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cristina_02's review against another edition
4.0
Among the tragic existence of living in a concentration camp, Ivan Denisovich remains able to appreciate the small things which make life just about bearable.
belwood303's review against another edition
4.0
Gave my copy away to the waitress at the restaurant where I finished reading this book again. Such an interesting read, I know the one-day-in-the-life of someone has been numerous times but this story really pulls it off. A classic.
catherine392's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
baxtersegers's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jdappa's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
quenchgum's review against another edition
3.0
This book is bleak. Perhaps unbearingly bleak.
Solzhenitsyn details a day in the gulag in the early 50's. I found it easy to forget that these conditions were a reality a mere fifty or sixty years ago. Ivan Denisovich, the protaganist, manages to keep a clean conscience while being masterful in his manipulation of others. He knows the truth: you need to be crafty in order to survive the long, ten-year sentence.
The monotony and length of his sentence is reflected in the physical act of reading this book: while the words chronicle solely a single day from bell to bell, the book itself has no chapters, page breaks, or markers to indicate progress. There is no stopping point to take stock; the only option is to continue going. Sound familiar? Because of this, I was exhausted once I finished the book... I wanted to lie down, watch TLC for a couple mindless hours, take a leisurely nap, and *maybe* do some light Nicholas Sparks reading. I couldn't help but feel in the back of my mind that perhaps this is what Solzhenitsyn intended. The monotony, the cold, and the utter grimness of existence were reflected in every word of the novel.
You don't win the Nobel Prize in Literature for nothing, and Solzhenitsyn penned a masterpiece--which, I'm sure, is all the more beautiful in Russian with its 'jail talk' and peasant colloqialisms.
Solzhenitsyn details a day in the gulag in the early 50's. I found it easy to forget that these conditions were a reality a mere fifty or sixty years ago. Ivan Denisovich, the protaganist, manages to keep a clean conscience while being masterful in his manipulation of others. He knows the truth: you need to be crafty in order to survive the long, ten-year sentence.
The monotony and length of his sentence is reflected in the physical act of reading this book: while the words chronicle solely a single day from bell to bell, the book itself has no chapters, page breaks, or markers to indicate progress. There is no stopping point to take stock; the only option is to continue going. Sound familiar? Because of this, I was exhausted once I finished the book... I wanted to lie down, watch TLC for a couple mindless hours, take a leisurely nap, and *maybe* do some light Nicholas Sparks reading. I couldn't help but feel in the back of my mind that perhaps this is what Solzhenitsyn intended. The monotony, the cold, and the utter grimness of existence were reflected in every word of the novel.
You don't win the Nobel Prize in Literature for nothing, and Solzhenitsyn penned a masterpiece--which, I'm sure, is all the more beautiful in Russian with its 'jail talk' and peasant colloqialisms.
eibbor_katz's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
lucieloovesbooks's review against another edition
1.0
1.5/5
Nope. I literally couldn't understand what was actually happening.
Nope. I literally couldn't understand what was actually happening.
thereaderintherye's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25