Reviews

Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy

thiswillbepubliclyvisible's review

Go to review page

Unrated because I don't think I read this carefully enough

finnuca's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

„Er begreift, dass das der Tod ist; aber auch darüber grämt er sich nicht im Geringsten. Er erinnert sich daran, dass Nikita unter ihm liegt und warm geworden ist und lebt, und es kommt ihm vor, als wäre er selbst Nikita, und Nikita er selbst. […]
Er denkt an sein Geld, an seinen Laden, an sein Haus, seine Einkäufe und Verkäufe und an Mironows Millionen, und es wird ihm schwer, zu begreifen, warum dieser Mensch, der Wasilij Brechunow hieß, sich mit all den Dingen beschäftigt hat, die er für seinen Beruf hielt. Nun, er hat eben nicht gewusst, worauf es ankommt.“

phoenix2's review

Go to review page

3.0

Master and Man is set yet again during a snowstorm, or, rather, during a wintery snowy night. It narrates the dynamics and the relationship between the master, a self made rich man who is seeking more money, even if that means he has to trick even the poorest of his village, and his man, a person full of misfortune, passions, and a submisive attitute towards life, and, especially, towards his master.
And even though the story gets tiring after a while, the aftermath is a philosophical residue, written in the ever so clever way only Tolstoy can tell a story.

superdewa's review

Go to review page

5.0

I cheated a little by adding this to my read books as I read it as part of George Saunders’ A Swim In A Pond In The Rain. The story moved me so much, however, that I didn’t want to forget that I had read it, and it’s really more of a novella than a short story, anyway. There was something about the way the characters were written and the way the story used repetition that got under my skin. It was almost a spiritual experience for me

lexcellent's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

meera_b3's review

Go to review page

3.0

If only they stayed for more tea

greys's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

aydanroger's review

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.25

readandprocrastinate's review against another edition

Go to review page

inspiring reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

spav's review

Go to review page

4.0

Letting aside the poor edition provided by Amazon, the story itself is captivating and can be read in one sitting.

Tolstoy manages to give a full picture of the characters, in just few pages and through their actions, without much descriptions, epic ending included.

The story is amazing and its meaning stretches past a moralist story into the realm of human relations and even class struggle.