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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories - what a catchy title! The book is a set of short stories by Tolstoy. Duh. The stories themselves vary in quality. Some are really, really good. Others are... not so much. On the whole, I thought it was average, with tremendous peaks and some disappointing valleys.
My favorite, by far, was The Death of Ivan Ilych. Lately, I've been thinking about death a lot. It freaks me out. A lot. But I haven't found many books that actually explore death. I've read many books with characters who are dealing with loss - someone they know has died. I know that that can be incredibly tough, but I'm more interested in finding characters that actually have to confront their own death. That's what happens in The Death of Ivan Ilych. Ivan Ilych is basically a normal guy. He's reasonably successful and smart. His marriage used to be great, but has gotten more fraught as it's gone on. He's middle aged and mostly happy. But then he gets sicker. Then sicker. And eventually, he become pretty sure that he's going to die. It's all devastating, but it's so honest. It really confronts that fear of death, and how terrible the slow degradation of health can be. All the time, there's this hope that, maybe, things will get better. Instead, they just get worse. Ivan Ilych eventually accepts his fate, although the process was painful and by no means certain. I hope I can attain that same level of acceptance. Right now, I just feel this deep and unrelenting fear.
The second story I liked was The Forged Coupon. That story starts with a couple adolescent boys forging some money. They manage to successfully pawn off their fake bill on someone else, but that infraction leads to a breadcrumb trail of other transgressions. In a way, this small crime leads to the ruin of several other people. It's mostly very depressing. I was struck by all the poor people described by Tolstoy. In most of the Tolstoy that I've read, he talks mostly about the rich. Here, he talks about a lot of people hard on their luck. All it takes is a little push, and those peoples lives are completely ruined.
The final story I liked was Polikushka. This is a pretty simple and straightforward story about a guy who's pretty down on his luck. He used to steal stuff and was, in general, a crappy worker, but he's trying to get his life on track and be better. But then he makes a very small, honest mistake, and his life is destroyed. It's a bit tough to read, but it really shows the rough position that people are in. I'm lucky to be in the situation that I'm in.
The remaining stories I found to be pretty forgettable. I try to challenge myself with classics, but sometimes I wonder if I'm too dumb to really appreciate them. That's how I felt with the other stories. They felt like a slog to my dim brain.
A mixed bag, with some real gems. I'd recommend skipping all the stories except the three I mentioned. But you're probably smarter than me, so maybe give them all a try.
My favorite, by far, was The Death of Ivan Ilych. Lately, I've been thinking about death a lot. It freaks me out. A lot. But I haven't found many books that actually explore death. I've read many books with characters who are dealing with loss - someone they know has died. I know that that can be incredibly tough, but I'm more interested in finding characters that actually have to confront their own death. That's what happens in The Death of Ivan Ilych. Ivan Ilych is basically a normal guy. He's reasonably successful and smart. His marriage used to be great, but has gotten more fraught as it's gone on. He's middle aged and mostly happy. But then he gets sicker. Then sicker. And eventually, he become pretty sure that he's going to die. It's all devastating, but it's so honest. It really confronts that fear of death, and how terrible the slow degradation of health can be. All the time, there's this hope that, maybe, things will get better. Instead, they just get worse. Ivan Ilych eventually accepts his fate, although the process was painful and by no means certain. I hope I can attain that same level of acceptance. Right now, I just feel this deep and unrelenting fear.
The second story I liked was The Forged Coupon. That story starts with a couple adolescent boys forging some money. They manage to successfully pawn off their fake bill on someone else, but that infraction leads to a breadcrumb trail of other transgressions. In a way, this small crime leads to the ruin of several other people. It's mostly very depressing. I was struck by all the poor people described by Tolstoy. In most of the Tolstoy that I've read, he talks mostly about the rich. Here, he talks about a lot of people hard on their luck. All it takes is a little push, and those peoples lives are completely ruined.
The final story I liked was Polikushka. This is a pretty simple and straightforward story about a guy who's pretty down on his luck. He used to steal stuff and was, in general, a crappy worker, but he's trying to get his life on track and be better. But then he makes a very small, honest mistake, and his life is destroyed. It's a bit tough to read, but it really shows the rough position that people are in. I'm lucky to be in the situation that I'm in.
The remaining stories I found to be pretty forgettable. I try to challenge myself with classics, but sometimes I wonder if I'm too dumb to really appreciate them. That's how I felt with the other stories. They felt like a slog to my dim brain.
A mixed bag, with some real gems. I'd recommend skipping all the stories except the three I mentioned. But you're probably smarter than me, so maybe give them all a try.
dark
reflective
medium-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
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
didn't read all of the stories but I liked the ones I did read
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This short anthology really highlights Tolstoy’s revolutionary and unparalleled ability to detail the physical world and provide psychological insights that together guide readers to a moral end. Every story in this anthology (and his other works, for that matter) has readers empathize with unsavory characters who, despite their ineptitudes, win over our sympathy and possibly empathy. Tolstoy’s characters are just as flawed and aware as we are: through their thoughts and actions we see a piece of ourselves, our mortality, folly, and possible redemption.
As the title suggests, The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories is a collection of several stories including the renowned novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych, and three other stories: Family Happiness, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Master and Man. All of these selected stories have to do with failing marriages—either between husband or wife or master and slave—and the miseries of binding one’s happiness to material and sensual pleasures.
