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A review by sanjastajdohar
First Love by Ivan Turgenev
4.0
“O youth! youth! you go your way heedless, uncaring – as if you owned all the treasures of the world; even grief elates you, even sorrow sits well upon your brow. You are self-confident and insolent and you say, 'I alone am alive – behold!"
In the frame narrative we listen to a story of Vladimir, a man telling his friends about his first love, a lively coquette Zinaida (what a perfect name for this heroine), who was his next-door neighbor. Being young and inexperienced (he's 16, she's 21), he quickly falls in love with this girl, who wraps every man who visits around her finger, even those more experienced ones than our narrator. They play games, flirt and all seem to be enchanted by her. The narrator idealizes her, as most young people do with the first object of their affection. But there is more than meets the eye in this situation.
Mixing both romanticism and realism, this is an interesting and captivating story about passion, obsession and human heart. And the fact that it is actually partly autobiographical makes it even more incredible! In parts dealing with Zinaida it reminds me of Thomas Hardy (if you know, you know), but the most important part of the story is how years after the narrator tells of the effect of this experience. First loves might not always survive the test of time (or everyday life in general), but they do shape us. And this beautiful prose shows it in such a captivating way.
So, if you've never read Turgenev, this would be a great place to start.
In the frame narrative we listen to a story of Vladimir, a man telling his friends about his first love, a lively coquette Zinaida (what a perfect name for this heroine), who was his next-door neighbor. Being young and inexperienced (he's 16, she's 21), he quickly falls in love with this girl, who wraps every man who visits around her finger, even those more experienced ones than our narrator. They play games, flirt and all seem to be enchanted by her. The narrator idealizes her, as most young people do with the first object of their affection. But there is more than meets the eye in this situation.
Mixing both romanticism and realism, this is an interesting and captivating story about passion, obsession and human heart. And the fact that it is actually partly autobiographical makes it even more incredible! In parts dealing with Zinaida it reminds me of Thomas Hardy (if you know, you know), but the most important part of the story is how years after the narrator tells of the effect of this experience. First loves might not always survive the test of time (or everyday life in general), but they do shape us. And this beautiful prose shows it in such a captivating way.
So, if you've never read Turgenev, this would be a great place to start.