Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
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
In his life, he accomplished everything a modern man wants. An education? Check. Professional successes? Check. High salary? Check. A wife and kids? Check. Yet he moves through life like a checklist, never finding joy in it. When his children pass, it’s barely a footnote. He doesn’t live in the moment, arguably he doesn’t live at all. Only on autopilot. The first chapter being his obituary is a profound choice that later clearly influenced Stoner. But instead of Stoner's obituary-style opening, we see how people saw him. They knew the name, the status, and the accomplishments of him. Yet could not tell you a detail of the man himself.
An underrated aspect of this book is how inherently self-centered we are. Ivan’s family problems are almost all his fault ultimately. He never wanted a relationship he wanted a wife for the status. Then, when that marriage falls apart he blames her. But the selfishness is shown by how others view Ivan’s sickness. Whether it’s the doctor too busy listening to himself then listening to Ivan. Or the “friends” at the start just being glad it didn’t happen to them. Or his wife sees him as a nuisance.
Yet in the end they cared for him deep down, they cried for him. Heartbreakingly, he strikes his son one final time in the last moments, just then he realized his faults. His daughter asks “Is it our faults you hate us?” When in reality, it’s Ricky his fault. In his dying moments, Ivan realized what he had always done wrong. But he was far too late. He literally runs out of time while asking for forgiveness.
Heavy themes of regret and how social constructs lead to wasted lives. A profound, powerful read that will make you take a long, long look in the mirror. A cold splash of water of a novella. Still relevant today.
Spoiler alert: the main character dies (it’s literally in the title).
What makes this novella so powerful isn’t what happens, but how. Tolstoy manages to unpack dread, hypocrisy, and the reality of death in under 100 pages, and every word feels carefully chosen. Ivan’s life is this perfect example of middle-class conformity, it looks respectable and “right,” but it’s hollow at the core. Tolstoy critiques it without ever being preachy, letting the reader draw their own conclusions.
There’s no sentimentality in the way death is portrayed. You feel Ivan’s helplessness and terror all the way through. And yet, in the middle of all that bluntness, there’s still a glimmer of redemption that makes the ending hit even harder. It’s the kind of book that makes you stop and ask yourself whether you’re living a life that’s truly yours, or just the one everyone expects of you.
What makes this novella so powerful isn’t what happens, but how. Tolstoy manages to unpack dread, hypocrisy, and the reality of death in under 100 pages, and every word feels carefully chosen. Ivan’s life is this perfect example of middle-class conformity, it looks respectable and “right,” but it’s hollow at the core. Tolstoy critiques it without ever being preachy, letting the reader draw their own conclusions.
There’s no sentimentality in the way death is portrayed. You feel Ivan’s helplessness and terror all the way through. And yet, in the middle of all that bluntness, there’s still a glimmer of redemption that makes the ending hit even harder. It’s the kind of book that makes you stop and ask yourself whether you’re living a life that’s truly yours, or just the one everyone expects of you.
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Il finale è meraviglioso. Anche se non ho colto completamente il collegamento con le cure palliative e il fatto che lui fosse davvero malato perché sono un po’ rimbambito.
Letto da Silvia Cecchini
Letto da Silvia Cecchini
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes