http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005 by the authors Thu, 8 Jan 2004 18:14:39 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/03/160105.php#comment-35873 Actually, Dr. Zhivago is better in film than in the book. The original version of Dr. Zhivago, that is. The one with the incredible Julie Christie. I'd recommend seeing the film instead of reading the book. 35873@blogcritics.org Thu, 8 Jan 2004 18:14:39 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/03/160105.php#comment-35829 True, those books are long and taxing. I don't blame you for needing a break. I usually offset a Russian novel with some Orson Scott Card scifi. Angele's Ashes is awesome. I have yet to read 'Tis, the sequel. And if you though the plot of Karenina was whack, Karamazov will throw you a curve ball. 35829@blogcritics.org Thu, 8 Jan 2004 15:19:30 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/03/160105.php#comment-35615 Particleman, I like Dostoevsky too...I read (and reviewed here) Crime and Punishment last year. And I loved War and Peace, though I read that several years ago. I want to try The Brothers Karamazov, and also Dr. Zhivago too... The only things about these books is that they are so long, they take your whole reading time for a good while. I feel like ripping through a few lesser works for a bit. I'm reading Angela's Ashes right now, very funny. Maybe I'll knock of a few shorter ones again befor I dive back into the vastness of Russia. 35615@blogcritics.org Wed, 7 Jan 2004 12:46:12 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/03/160105.php#comment-35612 Anna Karenina is indeed amazing. The characters and story are impressive enough, but it's the writing that keeps the book hurtling forward. If this is the first 19th century Russian novel you've read, i urge you to delve into Dostoyevsky, especially Brothers Karamazov. I still can't decide which i like more- Karamazov or Karenina. 35612@blogcritics.org Wed, 7 Jan 2004 12:31:51 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/03/160105.php#comment-35038 Murphy, couldn't agree with you more. Anna Karenina is one of my top ten favorite books of all time. And I've seen every English-language film adaptation, too. At least twice. Tolstoy is masterful at capturing the nuances of relationships within families. He's quoted as saying something like "Every happy family is happy in the same way, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." One thing I like about Tolstoy, and many 19th century novels, is that they keep the reader at a slight distance. Tolstoy doesn't bring you deep inside a character's head the way many modern novels do. It's almost a cinematic approach, as if you are a filmgoer watching a movie unfold. 35038@blogcritics.org Sat, 3 Jan 2004 17:36:01 EST