Javor

A perfect entry book if you want to want to enter a long dark,cold and very descriptive world of classic Russian novels.

It has all the ingredients that make a classic Russian novel; depressing Russian atmosphere, long descriptive dialogue, focus on motives and thoughts of the characters, and so on, and so on... but it is short, very short in comparison to others of its kind and it is written in first person.

I found it very similar to Crime and Punishment, especially the main character. On the other hand, the perspective from the first person really gives it a more direct approach to main character line of thought which is refreshing for the genre. The first part of the book is just one big monologue, which might as well be my favorite piece of literature, later it waters down with an actual story but still remains what it is, just a great read that I can not describe how much I am happy to pick up.

Cheers.

Fyodor can be a genius immersing you in human psyche and of course, writing intruding and impressively winding dialogue.

But this book... It feels like Fyodor got an assignment to write a novel with absurdly high word count and is struggling to come up with anything new so he does what everyone does in that situation and fills the pages with vacuum.

Not my canister of tea.

Cheers.

Got this book after History of Knowledge (which I really liked) and I can not say anything new that has not been said in comments before this one.

The book is overexplained and has that bit of a pretentious tone of a snob writer. I must say that over explanation is sometimes needed so that every reader can get writer's ideas and points. Especially in science books, or whenever author has something refreshing or interesting to say

But there is nothing interesting here.

The analysis goes very shallow and does not branch out into other themes that can be associated with reading.

If I did not know half the things that are written in this book I could not read it and understand it at all.

Or maybe the pretentious tone of the book reminded me of my own pretentious writing style.

Yikes.

Cheers anyways.

You know that feeling when you read a good book and it feels everything you do can be connected what you just read.

Like a shadow you can not get a rid of, it is annoying but comforting at the same time. You found yourself between those pages and found an author who shares same human feelings and thoughts as you. It reminds you that you are not special, you just need to think less and talk more. And also that shadow throws a shade on everything you read in near future. You wish that every next book has similar shape and words like that shadow. But it is hard to accept that every book should be different and that every man and woman are pretty much the same.

I did not write anything about the book itself, because I do not want to. I want anyone to read it with an empty mind and take from it as much as they can.

Cheers