mustardseed 's review for:

First Love by Ivan Turgenev
4.0

finished half of this book in one sitting, took a few weeks' break, and finished the rest in another sitting. a sharp contrast to exceedingly lengthy and vast russian literature classics (cough anna karenina cough), there's a deftness in the writing that captures with a certain eloquence and precision the growth and emotions of the protagonist. characters are also rendered in a particularly sharp way which works perfectly with the brevity of this book.

from the perspective of a 16 year old boy who falls in love with an older girl, turgenev subverts the idea of "first love" with a twist midway that turns the story on its head.

(a review i particularly like: https://emorywheel.com/classic-books-you-should-read-ivan-turgenevs-first-love/)