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A review by decu777
Resurrection, a Novel by Leo Tolstoy
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Leo Tolstoy's Resurrection tells an incredibly gripping story of redemption accompanied by a dose of cynicism at the state of affairs in the late 19th century Tsarist Empire. After leading a life of base frivolity and unrestricted abundance, Prince Nekhlyudov's mental tranquility is thrown into disarray when he finds out that the case he had been assigned jury duty on is none other than Katerina Maslova's, a woman whom he defiled in his early days of being in the military, who now faces the full brunt of the legal arm as she is tried and convicted of a crime she may or may not have committed.
What follows is a series of equally impactful revelations in the mind of our protagonist, Prince Nekhlyudov, as he encroaches deeper and deeper into the justice and prison systems in Tsarist Russia, unraveling the corruption that is entrenched in every single crevice of the state institutions. After an arduous bureaucratic debacle he is successful in acquitting several of the prisoners whom were innocent, and eventually he acquits Maslova, who, for his own good, refuses to remain in Prince Nekhlyudov's life.
What becomes immediately apparent is the irony in the protagonist using his ties to powerful political oligarchs in order to succeed in these acquittals, the acquittals being inherently impossible without the corruption that Prince Nekhlyudov spends the entirety of the novel fighting. The philosophical musings about good and evil in the book are deeply embedded into Tolstoy's theological background, as the open ending of the book leaves the reader wondering if the Prince was successful in his resurrection. There is also an ambiguous element to Maslova's sentencing, as it is never fully revealed if she truly was guilty of the crime she was accused of, as we never get a glimpse into the interior lives of any other character except for our protagonist. A decision that may or may not have been on purpose.
What follows is a series of equally impactful revelations in the mind of our protagonist, Prince Nekhlyudov, as he encroaches deeper and deeper into the justice and prison systems in Tsarist Russia, unraveling the corruption that is entrenched in every single crevice of the state institutions. After an arduous bureaucratic debacle he is successful in acquitting several of the prisoners whom were innocent, and eventually he acquits Maslova, who, for his own good, refuses to remain in Prince Nekhlyudov's life.
What becomes immediately apparent is the irony in the protagonist using his ties to powerful political oligarchs in order to succeed in these acquittals, the acquittals being inherently impossible without the corruption that Prince Nekhlyudov spends the entirety of the novel fighting. The philosophical musings about good and evil in the book are deeply embedded into Tolstoy's theological background, as the open ending of the book leaves the reader wondering if the Prince was successful in his resurrection. There is also an ambiguous element to Maslova's sentencing, as it is never fully revealed if she truly was guilty of the crime she was accused of, as we never get a glimpse into the interior lives of any other character except for our protagonist. A decision that may or may not have been on purpose.