A sweeping transcontinental novel of secrets and lies buried within a single family
Thirty-two-year-old Gabriel Glover arrives in St. Petersbur... read full description
Thirty-two-year-old Gabriel Glover arrives in St. Petersbur... read full description
reviews
Dec 10, 2010
Kirsty
rated it: 
I found it a huge struggle to finish this book. I put it down three times and read the whole of another book instead. If it hadn't have been featured in this year's Booker Prize longlist I don't think I would have bothered picking it up again.
Surprisingly, in the end, my opinion of it was fairly decent mostly because I did enjoy the last 150 odd pages and at that point I couldn't put the book down. If I'd found the first 350 pages as turnable then it would have been much better (obviou More...
Surprisingly, in the end, my opinion of it was fairly decent mostly because I did enjoy the last 150 odd pages and at that point I couldn't put the book down. If I'd found the first 350 pages as turnable then it would have been much better (obviou More...
Oct 09, 2011
Susan
rated it:
I didn't really connect with this book, as it seemed uneven to me. The writing was a bit pretentious. Sometimes the prose just didn't flow -- there was one point when I wondered whether the writer just got a new thesaurus -- though other times, it was really quite nice and I could get a real sense of setting.
The characters, too, were unevenly drawn and often one (or maybe sometimes two) dimensional but not fully realized, IMO. Gabriel and Isabella were often so self-absorbed for muc More...
The characters, too, were unevenly drawn and often one (or maybe sometimes two) dimensional but not fully realized, IMO. Gabriel and Isabella were often so self-absorbed for muc More...
Jan 12, 2009
Carole
rated it: 
This book was hard for me. It dealt with unpleasant subjects and contained rough street language which I really dislike. At the same time, however, this author is a gifted wordsmith, and I kept reading just to come across some of his brilliant descriptions of people and of situations. I was in awe of the author's mind, but disheartened that his worldview is so dismal.
Quote to remember: in speaking about listening to other people's viewpoints, ..."Because otherwise you can't More...
Quote to remember: in speaking about listening to other people's viewpoints, ..."Because otherwise you can't More...
Nov 21, 2011
Bobbie
rated it: 
I read this in a Picador edition, entitled 'Self Help'. There's some lovely descriptive writing, particularly about London and Paris, and a few 'jewel' insights had me smiling and appreciative... However... too many points of view made it unclear whose story it was and stood in the way of my caring about any of them, and the whole book felt padded with description, interior monologue and emoting. As an example, there's a whole chapter where nothing happens except that a character we don't care a
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May 06, 2010
Ann
rated it:
I did manage to finish this book. Not that it is bad though I skipped some long descriptions so prevalent in Pravda- everything from bits of broken glass and used syringes to the exact detail of slanting sleet. Weather, place, character, mannerisms on and on. If you like that kind of detail and the denouement dumped in the last chapter, then go for it. Billed as heavy on psychology, I didn't get it beyond one has to know where one comes from to figure out where one is going. And who has ever
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Jan 22, 2009
James
rated it: 
The best book I've read since Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games-a real page turner in the old-fashioned sense. Comparisons to both Dickens and Dostoevsky are not entirely out of bounds, which is saying something.
Also, I was actually a fan of Docx's first novel, The Calligrapher. But this second novel is completely unexpected. Very much like Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex on the heels of The Virgin Suicides--a staggering surprise of a second novel.
Incidentally: I read an awful l More...
Also, I was actually a fan of Docx's first novel, The Calligrapher. But this second novel is completely unexpected. Very much like Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex on the heels of The Virgin Suicides--a staggering surprise of a second novel.
Incidentally: I read an awful l More...
May 01, 2010
Dana
rated it:
GO Ed, go Ed! Much more serious than his first (The Calligrapher), but quite a novel...
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Aug 04, 2010
Monique
rated it:
So about this book..it has renewed my admiration for Russian authors..in my opinion every nation has a literary specialty--no one crafts a mystery like the British , there is no one comparable in horror than the Europeans (Germans, Swedish) and for descriptive prose its sweet home USA but for well drawn characters that are likeable as much as they are unlikeable and storylines that really make you think Russian authors all day--Just like Dostoyvesky did in Crime and Punishment and the Brothers K
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Oct 14, 2009
Len
rated it:
It took my a while to complete Pravda, but not because I didn't like it. In fact, I really liked it. A lot.
One of the things I love about reading in general is that when it's done right it can take you to another world. This was definitely the case with Pravda. Docx paints a portrait of a family that is really caught between two worlds...post-Communist Russia and the western world. This dichotomy is the key to why the main characters in the book, twins Gabriel and Isabella, are each More...
One of the things I love about reading in general is that when it's done right it can take you to another world. This was definitely the case with Pravda. Docx paints a portrait of a family that is really caught between two worlds...post-Communist Russia and the western world. This dichotomy is the key to why the main characters in the book, twins Gabriel and Isabella, are each More...
Jun 04, 2009
Roberta
rated it:
Okay, I'll admit it -- I only read the first 200 pages before it was time for book club. This book was really evocative -- I could really picture all of the characters and the scenes and that's a skill in and of itself and for that reason I kept with the book. But holy whatever, each character was so insanely, obnoxiously, dramatically, self-indugently self-analytical. The chapters switched from character-to-character, but each character-centered chapter was the same as the last one focused o
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Jun 24, 2010
Tiah
rated it:
To put it simply-this is a great book. There are moments of brilliance sandwiched between many wonderful passages. It lags here and there, but not much. There is a paragraph where one of the main characters gets upset about font. That has nothing to do with the real story but it's beautiful. Its things like that in the novel that make it better than just good, the comments about people and society outside of the story are lovely.
Dec 04, 2008
I've been carrying this book back and forth on my commute for too long now without cracking it. Every month or so I resolve to finish, but it never sticks. It's preventing me from starting anything else non-work related, because I feel like I'd be book cheating. Time to give up and move on.
A recommendation from C -- I like it quite a bit so far -- maybe I should heed her suggestions more often.
One bit, though, appearing on page 19, does make me a little c More...
A recommendation from C -- I like it quite a bit so far -- maybe I should heed her suggestions more often.
One bit, though, appearing on page 19, does make me a little c More...
Mar 21, 2009
Becca
rated it: 
While I made it through this book, I never really managed to connect with it. All of the characters (except the one the author bumped off) were wholly unremarkable. The two characters intended to be the most sympathetic did little else besides brood or complain about their father, who, though undeniably a hall-of-fame windbag, hardly seemed worth the energy. One of the other characters started off as strongly reminiscent of the villain in the prequel to "The Da Vinci Code", and fizz
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May 01, 2010
Victoria
rated it:
You have to pity any book forced to follow Midnight's Children on my reading list. While the reviewers quoted on Self Help's back cover made comparisons to Dickens and Dostoevsky, I was making comparisons to Rushdie, and not once did Docx come out on top.
That is emphatically not to say that this is a bad book, or that Docx is not a talented writer. Self Help is a great read, although I didn't agree with the critics regarding Docx's skill at bringing locations to life (unlike Rushdie' More...
That is emphatically not to say that this is a bad book, or that Docx is not a talented writer. Self Help is a great read, although I didn't agree with the critics regarding Docx's skill at bringing locations to life (unlike Rushdie' More...
Jun 26, 2011
Holly
rated it:
After receiving a very distressing phone call from his mother who lives in St Petersburg, Gabriel Glover travels from his home in London to Russia. When he arrives, he finds his mother dead in her apartment. Gabrielle calls his twin sister, Isabelle, who comes from New York to help him. Together, the twins arrange their mother's funeral without contacting their father, Nicholas, a manipulative, licentious bully.....
So begins PRAVDA, in which Edward Docx has distilled the classic Russian no More...
So begins PRAVDA, in which Edward Docx has distilled the classic Russian no More...
Jan 26, 2009
A lot of great images, London and Peter beautifully presented, but then also many awkward, over-the-top and/or nonsensical metaphors not quite good enough in their poetry to avoid feeling forced or out of place. Extremely negative, but I have to admit I like that sort of thing. Read only after Dostoevsky and/or 20th century Russian history.
Sep 10, 2011
Missamylou
rated it:
I like it so far, it's a very visually evocative book without becoming weighed down in descriptive detail.
At times a little hard to follow characters as it jumps around a bit, but I suspect this will get better as I read further.
At times a little hard to follow characters as it jumps around a bit, but I suspect this will get better as I read further.
Mar 03, 2009
The writer seems to one of those modern guys who loves to use "fuck" and scandalous characters like a little kid who is enjoying say bad words. It just feels like a desperate attempt to make his writing "edgy."
Mar 02, 2009
Amy
rated it:
Started out tough going, but I gave it some time, and just loved it. This guy can write, and his characters and atmosphere are so well-conjured. I read it slowly for me, because the language was so perfect in places.
Feb 03, 2009
Jenn
rated it:
Couldn't ask for more from a book -- great writing, great story lines, complex characters. I found myself reading it slowly because I didn't want it to end.
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Aug 17, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
I found the book a bit pretentious - it wasn't really my kind of book and that linked in with the fact that I couldn't feel for any of the characters aside from the Russian Piano Player (concentrating on him may have made better story rather than the sappy and annoying Gabriel). I did get into the book near the end but then the actual end went downhill again.
Jul 29, 2011
Debbie
rated it:
I found the prose of this writer to be exquisite. The story was very human and interesting and threw quite a curve ball right at the very end. I highly recommend this.
Jan 06, 2009
I loved "The Calligrapher" by the same author. Who knew that calligraphers have a patron demon instead of a patron saint?
Dec 07, 2008
Marjie
rated it:
It took me a while to finish, but I did enjoy this book very much. The characters, as well as the descriptions of St. Petersburg, were very well-done and I liked the plot. I'll have to check out his other book (books?) and see if I like them as well. This was well-worth the time I put into it!
Mar 02, 2009
I just finished this book (borrowed from the library). I totally did not see the end coming!
Jun 29, 2010
Made the journey to mecca yesterday...the City of Books (Powell's). It's a long drive and then so many people once you get there. But totally worth it!
Sadly, this is the only book that I can really show here as the fruitage of my efforts, as it is the only one I bought that is in English. How fitting that I came across this interesting book...and the name "Pravda" means truth in Russian. I'm so intrigued after reading the back cover, I can hardly wait to dive in!
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Sadly, this is the only book that I can really show here as the fruitage of my efforts, as it is the only one I bought that is in English. How fitting that I came across this interesting book...and the name "Pravda" means truth in Russian. I'm so intrigued after reading the back cover, I can hardly wait to dive in!
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Feb 19, 2009
Byrd
rated it:
Absolutely loved his first and then couldn't get past the pretension in this one.
Oct 31, 2010
Samuel
rated it:
Lies, lies, lies and more lies. Docx really knows how to spin family secrets. The trauma of it all. I think I know this family.
Mar 30, 2009
sarah
rated it:
good if you like mysterious russians, heroin addicts, or poliamorous fathers.
