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A review by milami
First Love by Ivan Turgenev
2.5
While I went into this book with high expectations, having heard many people praise it, I found the overall story quite underwhelming and anticlimactic.
The characters felt bland, the storyline was boring, and at times, outright strange. I felt that if the author had emphasized different aspects, it would have been much more engaging.
It's a story about first love, but that love is reduced to a young boy constantly confused by his feelings and the events around him. I believe the story could have been stronger if it focused more on Zinaida’s character—why she acted so erratically, experienced mood swings, and the reality of being groomed by a predatory older man. This would have made for a powerful commentary on such a difficult subject. Instead, even though the story revolves around first love, I struggled to believe in the emotions presented, largely because the characters lacked chemistry.
While the author skillfully portrays Vladimir's inner thoughts and his emotional growth, he fails to make us connect with the other characters or the story itself. My dominant emotion while reading was disgust, especially as the focus shifted to Vladimir's father's affair, and I don't think that's what Turgenev was going for, considering the book's title.
Ironically, the most realistic part of that story is there is a grown man in there being a creep (man are loathsome - what else is new).
Overall, Turgenev certainly had a way with words and expressed his ideas beautifully, but in my opinion, this was not his best work. It shouldn't be the one to gain popularity, as he had much more to offer.
The characters felt bland, the storyline was boring, and at times, outright strange. I felt that if the author had emphasized different aspects, it would have been much more engaging.
It's a story about first love, but that love is reduced to a young boy constantly confused by his feelings and the events around him. I believe the story could have been stronger if it focused more on Zinaida’s character—why she acted so erratically, experienced mood swings, and the reality of being groomed by a predatory older man. This would have made for a powerful commentary on such a difficult subject. Instead, even though the story revolves around first love, I struggled to believe in the emotions presented, largely because the characters lacked chemistry.
While the author skillfully portrays Vladimir's inner thoughts and his emotional growth, he fails to make us connect with the other characters or the story itself. My dominant emotion while reading was disgust, especially as the focus shifted to Vladimir's father's affair, and I don't think that's what Turgenev was going for, considering the book's title.
Ironically, the most realistic part of that story is there is a grown man in there being a creep (man are loathsome - what else is new).
Overall, Turgenev certainly had a way with words and expressed his ideas beautifully, but in my opinion, this was not his best work. It shouldn't be the one to gain popularity, as he had much more to offer.