Reviews

This book has everything a classic Russian novel has: Francophilia, a duel, unrequited love, and a swift death from a random infection. Additionally, it will forever remain a relevant classic for its hilarious look at generational clashes - the older generation clinging to tradition and the younger generation so desperate to make it new that they don't always recognize their extremism until they're a little older.

For readers new to Russian literature, I think Turgenev is too often an ignored option. His work is as approachable as Tolstoy and, in smaller doses, as philosophical as Dostoevsky. This translation, in particular, is such a smooth and enjoyable read - I highly recommend!

sfx_naike's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lilliangrey's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A Russian novel that isn't difficult to read? Oh my prayers have been answered.

A very interesting concept provided in this book - a loss between generations due to a difference in personal philosophy. I could not pick a side, despite myself having a personal quarrel with nihilists (but I won't delve into it now), as I understood why someone of that time period may have had nihilist tendencies; it was not the most glamourous of places (mid 19th century Russia). However, I could not help but feel unspeakably sorry for the father-son dynamic, I could not reconcile the two drifiting so far apart as the father fails to accept what his son is becoming. It made me hate Bazarov and yet I do not think that hate is the appropriate word. I felt perhaps there were layers to him which he tried to conceal, and in the end I was left wondering if he was truly a nihilist at all. There was a lot to juggle in this book, conceptually, and like always with Russian literature I was left in a liminal space where I could not muster the energy to reflect, and yet that was all that I could do.

lizziebennett's review against another edition

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informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

mdreadsandreviews's review against another edition

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5.0

I could not have picked a better start in fulfilling my resolution to read more fiction. While I know that Turgenev wrote from an outline (it is handily appended in this edition), it almost seems that he simply called the characters into existence and let them spin out like tops, crashing and colliding into each other. The Kirsanovs' and Bazarovs' lives and personalities feel so real that their generational and ideological conflict (the main theme of the novel) is a natural progression and still resounds today. While other works with well-developed characters might suffer from a halting plot (here I look, lovingly, to [b:Independent People|77287|Independent People|Halldór Laxness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282892439l/77287._SY75_.jpg|1391302]), Turgenev's tale might slow for reflection but never stops. Indeed, I read the second half of the book in almost one sitting, I was so hooked. This is an instant favorite and a novel I am sure to reread, perhaps in Russian.

I highly recommend this translation, both for the clever conversions of Russian idioms and speech patterns and some simply stunning prose, e.g., "The morning was marvellous and fresh. Small dappled clouds formed a fleece against the pale clear blue. A fine dew was scattered on leaves and grass and glittered like silver on a spider's webs. The damp dark earth still seemed to retain within it the rosy pinkness of the sunrise."

perihanerdogan's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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