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jonfaith's review against another edition
4.0
He filled a shelf with a small army of books and read and read; but none of it made sense.
An ice storm has arrived. Puskin was quick with advice. I enjoyed reading this famed verse, though I fear my anxiety was a constant companion. I especially enjoyed the use of letters--the missives crystalized the allusions. Gave them punch. It is a familiar story about the path of self-discovery and the elusiveness of true happiness. Decadence nor pastoral solitude appear to do the trick. There's lust and there's a duel. I'd like to reread this under calmer conditions.
An ice storm has arrived. Puskin was quick with advice. I enjoyed reading this famed verse, though I fear my anxiety was a constant companion. I especially enjoyed the use of letters--the missives crystalized the allusions. Gave them punch. It is a familiar story about the path of self-discovery and the elusiveness of true happiness. Decadence nor pastoral solitude appear to do the trick. There's lust and there's a duel. I'd like to reread this under calmer conditions.
skorobea's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
anasee's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rimmstein's review against another edition
5.0
I just love Pushkin’s sense of humor. Something that I couldn’t get when I was 10-12 years old.
Rediscovering the Russian classics and finally getting the excitement of my Russian Lit. teachers at school.
Rediscovering the Russian classics and finally getting the excitement of my Russian Lit. teachers at school.
whiskeytown's review
4.0
The unique iambic tetrameter of this is pretty remarkable, and I was impressed by how Mary Hobson's translation maintained the meter and rhymes through the language change.
nomadjg's review against another edition
4.0
I have been meaning to read this ever since I read Elif Batuman's The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them. There are some clunkers in this translation in verse but it was greatly aided by Nabokov's literal prose translation with copious annotation. I prefer the verse even with its problems. Pushkin's voice, the celebration of both winter and spring, country vs. city, and doomed love and ennui are all delightful. Having read Nabokov's essay on his translation, I noticed the heavy influence of the French language and its literary forms. This awareness then made me realize how this novel is actually very much about how what we read influences at least our view of romance.
martee's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
regnerisch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hksmith's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My first novel in verse and my first experience of Pushkin - in the end I was into the rhythm of the storytelling