Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

Death and the Penguin

Penguin #1

Andrey Kurkov with George Bird

240 pages • first pub 1996 (editions)

fiction mystery mysterious reflective slow-paced

Description

In poverty-and-violence-wracked Kyiv, unemployed writer Viktor Zolotaryov leads a down-and-out life with his only friend, Misha, a penguin that he rescued when the local zoo started getting rid of animals it couldn’t feed. Even more nerve-wracking...

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Community Reviews Summary of 1,514 reviews

Moods

dark 72%
mysterious 68%
funny 46%
reflective 36%
tense 27%
sad 22%
adventurous 14%
emotional 13%
challenging 7%
lighthearted 5%
informative 2%
relaxing 2%

Pace

medium 48%
slow 31%
fast 19%

Plot- or character-driven?

A mix: 44% | Character: 31% | Plot: 22%

Strong character development?

No: 48% | It's complicated: 30% | Yes: 19%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 42% | Yes: 31% | No: 25% | N/A: 1%

Diverse cast of characters?

No: 65% | Yes: 17% | It's complicated: 12% | N/A: 4%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 52% | No: 24% | It's complicated: 20% | N/A: 3%

Average rating

3.71

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Content Warnings

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