125. On The Eve

On The Eve
Ivan Turgenev
1860
Around 115 pages

Can you believe I am back already?  This novel only took me around an hour and a half and it is Russian!! I feel as though I deserve some sort of award for that.

Before we get started, I thought I would address a question I get asked frequently: where do you get all these books??  This is a personal preference, but I really love paper books.  To that end, I check the libraries around me first.   If I am near a city, the selection is usually pretty good.  However, smaller libraries usually suck.  That is when I use eBooks.  I have an iPad and use Project Gutenberg.  Most of the List Books (at least the early ones) are available for free.  I don't think I have ever absolutely had to pay for a book.  If you come across this problem, contact me and I can usually help you find the novel. So that's that and I hope it helps!

Like I said, this was a super fast read.  I almost felt like it was the Reader's Digest version of War and Peace.  There were similar themes and characters but it wasn't a month long project!  Two friends, a philosopher of sorts and a sculptor,  are in love with the same woman.  Wait, didn't this just happen in yesterday's book?  Anyway, her affections may belong to someone else entirely.  To add a little spice, all this takes place during the Crimean War.

Can I just copy and paste my review from Castle Richmond?  I want to make the exact same points.  Seeing the juxtaposition of a courtship against the backdrop of a national tragedy was kind of startling.
Did I use enough synonyms to make it seem like this isn't exactly what I just said in the last post?

This is basically a better version of Castle, so read this one instead.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Not received well by critics upon its initial release.

UP NEXT: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  Oh crap.