Of the four novellas, The Kreutzer Sonata is my favorite because of how brutally relevant it is in todays gender-polarized world. The story meticulously details the thoughts, actions, and feelings of a man who has murdered his wife. The protagonist’s arguments and justifications—while faulty—are deeply convincing and moving. So much so that I almost immediately made a parallel between Dostoyevsky’s Raskolnikov and Nabokov’s Humbert for how convincing (yet morally void) their arguments are.
The Death of Ivan Ilych details the final weeks of a man doomed to die from an accidental injury. Like The Kreutzer Sonata, this novella is more concerned with the inner life and thoughts of its protagonist rather than the outer world of action. In fact, the outer world is deeply juxtaposed to the protagonist’s inner life so as to emphasize his inner transformation. As Ilych slowly comes to term with his sudden and impending doom, he realizes that his pursuit of status and money were all a lie—marriage and children included. The writing is phenomenal and really puts you in the shoes of a dying man uncertain of what is to come. The moral and religious component hinted at in Ilych’s final moments is powerful.
I enjoyed Family Happiness for its sobering ending. The story details the idyllic love story of two people (told from the perspective of a female protagonist) who marry and eventually fall out of love. As both parties drift apart, the female protagonist begins to search for meaning at parties and through social interaction. They eventually come together and overcome their city-life temptations, but never truly fall in love again. What makes this story so appealing is that the couple realize that life is an eternal sacrifice and that love and marriage are not the same thing. They are not particularly happy with their lot, but they accept that the alternative (cheating or divorce) is worse.
Lastly, Master and Man details the redemptive arc of a nobleman so obsessed with making money that he endangers himself and two surfs by embarking on a journey to profit during a snowstorm. I liked this story the least although it is still a masterpiece of storytelling with a strong moral edge. I won’t spoil the ending, but it conveys, as with each other aforementioned story, a strong message about death, morality, and the meaning of life.
None of my little blurbs do these stories justice. Tolstoy’s literary genius stems from his ability to explicate and outline how his characters think and act. I genuinely enjoyed each of these short stories and believe that they are all deeply relevant in the 21st century. Ivan Ilych’s exploration of death was almost identical to what I went through during a serious health scare not too long ago. Likewise, I would be lying if I denied that the cynical, yet empowering, arguments of the The Kreutzer Sonata’s protagonist have occasionally sifted through my mind during dark times. These works are truly a masterpiece of writing. They explore the human experience and I highly recommend them.
As the title suggests, The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories is a collection of several stories including the renowned novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych, and three other stories: Family Happiness, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Master and Man. All of these selected stories have to do with failing marriages—either between husband or wife or master and slave—and the miseries of binding one’s happiness to material and sensual pleasures.
Of the four novellas, The Kreutzer Sonata is my favorite because of how brutally relevant it is in todays gender-polarized world. The story meticulously details the thoughts, actions, and feelings of a man who has murdered his wife. The protagonist’s arguments and justifications—while faulty—are deeply convincing and moving. So much so that I almost immediately made a parallel between Dostoyevsky’s Raskolnikov and Nabokov’s Humbert for how convincing (yet morally void) their arguments are.
The Death of Ivan Ilych details the final weeks of a man doomed to die from an accidental injury. Like The Kreutzer Sonata, this novella is more concerned with the inner life and thoughts of its protagonist rather than the outer world of action. In fact, the outer world is deeply juxtaposed to the protagonist’s inner life so as to emphasize his inner transformation. As Ilych slowly comes to term with his sudden and impending doom, he realizes that his pursuit of status and money were all a lie—marriage and children included. The writing is phenomenal and really puts you in the shoes of a dying man uncertain of what is to come. The moral and religious component hinted at in Ilych’s final moments is powerful.
I enjoyed Family Happiness for its sobering ending. The story details the idyllic love story of two people (told from the perspective of a female protagonist) who marry and eventually fall out of love. As both parties drift apart, the female protagonist begins to search for meaning at parties and through social interaction. They eventually come together and overcome their city-life temptations, but never truly fall in love again. What makes this story so appealing is that the couple realize that life is an eternal sacrifice and that love and marriage are not the same thing. They are not particularly happy with their lot, but they accept that the alternative (cheating or divorce) is worse.
Lastly, Master and Man details the redemptive arc of a nobleman so obsessed with making money that he endangers himself and two surfs by embarking on a journey to profit during a snowstorm. I liked this story the least although it is still a masterpiece of storytelling with a strong moral edge. I won’t spoil the ending, but it conveys, as with each other aforementioned story, a strong message about death, morality, and the meaning of life.
None of my little blurbs do these stories justice. Tolstoy’s literary genius stems from his ability to explicate and outline how his characters think and act. I genuinely enjoyed each of these short stories and believe that they are all deeply relevant in the 21st century. Ivan Ilych’s exploration of death was almost identical to what I went through during a serious health scare not too long ago. Likewise, I would be lying if I denied that the cynical, yet empowering, arguments of the The Kreutzer Sonata’s protagonist have occasionally sifted through my mind during dark times. These works are truly a masterpiece of writing. They explore the human experience and I highly recommend them.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced