Ivan Turgenev
1870
Around 200 pages
It really looks like I am phoning in it with my pictures, but honestly, I think very few people care that this book existed. There is not even a Wikipedia page for it. There is good reason for this, since I found the novel to be rather unremarkable.
The story starts with a party talking about the Shakespearean characters they have met in their lives: the Falstaffs, the Hamlets, the Macbeths, etc. The narrator then talks about his encounter with a King Lear type. As a side note, I have never met a Falstaff or a Hamlet. I have maybe met a couple of Parises in my time. I have to hang out with more interesting people.
Anyway, Martin Petrovich Harlov is afraid he is going to die so leaves everything to his two daughters and son-in-law. Does everything go well? I will give you a hint: it's a Russian novel.
Like I said, this book didn't leave that much of an impression on me and I am racking my brains trying to think of something to say about it. I didn't find anything of the characters sympathetic; they were either whiny, antisemitic, or cold as ice. Why couldn't the characters have chosen to explore the Katherinas or Benedicts in their lives instead? This feels like a wasted opportunity.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
This book is too obscure to find any interesting trivia on. However, I did just get Booklovers Trivial Pursuit. It still makes me feel incredibly dull witted, but at least it is an improvement from regular Trivial Pursuit.
UP NEXT: Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Already checked off.
No comments:
Post a Comment