ninaprime 's review for:

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

3.0

---

Now I simultaneously understand why it's a famed classic and why no one reads it. Unlike many more popular classic novels, Doctor Zhivago is tough to get into and it doesn't really get easier. With dozens of characters with unfamiliar Russian names/nicknames and jumbled plotlines, it's an incredibly difficult read. But every few pages, language is so gloriously used that it's almost worth the effort. For a reader curious about the upheaval of early-mid twentieth century Russia, Pasternak paints a fascinating picture of the ups and downs, the optimism and the hardship and the ramifications of change. This is never going to be my favorite book that I repeatedly reread, but I'm glad I read it.