Take a photo of a barcode or cover
itsmattyfingsmokes 's review for:
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know this is a beloved book. And just for the pure impact that this had on the world when it was published, I can appreciate it. However, my personal enjoyment was a solid 0 stars. i almost DNF'd it about once per day.
i wish i had read this as a part of a class in school, so that i could really dive into the history and significance of it, and discuss it with others. we were supposed to read this in my senior year of high school, but for some reason we ended up just not. but i still own the book, so i thought i'd give it a try. the irony of this is that, if i had been assigned to read it for class, i probably would have ended up just looking up a summary on sparknotes. i cant win.
There were some ideas here that I found really interesting and unique. The way there are no breaks in the pages, no chapters, no clear stopping point, really fed into the feeling of monotony and dullness. You'd think that this would make it hard to put down, but this 167 page book took 3x longer for me to read than a 561 page book i read a couple weeks ago. it was just BORING. and i know i KNOW that's the point, its not supposed to be revolutionary or entertaining or whatever but come on.
i thought it was interesting that solzhenitsyn chose to make ivan denisovich just a regular guy. there were so many opportunities to discuss the politics or art or history of this place and time, and he passed every one of them up in his search for tobacco. i know he did this on purpose, but i felt really let down when the main character showed little or no interest in the ONLY THINGS THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN.
as a "historic" text, i think this is important if you really want to know the lives of the prisoners in these work camps. but as a novel, i think it is nearly irrelevant. pls dont hurt me
i also think this did a fantastic job of showing the horrors of these work camps without TELLING the reader that they were horrible. the main character has just accepted these things, accepted that this is what his life is. he even admits to himself that, at the end of his sentence, he will most likely not be allowed back home. he will probably either be given ten more years, or he will be exiled. and the way he just thinks about that with no emotions?? how?? i dont condone suicide but if i was in his position i would kill myself. especially if i thought i would die in there.
i liked his descriptions of food. how precious every piece was. how much he worked and appreciated every bit. and how hard he worked even though it was for nothing. i understand that solzhenitsyn did this to portray a pure, hard-working, good man, but it pissed me the fuck off. you're working so hard for these people who are absolutely horrible and selfish, and you beg them for every scrap you get?? I'm so mad. but i understand that that's how it was, that's how it had to be.
and i think it's interesting to draw parallels from his life to the lives of everyday Americans working toward the "American dream" in our capitalist society. i know that life in America is so much easier than shukhov had it in that prison, OBVIOUSLY, but there are similarities. working day in and day out, every day feels the same, not really knowing what the goal is. all we are working for is to put money in our boss's pockets. maybe we have some joy throughout the day, like shukhov had with his food (calling a friend, going to the park with your pet, etc), but most of the day is just hard unrewarding work. and we go above and beyond (like shukhov did when he was building the wall) because we think that working ourselves to death with fulfill us. I dont know, i know this of course wasn't solzhenitsyn's intention, but it's just interesting to think about.
while i am so glad that this book is short, because i absolutely would not have finished it if it weren't, i wish we had gotten more insight about some of the characters.
- the conversation with alyosha at the end especially stuck out to me. if i was in their position, i absolutely would have tried to reignite my faith. because in a place like that, you HAVE to believe in something, even if you dont REALLY believe it. yknow?
- also, tuirin. i liked that we got that one scene where he became a human and told his story, but i think there's just so much more we could have explored in him.
- although shukhov despises fetiukov, they were in very much the same position. they both were doing everything they could to get more food, to get just a puff of tobacco. fetiukov just doesn't have the smarts or dignity that shukhov does.
- buinovsky: i especially wish there was more about him. because he had IDEAS. he was educated, and i wish we could have had more conversations wish him
i can appreciate this book, but i hated reading it and i will not ever reread it.
i wish i had read this as a part of a class in school, so that i could really dive into the history and significance of it, and discuss it with others. we were supposed to read this in my senior year of high school, but for some reason we ended up just not. but i still own the book, so i thought i'd give it a try. the irony of this is that, if i had been assigned to read it for class, i probably would have ended up just looking up a summary on sparknotes. i cant win.
There were some ideas here that I found really interesting and unique. The way there are no breaks in the pages, no chapters, no clear stopping point, really fed into the feeling of monotony and dullness. You'd think that this would make it hard to put down, but this 167 page book took 3x longer for me to read than a 561 page book i read a couple weeks ago. it was just BORING. and i know i KNOW that's the point, its not supposed to be revolutionary or entertaining or whatever but come on.
i thought it was interesting that solzhenitsyn chose to make ivan denisovich just a regular guy. there were so many opportunities to discuss the politics or art or history of this place and time, and he passed every one of them up in his search for tobacco. i know he did this on purpose, but i felt really let down when the main character showed little or no interest in the ONLY THINGS THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN.
as a "historic" text, i think this is important if you really want to know the lives of the prisoners in these work camps. but as a novel, i think it is nearly irrelevant. pls dont hurt me
i also think this did a fantastic job of showing the horrors of these work camps without TELLING the reader that they were horrible. the main character has just accepted these things, accepted that this is what his life is. he even admits to himself that, at the end of his sentence, he will most likely not be allowed back home. he will probably either be given ten more years, or he will be exiled. and the way he just thinks about that with no emotions?? how?? i dont condone suicide but if i was in his position i would kill myself. especially if i thought i would die in there.
i liked his descriptions of food. how precious every piece was. how much he worked and appreciated every bit. and how hard he worked even though it was for nothing. i understand that solzhenitsyn did this to portray a pure, hard-working, good man, but it pissed me the fuck off. you're working so hard for these people who are absolutely horrible and selfish, and you beg them for every scrap you get?? I'm so mad. but i understand that that's how it was, that's how it had to be.
and i think it's interesting to draw parallels from his life to the lives of everyday Americans working toward the "American dream" in our capitalist society. i know that life in America is so much easier than shukhov had it in that prison, OBVIOUSLY, but there are similarities. working day in and day out, every day feels the same, not really knowing what the goal is. all we are working for is to put money in our boss's pockets. maybe we have some joy throughout the day, like shukhov had with his food (calling a friend, going to the park with your pet, etc), but most of the day is just hard unrewarding work. and we go above and beyond (like shukhov did when he was building the wall) because we think that working ourselves to death with fulfill us. I dont know, i know this of course wasn't solzhenitsyn's intention, but it's just interesting to think about.
while i am so glad that this book is short, because i absolutely would not have finished it if it weren't, i wish we had gotten more insight about some of the characters.
- the conversation with alyosha at the end especially stuck out to me. if i was in their position, i absolutely would have tried to reignite my faith. because in a place like that, you HAVE to believe in something, even if you dont REALLY believe it. yknow?
- also, tuirin. i liked that we got that one scene where he became a human and told his story, but i think there's just so much more we could have explored in him.
- although shukhov despises fetiukov, they were in very much the same position. they both were doing everything they could to get more food, to get just a puff of tobacco. fetiukov just doesn't have the smarts or dignity that shukhov does.
- buinovsky: i especially wish there was more about him. because he had IDEAS. he was educated, and i wish we could have had more conversations wish him
i can appreciate this book, but i hated reading it and i will not ever reread it.