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A review by mdreadsandreviews
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
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."
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."