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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
workingfortheknife's review against another edition
4.0
i would have loved to read even just his grocery list
founddrama's review
3.0
Explanatory Background Statement: You will notice that this book is shelved "unfinished". In between novels and on a short fiction kick, I decided that I should at least dip my toes into a few hallowed literary names before taking on the mantle of my next Big Read. Ellison was one (see also) and Nabokov was the other. I didn't crack the covers on this one expecting to finish it. Especially as I hefted the thick volume from the library's shelf, I knew that my goal was only to get my feet wet.
My Review (more about Nabokov than this collection, specifically): Nabokov is eloquent and purposeful in his prose. Even as diaphanous metaphors dance fairy-like around The Point, The Point is there -- some artful nugget of Truth upon which he has fixed and thrust his (and now your) attention. I often wonder what gets lost or otherwise muddied in the translation. Which stories are written in "the original Russian" and which in English? Need I not worry about that at all? But I worry that certain expressive techniques don't come across correctly. Alliteration, for example: could an alliterative phrase in one tongue have no analogous transformation? I suppose you could always supplement with a footnote.
Anyway, I feel like a troglodyte saying it but: Nabokov's writing sure is artful but there just wasn't very much in it that I found... compelling. However, "Russian Spoken Here"? A+
I expect to circle back on this collection again, perhaps finish it off, and find more to love.
My Review (more about Nabokov than this collection, specifically): Nabokov is eloquent and purposeful in his prose. Even as diaphanous metaphors dance fairy-like around The Point, The Point is there -- some artful nugget of Truth upon which he has fixed and thrust his (and now your) attention. I often wonder what gets lost or otherwise muddied in the translation. Which stories are written in "the original Russian" and which in English? Need I not worry about that at all? But I worry that certain expressive techniques don't come across correctly. Alliteration, for example: could an alliterative phrase in one tongue have no analogous transformation? I suppose you could always supplement with a footnote.
Anyway, I feel like a troglodyte saying it but: Nabokov's writing sure is artful but there just wasn't very much in it that I found... compelling. However, "Russian Spoken Here"? A+
I expect to circle back on this collection again, perhaps finish it off, and find more to love.
zazzeaux's review against another edition
5.0
Beneficience is a beautiful, near-perfect story.
In Terra Incognita, he has a cowardly character who says something like ...we must return, I have seven daughters and a dog. That 'and a dog' really did it. Seven daughters passes over the reading mind like tepid water, but the fact that he adds the dog as argument for ditching the failed butterfly hunt made me stop and say, I know how this guy feels. I understand.
In A Busy Man, I love the part about becoming focused on coincidences as predictors of ones death. 'The folly of chance is the logic of fate. How not to believe in fate, when its black lines persistently show through the handwriting of life? The more one heeds coincidences the more often they happen.' And the following example when he cuts a misprint from a paper (after a song and painful illness) but then sees the same sheet being used to wrap a purchase of cabbage.
In Terra Incognita, he has a cowardly character who says something like ...we must return, I have seven daughters and a dog. That 'and a dog' really did it. Seven daughters passes over the reading mind like tepid water, but the fact that he adds the dog as argument for ditching the failed butterfly hunt made me stop and say, I know how this guy feels. I understand.
In A Busy Man, I love the part about becoming focused on coincidences as predictors of ones death. 'The folly of chance is the logic of fate. How not to believe in fate, when its black lines persistently show through the handwriting of life? The more one heeds coincidences the more often they happen.' And the following example when he cuts a misprint from a paper (after a song and painful illness) but then sees the same sheet being used to wrap a purchase of cabbage.
anthonykravtschuk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
imijen's review against another edition
20/09/16
I'm taking a class on Nabokov this semester and have finally been sent the reading list. This seemed like a really good collection to buy, because it includes almost all of the short stories on my set text list. The whole collection is huge, with 65 stories, and clearly it'll probably be a very long time before I read the whole thing, but I need to keep track of the stories I do need to read for class.
I've also found copies of the Russian originals, and although I'm not required to read the originals for the class, I feel like I should at least try. Anyone who has read anything by Nabokov will know his use of language, even in English, is complex and difficult, so I don't have much hope for any success in reading his style in Russian, but I'll at least have a look. His novels/novellas are definitely way out of my league, but I'm planning to try the short stories on my set text list.
So the lists below will help me keep track...
08/12/16
The semester is (finally) coming to an end and I've finished all the set reading for this class. Have I read all 65 stories in this collection? No. Will I read more by Nabokov in the future, including from this collection? Almost certainly, but probably after a bit of a break, as otherwise I'd be risking Nabokov fatigue. I've really enjoyed this module, even if it was hard going at times (and I still have an essay to write..), and I think it's given me a really good grounding of Nabokov's work. I marking this as read for now (I think I've read enough to say I've 'read' his short stories!), but I'll be keeping a list below of the stories I'd like to try in the future, whenever I have the urge to dip into the collection again.
For anyone looking to try Nabokov's short stories, my favourites and the ones I'd recommend were 'Signs and Symbols', 'Spring in Fialta' and 'Terra Incognita'.
Stories to read in English for class:
Terra Incognita: (read 20/09/16) ★★★★½. Well, this was definitely a fantastic start! I attempted this in Russian first and, surprisingly, didn't find the language too taxing. When I read it in English straight after, I hadn't really missed out on anything. On top of that, it was also a first-class short story, enthralling and disturbing, about a feverish, nightmare of an expedition into the jungle gone awry, where perhaps reality isn't so certain.
