I read Dr. Zhivago for the first time at a hospital. I sat in the mirador looking at the bay. I was there for someone dear to me. For many years I'd avoided the novel. Nabokov hated the book, but when I read an essay by Edmund Wilson, pointing out the that the names were symbolic, pregnant with life affirming motifs, I was intrigued. Wilson and Nabokov had a falling out over the book (as well as over Nabokov's Eugene Onegin translation) and their friendship never recovered. Lara and Yuri's story is at the heart of the novel as history happens, taking no prisoners. It's a wonderfully sad book. David Lean's adaptation captured some of the pathos, but it was the BBC mini series starring Keira Knightley from the early 2000's that has a devastating conclusion. It's a fantastic mini series that will leave one, frankly, in tears.
The first book i read by Yourcenar was The Memoirs of Hadrian. Been an admirer of her work ever since. "Fires,""Coup de Grace," and "Mishima," are some of the books I"ve also enjoyed by her. Been a while since I visited her world.
@LibroParadiso-ep4zt oh great, I'll check out the mini series once I read the book! Thank you for the Yourcenar recommendations. If I love Memoirs of Hadrian I'll be sure to check more out!
Thank you Sarah. TBH, I'd be more than happy to read this many in a year! Some cross over here because I love 19th cent literature. North and South is great. The Butler one was published posthumously, so it's comfortably in the Victorian era.
@user-sd4gq6jr4m yes, it's quite an ambitious tbr! Definitely won't get to everything in Autumn. Ah, thanks for the clarification about the Butler. I was sure he was a victorian author 😅
Paradise Rot was an interesting journey, I wasn't sure how I'd find it but it did end up being a very distinct read! Will be very interested to hear your thoughts if you get to it. Doctor Zhivago! I feel like it's marketed so much as a romance probably because of the film adaptation, but really what's so interesting about it is the look at that moment of history. It almost felt like an achievement finishing it, not because it's the longest piece of Russian lit but because you go through such a journey with the characters during such a changeable time of history. It's one that listening to reviews of and talking about it with people has made it stay with me.
@redheadreading that makes me more excited for Dr Zhivago- I'm not a huge fan of romance, so that had been putting me off a bit! Slightly nervous for Paradise Rot 😬 I'm sure either way it will stick with me for a long time!
I read Dr. Zhivago for the first time at a hospital. I sat in the mirador looking at the bay. I was there for someone dear to me. For many years I'd avoided the novel. Nabokov hated the book, but when I read an essay by Edmund Wilson, pointing out the that the names were symbolic, pregnant with life affirming motifs, I was intrigued. Wilson and Nabokov had a falling out over the book (as well as over Nabokov's Eugene Onegin translation) and their friendship never recovered. Lara and Yuri's story is at the heart of the novel as history happens, taking no prisoners. It's a wonderfully sad book. David Lean's adaptation captured some of the pathos, but it was the BBC mini series starring Keira Knightley from the early 2000's that has a devastating conclusion. It's a fantastic mini series that will leave one, frankly, in tears.
The first book i read by Yourcenar was The Memoirs of Hadrian. Been an admirer of her work ever since. "Fires,""Coup de Grace," and "Mishima," are some of the books I"ve also enjoyed by her. Been a while since I visited her world.
@LibroParadiso-ep4zt oh great, I'll check out the mini series once I read the book! Thank you for the Yourcenar recommendations. If I love Memoirs of Hadrian I'll be sure to check more out!
Thank you Sarah. TBH, I'd be more than happy to read this many in a year! Some cross over here because I love 19th cent literature. North and South is great. The Butler one was published posthumously, so it's comfortably in the Victorian era.
@user-sd4gq6jr4m yes, it's quite an ambitious tbr! Definitely won't get to everything in Autumn. Ah, thanks for the clarification about the Butler. I was sure he was a victorian author 😅
Paradise Rot was an interesting journey, I wasn't sure how I'd find it but it did end up being a very distinct read! Will be very interested to hear your thoughts if you get to it. Doctor Zhivago! I feel like it's marketed so much as a romance probably because of the film adaptation, but really what's so interesting about it is the look at that moment of history. It almost felt like an achievement finishing it, not because it's the longest piece of Russian lit but because you go through such a journey with the characters during such a changeable time of history. It's one that listening to reviews of and talking about it with people has made it stay with me.
@redheadreading that makes me more excited for Dr Zhivago- I'm not a huge fan of romance, so that had been putting me off a bit!
Slightly nervous for Paradise Rot 😬 I'm sure either way it will stick with me for a long time!