Reviews - The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

330 reviews for:

The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

4.5 stars, (9/10). This is my overall rating for the entire collection, with The Death of Ivan Illych specifically being a 4.75 stars.

This is my first venture into Tolstoy’s work, and serves as a great intro into the Tolstoy versus Dostoyevsky debate i’m personally doing. So far Tolstoy’s writing style is much more of my cup of tea, as I absolutely love his plots, scope, and prose.

An amazing collection that provides a spectacular inside look into Tolstoys views on religion and mortality. My favorites especially were The Raid, The Forged Coupon, and The Death of Ivan Illych of course. The last is especially poignant, and made me feel the terror that Tolstoy himself felt around the concept of death.

jcovey's review against another edition

4.0

Despite the title, the true standout here is Family Happiness. One of Tolstoy's earlier works, before he underwent his spiritual transformation and devotion, when he was dedicated only to the truth.

clarjaco's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

daniellemarie's review against another edition

2.5

challenging mysterious reflective slow-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

lfraire's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Leo writes though provoking stories, though no doubt there is some beauty lost in translation. I enjoyed reading these stories and two will really stick with me for personal reasons. However this collection is too hyper focused on a single theme and the writing began to feel less unique and more repetitive as I read more. This collection almost presented Leo Tolstoy as a one trick pony - which he is not.