The Leonardo: (read 21/09/16) ★★★. The beginning and end of the story were the best parts: the framing of the story with the narrator setting the scene with bringing on props. Basically loved the narration, but there wasn't anything that interesting about the story itself. Also found it much trickier to read in Russian and didn't really understand the story fully until I read it in English. Maybe I need to re-read it now to see if I can make more sense of the language now.
Spring in Fialta: (read 16/10/16) ★★★★. Beautiful, vivid prose in a sad reflection of past love. Perhaps a bit more straightforward then I'm used to with Nabokov by now, but the ending still packed a punch and there is an abundance of gorgeous imagery to lose yourself in. (I've yet to attempt this in Russian though..)
Visit to the Museum: (read 19/10/16) ★. Zzzzzzz....
That Once In Aleppo: (read 20/10/16) ★★★.
Signs and Symbols: (read 22/10/16) ★★★★★. I am pretty certain this is the shortest of Nabokov's short stories I have read so far, but don't let that fool you. It packs a punch. If you haven't read much by Nabokov yet, and are unsure where to start, this was certainly be a good place to begin. It's a powerful, moving glimpse into the life of an immigrant couple visit their son in a mental asylum on his birthday. The denial, fear, hopelessness, desperation for understanding is clear. Simply perfect and an example of what a short story should be.
The Vane Sisters: (read 24/10/16) ★★★½. Again beautiful, vivid language, but content wise I simply didn't feel as moved by this one as, for example, 'Spring in Fialta' or 'Signs and Symbols'.
Stories to attempt in Russian for class:
Terra Incognita / Терра Инкогнита
The Leonardo / Королек
Spring in Fialta / Весна в Фиальте
Visit to the Museum / Посещение музея
That Once In Aleppo / Как-то раз в Алеппо...
>Stories to read outside of class:
The Wood-Sprite
Russian Spoken Here
The Potato Elf
The Circle
A Russian Beauty
Torpid Smoke
Cloud, Castle, Lake
Lik
Mademoiselle O
Time and Ebb
I'm taking a class on Nabokov this semester and have finally been sent the reading list. This seemed like a really good collection to buy, because it includes almost all of the short stories on my set text list. The whole collection is huge, with 65 stories, and clearly it'll probably be a very long time before I read the whole thing, but I need to keep track of the stories I do need to read for class.
I've also found copies of the Russian originals, and although I'm not required to read the originals for the class, I feel like I should at least try. Anyone who has read anything by Nabokov will know his use of language, even in English, is complex and difficult, so I don't have much hope for any success in reading his style in Russian, but I'll at least have a look. His novels/novellas are definitely way out of my league, but I'm planning to try the short stories on my set text list.
So the lists below will help me keep track...
08/12/16
The semester is (finally) coming to an end and I've finished all the set reading for this class. Have I read all 65 stories in this collection? No. Will I read more by Nabokov in the future, including from this collection? Almost certainly, but probably after a bit of a break, as otherwise I'd be risking Nabokov fatigue. I've really enjoyed this module, even if it was hard going at times (and I still have an essay to write..), and I think it's given me a really good grounding of Nabokov's work. I marking this as read for now (I think I've read enough to say I've 'read' his short stories!), but I'll be keeping a list below of the stories I'd like to try in the future, whenever I have the urge to dip into the collection again.
For anyone looking to try Nabokov's short stories, my favourites and the ones I'd recommend were 'Signs and Symbols', 'Spring in Fialta' and 'Terra Incognita'.
Stories to read in English for class:
Spoiler
Also loved how the narrator was shocked and disappointed in the characters at the end of the story despite setting things in motion in the first place!Stories to attempt in Russian for class:
Spring in Fialta / Весна в Фиальте
Visit to the Museum / Посещение музея
That Once In Aleppo / Как-то раз в Алеппо...
>Stories to read outside of class:
The Wood-Sprite
Russian Spoken Here
The Potato Elf
The Circle
A Russian Beauty
Torpid Smoke
Cloud, Castle, Lake
Lik
Mademoiselle O
Time and Ebb
scottabranch's review
5.0
Over the past few decades, I've owned numerous editions of this book. Some I've lost, most I've worn out. Basking under the summer sun beside a body of water (natural or otherwise) while slipping into any one or the numerous short stories contained in this collection is a perennial pleasure of which I have no guilt.
An all-time favorite. I've never found writing more beautiful than Nabokov's and his short stories are immediately engrossing and visually astonishing. Picturesque seaside scenes, darkened alleys, and peculiar characters which he has created in my head have lived there rent free for decades.
An all-time favorite. I've never found writing more beautiful than Nabokov's and his short stories are immediately engrossing and visually astonishing. Picturesque seaside scenes, darkened alleys, and peculiar characters which he has created in my head have lived there rent free for decades.
joshsimp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
4.5
selenajournal's review
5.0
i love nabokov. absolutely love his work. his mind fascinates me.
i've re-read this book twice because i missed the stories. you just don't understand how deep my love for his work is.
i've re-read this book twice because i missed the stories. you just don't understand how deep my love for his work is.
lelandbuck's review
5.0
This is undoubtedly one of the finest collections of a single author's short writing. Nabokov was a true master of short fiction, and this collection leads the reader from one masterful work to another, covering the full period of the author's writing life.