Reviews

First Love and Other Stories by Ivan Turgenev, Richard Freeborn

jacket7227's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective

4.5

travelling_bookworm's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective 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? No

3.5

 “My heart, so ready and willing to love, will soon stop beating. Will it fall quiet forever without once having known happiness or once having expanded under a sweet burden of joy?”

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Already known for his fantastic depiction of rural Russian life and cutting criticism of life under serfdom, Turgenev also shows his mastery at creating deep character studies in a short space of time in this somewhat autobiographical collection.

With lines such as “To keep parents from being bored is what children are for,” his stories are unexpectedly humorous without losing anything from its depth and fluidity. The effortless flow from profound and hard truths to bitter humor is executed so easily, so naturally, that it is impossible not to enjoy this book. What I enjoyed most of all in Turgenev’s style was his masterful rhythm of building tension and breaking it a moment later, always keeping you on your toes, which makes this one of the classics that is read with pleasure and surprise. 

hornygoldfish's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bloodyvampirishreads's review against another edition

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4.0

4.12*

Le livre parfait à lire en moins d'une après-midi (un peu plus de 100 pages). Et le bouquin est beau à lire. Je vous le recommande vivement.

C'est un récit qui prend place au XIXème siècle dans la campagne russe. C'est le compte du premier amour de Vladimir Petrovitch (j'ai probablement mal écrit son nom de famille, je m'en excuse), qui a seize ans. C'est un récit autobiographique et d'apprentissage.

Honnêtement, j'ai appris quelques nouveaux mots. Et ce n'était pas déplaisant.

Très vite, en lisant ce roman, vous comprendrez que ce n'est pas une romance mignonne. A lecture des quelques premières pages, on devine qu'il s'agit d'un premier amour non réciproque, donc déjà tu sens la c****** arriver. Tout l'intérêt de la nouvelle réside dans le "plot twist". Plot twist, que nous, lecteurs, devinons dès le début. Cependant, le personnage principal, le narrateur, ne semble pas remarquer l'évidence, présente sous son nez. Et une fois que le plot twist lui est dévoilé, l'histoire devient brutale, crue. Non pas parce que événements sont violents, mais plutôt parce qu'ils s'enchaînent brutalement.

Quant aux personnages ; ils sont assez intéressants, car imparfaits.

galatee's review against another edition

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5.0

définitivement très heureuse d’avoir enfin découvert cet auteur dont les nouvelles sont de véritables bijoux du romantisme russe. Tourgueniev allie tragique, amour de la Russie et amour de la poésie avec une virtuosité d’une simplicité et d’une beauté étonnantes

kvwulpen's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars for Asya and First Love

zzt's review against another edition

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3.0

Turgenev has been described as an expressionist painter of the literary field; I cannot argue against it. Magnificent imagery.

mducks's review against another edition

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3.0

Turgenev has been described as an expressionist painter of the literary field; I cannot argue against it. Magnificent imagery.

suprimecy's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

ecargelle's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m never reading Russian literature again because I deserve to be happy !