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bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
5.0
Seventeen-year-old Ivan Isaenko is a life-long resident of the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus. For the most part, every day is exactly the same for Ivan, which is why he turns everything into a game, manipulating people and events around him for his own amusement. That is until Polina arrives.
Polina challenges Ivan more than any one has ever challenges him. She dares him to live. Soon Ivan can't get enough of Polina and all Ivan wants in this world is one thing and one thing only for Polina to survive.
This book was riveting. Polina and Ivan have such chemistry, I couldn't help get wrapped up in their love and the story that Ivan tells the reader about his mundane life in the hospital and how one day he really starts to live. Very well written and well worth the readers time. I feel like a better reader for having read this one.
Polina challenges Ivan more than any one has ever challenges him. She dares him to live. Soon Ivan can't get enough of Polina and all Ivan wants in this world is one thing and one thing only for Polina to survive.
This book was riveting. Polina and Ivan have such chemistry, I couldn't help get wrapped up in their love and the story that Ivan tells the reader about his mundane life in the hospital and how one day he really starts to live. Very well written and well worth the readers time. I feel like a better reader for having read this one.
scarletohhara's review against another edition
4.0
Am done reading about dying kids with cancer. Am done reading about the Soviet era and the various bad things that happened in that timeframe. I think am also done reading love stories with a sad ending.
Stamback gives Ivan Isaenko a strong character drawn from various sources - post-Chernobyl world, acclaimed Russian authors and an interesting perspective to life.
There are many things that hurt my stomach but none as much as the usage of the word 'mutant' for the kids in the book.
Stamback gives Ivan Isaenko a strong character drawn from various sources - post-Chernobyl world, acclaimed Russian authors and an interesting perspective to life.
There are many things that hurt my stomach but none as much as the usage of the word 'mutant' for the kids in the book.
guylou's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a surprisingly good book despite the difficult subject. I loved the story, the setting, the characters, and the outcome. Be ready to be touched, surprised and tickled. Loved it!
dmfsharp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hedgehogbookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
This review can also be found on Hedgehog Book Reviews!!
'I think the monsters are already in you’.
‘How do I kill the monsters?’
‘I don’t think you need to kill them.’
‘Then what?’
‘I think you invite them. And let them stay. And learn to live with them. Then when you die, they stop being monsters.’”
-I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review-
Ivan is a 17 year old boy living in the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children. He has lived there his whole life, as he does not know his mother’s name or even his own birthday. Ivan was born without legs and only one arm that bears two fingers and thumb. It is believed that this condition was a result of radiation from a nuclear reactor. Ivan does almost the same thing every day—eat three meals alone and use the TV three hours. He goes to bed at the same time and has a set routine for getting his clothes on in the morning. Ivan believes he has each patient figured out until a girl his age walks in into the hospital. This girl, Polina, has beautiful hair that will soon be gone due to chemotherapy, as she has leukemia and was sentenced to the hospital after both of her parents died. Ivan’s entire world is turned upside down and his daily routine is shattered as he tries to figure out Polina and learn what it’s like to have a real friend and possible love.
This book was great, but it was really, really depressing. The story reads as Ivan’s diary and the language is very raw. Ivan does not sugarcoat his life of a legless boy confined to a hospital full of other ill children. He shares in great detail what it’s like trapped in that building with nurses who don’t care and patients that don’t make any conversation.
I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book because it’s when we really get to know how things work around the hospital and the other characters through Ivan’s voice. He tells us about Dennis, the boy born without a soul. Dennis spends his days rocking in his bed at a steady pace, a pace so steady that Ivan can use it to count time. We also learn about the ginger twins. These twins don’t say a word to each other, or anyone else for that matter, but somehow communicate well enough to do everything at the same time.
Polina enters the story about a 1/3 way through the novel and, although it is a very interesting plot line, I was actually more curious to hear about daily hospital life. I did think that the growing relationship between Ivan and Polina was very cute, but it didn’t grab all of my attention like I was hoping. Still, I was definitely rooting for them and the inevitable end made me very sad (sadder than I already was reading this depressing diary).
From the reviews that I’ve read, I gather that The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko is very similar to The Fault in Our Stars. I haven’t read the latter novel, but I’d say if you enjoy John Green books you’d probably like this one as well. A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this wonderful book! I really enjoyed this read.
'I think the monsters are already in you’.
‘How do I kill the monsters?’
‘I don’t think you need to kill them.’
‘Then what?’
‘I think you invite them. And let them stay. And learn to live with them. Then when you die, they stop being monsters.’”
-I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review-
Ivan is a 17 year old boy living in the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children. He has lived there his whole life, as he does not know his mother’s name or even his own birthday. Ivan was born without legs and only one arm that bears two fingers and thumb. It is believed that this condition was a result of radiation from a nuclear reactor. Ivan does almost the same thing every day—eat three meals alone and use the TV three hours. He goes to bed at the same time and has a set routine for getting his clothes on in the morning. Ivan believes he has each patient figured out until a girl his age walks in into the hospital. This girl, Polina, has beautiful hair that will soon be gone due to chemotherapy, as she has leukemia and was sentenced to the hospital after both of her parents died. Ivan’s entire world is turned upside down and his daily routine is shattered as he tries to figure out Polina and learn what it’s like to have a real friend and possible love.
This book was great, but it was really, really depressing. The story reads as Ivan’s diary and the language is very raw. Ivan does not sugarcoat his life of a legless boy confined to a hospital full of other ill children. He shares in great detail what it’s like trapped in that building with nurses who don’t care and patients that don’t make any conversation.
I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book because it’s when we really get to know how things work around the hospital and the other characters through Ivan’s voice. He tells us about Dennis, the boy born without a soul. Dennis spends his days rocking in his bed at a steady pace, a pace so steady that Ivan can use it to count time. We also learn about the ginger twins. These twins don’t say a word to each other, or anyone else for that matter, but somehow communicate well enough to do everything at the same time.
Polina enters the story about a 1/3 way through the novel and, although it is a very interesting plot line, I was actually more curious to hear about daily hospital life. I did think that the growing relationship between Ivan and Polina was very cute, but it didn’t grab all of my attention like I was hoping. Still, I was definitely rooting for them and the inevitable end made me very sad (sadder than I already was reading this depressing diary).
From the reviews that I’ve read, I gather that The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko is very similar to The Fault in Our Stars. I haven’t read the latter novel, but I’d say if you enjoy John Green books you’d probably like this one as well. A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this wonderful book! I really enjoyed this read.
zeeohee's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting premise. Feels unique but also not somehow. A teen boy has lived his whole life inside a hospital for “gravely ill children” in Belarus until one day he meets a leukemia patient and it shifts something for him. It has some controversial reviews due to the narrators explanations of other disabled children within the hospital but I didn’t find it offensive but rather the musings and thoughts of a sad 17 year old boy with limited interaction with the world and who is very depressed. That, rather than anything intentionally malicious. It was a sweet story though sad
jlo615's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I won this book as a Goodreads First Read Giveaway.
Along the same vein as John Greene's "The Fault In Our Stars", this book is dark, hilarious, beautiful, tragic, and heart-wrenching. I lost track of time while reading.
My only (very minor) complaint is that the secondary patient characters could've been used better. They were introduced with great detail only to be an offhand comment or a joke later.
Keep in mind: the narrator is not always a good person. He uses the other children in the asylum for his own amusement. He can be cruel to both the children and the nurses. He is a bitter, 17 year old boy.
Definitely worth recommending to anyone.
I won this book as a Goodreads First Read Giveaway.
Along the same vein as John Greene's "The Fault In Our Stars", this book is dark, hilarious, beautiful, tragic, and heart-wrenching. I lost track of time while reading.
My only (very minor) complaint is that the secondary patient characters could've been used better. They were introduced with great detail only to be an offhand comment or a joke later.
Keep in mind: the narrator is not always a good person. He uses the other children in the asylum for his own amusement. He can be cruel to both the children and the nurses. He is a bitter, 17 year old boy.
Definitely worth recommending to anyone.
kristi_starr35's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhere between 2.5 & 3. There were parts of this book that I loved. There were parts that I loathed. It was honest. And raw. Sweet. Bitter and dark. Light and hopeful. Sad. Funny. Russian. I was disgusted and I was touched. Part The Fault in Our Stars ... and I don't know what else.
It's hard to classify and difficult to place. While not quite YA lit, it received the Alex Award from YALSA for adult lit that appeals to teens. It's not a typical teen romance, though.
A physically disabled teenage boy who has lived his entire life as an orphan at the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus is detached from almost everyone around him. His life is a series of unchanging events. Then one day Polina walks in. She, too, is an orphan, but unlike Ivan, she is ill, and it soon becomes clear that she is terminal. Ivan and Polina develop an unlikely friendship - a first for Ivan - and eventually it turns to love. Polina both pushes Ivan beyond his boundaries and pulls him out of his isolation. But it comes at a cost. To love is to feel, and to feel is to hurt.
Like Ivan, be prepared to feel - though whether you feel exhilaration or emptiness at the end of this rollercoaster of a story is the question. Odds are, whether you love it or not, it will stick with you. (And if your literary background is lacking in certain classic Russian authors, you will likely be on the hunt for Nabakov and more.)
It's hard to classify and difficult to place. While not quite YA lit, it received the Alex Award from YALSA for adult lit that appeals to teens. It's not a typical teen romance, though.
A physically disabled teenage boy who has lived his entire life as an orphan at the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus is detached from almost everyone around him. His life is a series of unchanging events. Then one day Polina walks in. She, too, is an orphan, but unlike Ivan, she is ill, and it soon becomes clear that she is terminal. Ivan and Polina develop an unlikely friendship - a first for Ivan - and eventually it turns to love. Polina both pushes Ivan beyond his boundaries and pulls him out of his isolation. But it comes at a cost. To love is to feel, and to feel is to hurt.
Like Ivan, be prepared to feel - though whether you feel exhilaration or emptiness at the end of this rollercoaster of a story is the question. Odds are, whether you love it or not, it will stick with you. (And if your literary background is lacking in certain classic Russian authors, you will likely be on the hunt for Nabakov and more.)
giffygif's review against another edition
3.0
So I'm not gonna lie, it messed with my brain that this book was not based on a real person's diary. The formatting of this novel is really interesting. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the way the author portrays the characters in the novel. To try and take on another point of view so different from your own is something that I don't like in novels.
Ivan is a young man born without his full body as is the standard for humans. To write such a cynical teenager into the world whose worldview is so heavily anchored in his identity as a person with no legs, one arm, and three fingers, seems insincere to me.
Ivan is a young man born without his full body as is the standard for humans. To write such a cynical teenager into the world whose worldview is so heavily anchored in his identity as a person with no legs, one arm, and three fingers, seems insincere to me.
greenvillemelissa's review against another edition
4.0
Book #98 Read in 2016
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach
This was an odd book but I liked it. Ivan is a deformed young boy who lives in a Russian orphanage/hospital. He has one arm, nubs for legs and loves to read and write. This book tells his story....as he sees it. He describes fellow patients, his daily routine and the various nursing staff who rotate in and out of his life. It is a quick read. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach
This was an odd book but I liked it. Ivan is a deformed young boy who lives in a Russian orphanage/hospital. He has one arm, nubs for legs and loves to read and write. This book tells his story....as he sees it. He describes fellow patients, his daily routine and the various nursing staff who rotate in and out of his life. It is a quick read. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.