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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
These were an interesting look into one of my favorite Russian writers. His short fiction is very good - "Hadji Murad" is as epic as War & Peace, if 1/10th the size, and "The Kreutzer Sonata" and "Family Happiness" echo the marital strife he'd explore in Anna Karenina. The title tale, "The Death of Ivan Ilych," is Leo's most religious/spiritual examination of life and mortality. Of course, now I need to reread War & Peace...
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I listened to only "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" a story to which I have often seen reference. I enjoyed the narration which helped me not get bogged down with the character names.
this is actually 4 different novellas. the death of ivan ilych is one of the greatest books ever written. the others in this volume arent as wonderful so its hard to rate overall
Family happiness is a 4
kreutzer sonata is a 4 even though the first half is a lot of superfluous ranting (the second half is a 5, the first half is a 3)
hadji murad is i guess a 3
so ill give it the average. but definitely read death of ivan ilych. you wont regret it.
Family happiness is a 4
kreutzer sonata is a 4 even though the first half is a lot of superfluous ranting (the second half is a 5, the first half is a 3)
hadji murad is i guess a 3
so ill give it the average. but definitely read death of ivan ilych. you wont regret it.
In 3 of the 4 stories herein, Tolstoy utilizes the final moments of men's lives to explore what it means to live a "good" life. It's a complex portrait, and - particularly in the title story - it's not very optimistic. I haven't read much of Tolstoy's work, unfortunately, but find his confidence in the spiritual to be refreshing and intelligent. His depictions of family life in Family Happiness and, especially, The Kreutzer Sonata, are delaying at best, but he's asking questions that are still significant, still largely unanswered. This makes me want to keep going back to the Tolstoy table for more.
dark
emotional
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
I think this collection of Tolstoy's works are a great introduction to the author for any novice Tolstoy reader. There are a mix of short stories as well as longer novellas that give the collection an appropriate pace.
Of the short stories, my favorite was The Forged Coupon, which is a unique, cyclical story about a single incident that has a domino effect on a myriad of lives. The cast of characters in this story is vast, but their short narratives give the reader enough of a portrait to ascertain each one on a deeper level as well as their purpose in the narrative.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich was another notable story, exploring the possibility of redemption during the reflections of a man in the throes of a deadly illness.
I also enjoyed the stories Master and Man, which began to delve into the class relations between a man and his servant, and The Kreutzer Sonata, a tale told through the storytelling of a man who murdered his wife, which gives chilling insight into the intersection of love and jealousy and violence.
Of the short stories, my favorite was The Forged Coupon, which is a unique, cyclical story about a single incident that has a domino effect on a myriad of lives. The cast of characters in this story is vast, but their short narratives give the reader enough of a portrait to ascertain each one on a deeper level as well as their purpose in the narrative.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich was another notable story, exploring the possibility of redemption during the reflections of a man in the throes of a deadly illness.
I also enjoyed the stories Master and Man, which began to delve into the class relations between a man and his servant, and The Kreutzer Sonata, a tale told through the storytelling of a man who murdered his wife, which gives chilling insight into the intersection of love and jealousy and violence.