biblioturtle 's review for:

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

3.5

challenging informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Okay first of all, I don't think I even knew what nihilism was. I had to look it up! Even though the book felt like a slog at times reading it, I'm glad that I did. This author is a favorite of a very bookish friend of mine who I work with. I was entertained by the generational differences, but more than that, I was highly entertained by the feminism showcased in this book especially given when it was written. I think Ivan was a little ahead of his time. While nothing much happened in the book, I liked the way he examined each and every relationship. However I did find Bazarov perplexing in that he protested love and then promptly fell in love with Anna Odintsov, and then again with Fenitchka. It's like he went from one extreme to the other. I'm not sure I will read more by him, but you never know.