Synopsis:
The lives, romances, and fortunes of 3 prominent Russian families play out against the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
Review:
It’s absurd to blog about War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy’s sprawling behemoth of a novel. The title alone is ludicrous and unfathomable. People laugh when you say you’re reading it, not because they think [...]
Popularity: 57% [?]
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Tags: Russian Literature
Synopsis:
The tangled fates of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his four sons, three legitimate, one a bastard, culminating in a trial for murder.
Review:
I’d be a fool if I tried to pretend I were anywhere up to the task of critiquing The Brothers Karamazov. I can honestly say I’m a little freaked out by what I’ve [...]
Popularity: 66% [?]
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Tags: Russian Literature
In honor of a rather silly book I read about a high school girl with a crush, I give you this article on the journey Lewis Carroll’s classic took in the Soviet Union. A choice excerpt:
Popularity: 30% [?]
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Popularity: 30% [?]
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Tags: British Literature · On Reading
Synopsis:
An awkward teen buys a junky old Plymouth that seems to have a life of its own–and sinister plans for Artie and those he loves.
Popularity: 28% [?]
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Popularity: 28% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
A little girl falls down the rabbit hole and steps through a mirror, finding herself in an illogical, marvelous world.
Popularity: 32% [?]
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Popularity: 32% [?]
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Tags: British Literature
February 24th, 2007 · 1 Comment
Synopsis:
The destinies of two men who look almost like twins are intertwined with a prisoner of the Bastille and his golden-haired daughter, as the drums of the French Revolution bring death, destruction, and La Guillotine ever closer.
Review:
A Tale of Two Cities is three of five for the Classics Challenge. I don’t think I’m going [...]
Popularity: 48% [?]
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Tags: British Literature
February 10th, 2007 · 3 Comments
Synopsis:
The tale of a society woman and her unconventional love affair contrasts with that of a landowner struggling with faith and duty.
Review:
Anna Karenina. The very words have struck me with fear and awe ever since a disastrous Russian History class in 12th grade, where I discovered my superpower’s limits for the first time. [...]
Popularity: 50% [?]
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Tags: Russian Literature
Synopsis:
The theft of a rare diamond from India throws an upper class family and their servants into disarray and suspicion.
Review:
Published in 1868 and taking place from 1847-48, The Moonstone is one of my selections for the Winter Classics Challenge and the Chunkster Challenge. I knew that it was the first novel to introduce the [...]
Popularity: 30% [?]
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Tags: British Literature
Synopsis:
A naive young woman loses her beloved father to scoundrels in a Parisian back alley, and decides to devote her life to seeking vengeance.
Popularity: 36% [?]
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Popularity: 36% [?]
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Tags: British Literature
November 6th, 2006 · 1 Comment
Synopsis:
Bored with her marriage to a dull country doctor, Emma Bovary spins fantasy into adultery and rampant overspending.
Review:
Ooh-la-la! What a great read! I must say I was surprised at how contemporary this novel felt. Written in 1857, Madame Bovary is a psychological tour-de-force. Emma’s story is about much more than adultery, [...]
Popularity: 49% [?]
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Tags: French Literature