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Title: Doctor Zhivago by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak, Max Hayward, Manya Harari ISBN: 0-679-77438-6 Publisher: Pantheon Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.04 (56 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Must read classic
Comment: This book is about the survival of human spirit and love above war and other evils that affected Russia during the revolution. The story follows Dr. Zhivago a middle class doctor and his trials and tribulations that he undergoes because of the the revolution. It is about how war affects man, so as to reduce him to his basic instincts. Dr Zhivago's unflinching love for Lara, his moral responsibilities o his family and the beautiful Russian countryside juxtaposed with horrifying images of war make this book a great peace of literature. The writer expresses his political views through Dr Zhivago and how correct of the author Pasternak to have predicted the downfall of communism. I would definitely recommend this book as this is one of the greatest books of this century.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Definitive Russian Epic of the Twentieth Century
Comment: Without intending to stereotype an entire nation, I don't think I'd be wrong to say that the Russian people seem to have a profound gift for literature. Many of the world's great writers were Russian: Tolstoy, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Solzhenitsyn, Pushkin, Gogol, and countless others. These masters have created timeless works addressing universal issues. In Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak has created the definitive Russian epic of the 20th Century, and in doing so joins this impressive list of literary lions.
Without going into too much detail, the story traces the lives of Yuri Zhivago and Lara Guishar during the time of the Russian Revolution. The paths of these two exceptionally believable and distinctive characters cross from time to time, and their attraction towards one another is palpable. While this book is many things, it is also a love story, and so it comes as no surprise when the two stories become one.
The various qualities that make this novel so impressive are too many to list, but I will list some of the more notable points: the story helps to shed light on one of the most momentous political and social events in history (the ousting of the Tzar by the Bolsheviks through a series of revolutions), and goes a long way in explaining the effects of this political upheaval on the Russian people; while the story is a sprawling epic in the tradition of Charles Dickens, the characters are much more well-rounded and believable than those in most of Dickens's novels; Pasternak graces this book with some of the most beautiful passages in the history of literature (many of which describe the Russian landscape). This novel is at times mysterious, harrowing, uplifting, eye-opening, and introspective, and it goes farther in emotionally overwhelming the reader than most great works of literature.
The difficulties I had with Doctor Zhivago were small, but difficulties nonetheless. I found it irksome that Pasternak took the time to introduce us to so many relatively insignificant characters, giving us not only their names and descriptions, but their histories and ancestry. I was also bothered by the abundance of coincidences in the story. Everytime Zhivago ran into someone (even if he was thousands of miles into Siberia), it was a character he (and we) had previously encountered. One or two such incidents would be mildly ironic... forty or fifty start to stretch the limits of plausibility.
Despite these minor flaws, this book is breathtaking. It is the story of a butterfly-like individual who attempts to survive a thunderous storm of a revolution. You do not need any knowledge of Russian history to appreciate this epic story. All you need is a little imagination, and a lot of time (the book is about 550 pages).
Rating: 5
Summary: This is...
Comment: ...a stellar translation and the only one to buy. Most cross-linguistic clumsiness is eliminated, leaving only the text's raw grace.
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Title:Doctor Zhivago (Two-Disc Special Edition) ASIN: B00003CX9M Publisher: Warner Home Video Pub. Date: 24 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.99 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $20.24 |
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Title: Anna Karenina by Mona Simpson, Leo Tolstoy ISBN: 067978330X Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 10 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Rosemary Edmonds ISBN: 0140444173 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: October, 1982 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title:Doctor Zhivago (TV Miniseries) ASIN: B0000C2IQG Publisher: Acorn Media Publishi Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $35.96 |
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Title: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Alexander Tvardovsky ISBN: 0451527097 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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