such a great writer. He puts the feelings many have into words we ourselves don't know how to express. This was a much more enjoyable read than I expected and I can't wait to read it again.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mmm so glad my life will instead be meaningful (Ivan ilych does not know that playing cards is frivolous which I already understand and I am not even old)
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes