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4.0 of 5 stars
Set in St. Petersburg, this is the story of a young man fighting his inner restlessness. A light and tender narrative, it delves into the torment a... read full description

reviews

Dec 17, 2009
Tatiana rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This story, really a novella, is the one I use to introduce people to Dostoyevsky. If you like White Nights you will like Fyodor Mikailovich, I think, and if you don't you won't. In it we're introduced to a charming intelligent young man who lives on the edges of St. Petersburg life, a shy dreamer who spends almost all his time alone. The life of his observations and imagination is very full, however. He daydreams in 3d with vivid colors passionate intricate tales that engross him completely More...
2 comments like (16 people liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
Maria rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Questo, tra i romanzi che ho letto di Dostoeviskij, è quello più lontano dal suo solito modo di scrivere sia per tematica che per insegnamento morale.
Non ci sono tormenti legati a problemi economici, non è l'ambiente a abbrutire il protagonista. E' l'amore a schiavizzarlo, l'amore ad annientarlo e a renderlo insonne.
Il protagonista di questo romanzo è un sognatore, un uomo incapace di vivere la vita reale che riesce a sognarne di inverosimili, a creare corrispondenze tra i ricordi e le More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Oct 26, 2007
B-MO rated it: 5 of 5 stars
One of Dostoyevsky's pre-prison works. A story of a lonely man confessing his lonliness to a young lady met on the street; Nastenka. The girl confesses her lonliness due to the fact that she has been pinned to her grandmother and was waiting for her lover to return. Over the next few nights they become close while waiting for her lover, when it appeared that he would not return Nastenka promised her love to the main character only to have the man of her love return that night and she chooses More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Sep 15, 2011
ilaria rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Mai letto nulla di Dostoevskij prima d'ora. Non so se ho fatto bene a iniziare da questo o meno.
La sensazione che ne ho tratto è di una indicibile delicatezza. Il sognatore è leggero, altruista, si insinua in punta di piedi. Quando realizza di essere completamente esterno alla realtà e di non conoscere realmente nessuno, mi fa una tenerezza estrema, mi mette quasi tristezza: come Nasten'ka non posso fare a meno di lasciarlo parlare e raccontare e parlare...</p>

"In quei luoghi sembra c

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Jun 02, 2011
Micha rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of the most beautiful, endearing short stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. It's characters, even the city itself, have become close to me and I wish them well in everything. I find myself thinking wistfully on their lives and where they are going now, long after we have parted. Will we ever meet again as old friends sometimes do and talk together of what has happened since? Will we not spend an afternoon or our own white night learning of what has become of one another.
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0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Sep 07, 2010
Neha rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Read it if you have loved and lost ..
If loved but not lost then am sure you have been through the fear of loosing...
But if you have never loved then you can never feel the soul of this book!!

The grey cloudy sky of London.. the electric blue structures and aura of Russia... sitting next to the window with rain drops moving in a trickle...

Remembering the good old days.. even though they were not much better than now.. they still seemed to be freer than today.. More...
Feb 04, 2012
Guenda rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Ohhh. Mi ci voleva proprio un bel classico, e “Le notti bianche” è una vera perla: il Dosto si aggiunge ora alla lista dei miei mentori/scrittori preferiti.
Diciamo che quando l’ho iniziato non ero altrettanto soddisfatta. Era notte, innanzitutto, perché avevo pensato tutta contenta: “Se leggo un libro simile di notte non potrà che essere ancora più bello!” Non avevo calcolato che, però, alle undici e mezza di sera io sono di regola incredibilmente assonnata (per non dire rimbambita). More...
Jan 15, 2012
Ali Reza rated it: 5 of 5 stars
داستان عاشقانه از نویسنده جنایت و مکافات ، برادران کارامازوف ، قمار باز ، خاطرات خانه اموات ، بیچارگان؟ اولش مثل یک شوخی بود بعد که داستان را خواندم ، جدی شد. و چه لطافتی دارد داستان زیبای داستایوفسکی.داستان چهار شب از زندگی دو فرد که تصادفا بهم بر می خورند و انگار سالهاست همدیگر را می شناسند. فیلمی که فرزاد موتمن با برداشت آزاد از این داستان ساخته هم دوست داشتنی و لطیف است. و شاید راجع به آن باید مطلبی جداگانه نوشت. و جمله آخر کتاب : خدای من ، یک دقیقه تمام شادکامی! آیا این نعمت برای سراسر ز More...
May 09, 2011
Grace added it
As an inverted image of Notes from Underground, White Nights pales in comparison- partially because I read Notes first, largely because the darker, devastated, and brooding side appeals to me more. Plus, I hate Nastenka, and the last line absolutely killed me: "Good Lord, only a moment of bliss? Isn't such a moment sufficient for the whole of a man's life?" Seriously, just kill me now (not really), I hate the sentiment, the hope, the gratitude that drips from that line. The dreamer More...
Jun 21, 2011
Patrícia rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Mas que livro fantástico!
Conhecemos um sonhador que vive a sua vida à margem, observando os demais a viver as suas vidas movimentadas. Numa das noites brancas do solstício de Verão, o sonhador percorre as ruas de São Petersburgo, como já é seu costume, e encontra uma jovem a chorar, acabando por parar para a socorrer. Nas noites seguintes o sonhador e Nástienhka tornam-se amigos, talvez algo mais...

Em menos de cem páginas o autor conseguiu criar duas personagens fantásticas, co More...
Apr 12, 2011
Dostoevksy's eloquence in capturing a sufferer's state of mind in words can only be attributed to his deep rooted understanding of the human condition. His definition of suffering seems to appear like a beautiful dreary canvas of life that is both bleak, as it is bursting in color, the contrast can bring forth a vision of admiration from an onlooker and at the same time reminds him of its sometimes inevitable despondency. It is just but a reminder that sometimes FATE is harsh and can plac More...
2 comments like (2 people liked it)
Mar 19, 2009
Tyler rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I was sort of forced to read it by my roommate at the time, I think he threatened to put a cigarette out on my face if I didn't. He was on a alcohol fueled marathon attempt to adapt it in to a screenplay for a short film. Fearing it would drone on like Crime and punishment, I did what anyone facing 3rd degree burns to the face would, I sat down and began reading. It was a lonely strange journey that sorta danced lightly at times and dragged on heavily at others, its not a long read and can be ac More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Jan 30, 2010
julieta rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Chico conoce a chica en el puente. Chico le cuenta su vida y sus sueños, chica corresponde con lo mismo. Chica cuenta que vive prendida por un alfiler a su abuela ciega. Chica agradece a chico que no se enamore de ella, solo que sean amigos. Chica confiesa estar enamorada de un tipo que le prometió un año antes casarse con ella cuando volviera a la ciudad. Chica sufre porque el hombre en cuestión volvió a la ciudad y no la buscó. Chico entiende todo y decide ayudarla, mandando una carta a hombre More...
Oct 02, 2011
Michela rated it: 5 of 5 stars
“Le Notti Bianche” – F.Dostoevskij (1848)

“Era una notte incantevole, una di quelle notti che succedono solo se si è giovani, gentile lettore. Il cielo era stellato, sfavillante, tanto che dopo averlo contemplato, ci si chiedeva involontariamente se sotto un cielo simile potessero vivere uomini irascibili e irosi”

Il protagonista è un impiegato, un uomo solo e un sognatore, e durante una delle sue passeggiate notturne lungo il fiume di San Pietroburgo incontra Nasten’Ka c More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Sep 06, 2011
Denise rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Para nós, comuns mortais, um sonhador é um ser feliz. Passa a sua vida a sonhar, passeando entre fantasias e devaneios, num mundo que é só seu. No fundo, todos temos um pouco de sonhadores. Mas, segundo Dostóievski, um sonhador é uma aberração social que não é capaz de encontrar o seu lugar no mundo. No fundo, um solitário. É assim a personagem principal do romance do autor russo Noites Brancas.
Porquê Noites Brancas? Estas são as noites do início do Verão russo em que não anoitece. Sendo q More...
Aug 10, 2011
Amparo rated it: 4 of 5 stars
The thing about Dostoyevsky is not "what" is he narrating, is "how" he does it. In the case of this book, if you only know the plot (shy boy falling for a girl who´s already in love with someone else) you could think that is like other else bad romantic novel, but when you are reading it seems totally different, the exploration of main character´s mind through his words, how he relates (or doesn´t) with his enviroment, the love that he feels for the city and the people who ac More...
Apr 05, 2010
Cláudia rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Noites Brancas conta a história na primeira pessoa de um sonhador, romântico lamechas, que é acima de tudo uma "aberração" social. Este homem não encontra o seu lugar no mundo, e que já desistiu mesmo de interagir com o mesmo de uma forma socialmente aceite. Tudo muda quando conhece uma personagem feminina, também ela isolada da sociedade.
É um livro muito pequeno sobre a tragédia da solidão. Achei-o delicioso. A personagem principal é cativante e dificilmente não se empatiza com More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
May 12, 2011
Temperamente added it
«Sapete cos’è un sognatore di Pietroburgo, signori? […] Nelle strade cammina a capo chino, ma se osserva qualcosa, sia pure l’inezia più comune, il fatto più insignificante assume un colore fantastico nella sua mente. Anzi la sua mente sembra fatta apposta per percepire in ogni cosa elementi fantastici».
Così scriveva Dostoevskij sulla «Gazzetta di Pietroburgo» un anno prima della pubblicazione del racconto Le notti bianche che lo stesso autore definì «un romanzo sentimentale».

Con More...
Dec 17, 2009
Lorenzo rated it: 3 of 5 stars
One of the books which explains better my love failures.
Romanticism is anachronistic.
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Mar 11, 2011
Sara rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Questa è la prima opera di Dosto che leggo. Lo so che è un mostro sacro della letteratura russa e che bisogna dosare le parole. Ma a me non è piaciuto granchè. Dovrebbe essere l'esempio del sognatore, quest'omino di San Pietroburgo, e in effetti nel primo capitolo si scopre la città attraverso i suoi occhi, filtrata dalla fantasia, piena di particolari che pochi altri noterebbero. Ad esempio descrive bene i colori delle case, dando un'immagine molto vivida delle vie, quasi si stesse guardando un More...
Nov 02, 2011
Ricardo rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Only the second work I've read by Dostoyevky(the first was "A Little Hero"), and both were interesting portrayals of individuals trough simple social settings. This one created more of a resonance with me, particularly in the description of the "dreamer".
What surprised me the most is the way Dostoyevsky pushes the feelings of romance to almost unbearable(and unrealistic) plateaus, and yet retains it firmly subsided and believable.

A great read.
May 16, 2011
Lou rated it: 4 of 5 stars
A man of solitude and unhappiness survives through life with the encounters of good dreams. He dreams of friends and life-mate's and all is about to come to true in one inopportune encounter with a distressed lady. Can he live out his dream or must they just remain as dreams?
The writing prose is well done and the story touches on the two characters despair and happiness well. Self reflection for one protagonist might be one way to sum up the story.
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Aug 03, 2011
Marcella rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Surely nicely written with a great skill for words and visual imagery ... but I've finished a day ago and can't even remember the ending. It's only a little novela and I was wondering how much mushy romance you can fit into such a little book. My conclusion: only read if you are capable of being hopelessly romantic. I think I think I will have to try another of his novels to appreciate Dostojewski. Maybe "The idiot"?
Jan 03, 2010
Kebrit rated it: 5 of 5 stars
داستان جوانی که زندگی به شدت یکنواختی دارد و به دلیل روحیاتش تنها زندگی می کند و هرگز عاشق نشده است تا جایی که بزرگترین تفریح او کتاب خواندن و صحبت کردن با ساختمانهای قدیمی می باشددر شبی با دختر جوانی آشنا می شود که او را مانند دیگران نمی بیند و پس از آشنایی با او بر خلاف عادت به صحبت کردن از رازهای قلبی خویش می پردازد . دختری که او هم تنها و با مادر بزرگ نابینایش زندگی می کند و به خاطر قراری که با عشق خود گذاشته است از خانه خارج شده و به مدت چهار شب منتظر عشق قدیمی خود در یکی از کوچه های More...
4 comments like (1 person liked it)
Aug 05, 2009
Anna rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I started reading Fyodor Dostoevsky's in end of high school through years of studying at the university til now. I think Dostoevsky is great writers - not only in epic novels like Crime and punishment, Devils or The Brothers Karamazov, but also in shorter forms like White nights or The Gambler.
Nov 18, 2010
monica rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Superata la seconda notte il libro mi è piaciuto.
E' crudele.
Ma l'amore tante volte è cosi, e non ci si può fare niente: ti innamori di qualcuno, ma non sei corrisposto.
In queste pochissime pagine ho trovato sentimenti forti e devastanti per un uomo, un giovane innamorato e sognatore, a cui vengono distrutti i progetti fatti una sera, in balia delle emozioni del momento.
Mar 04, 2011
Alessandro rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Dostoyevsky is Dostoyevsky. Therefore, I can't give White Nights less than three stars or else I will be expelled from the Galactic Council. Truth be told, this is one of the weakest Dostoyevsky I ever ventured to read. Storywise, you can see the end coming from a kilometer away. Emotionwise, it failed to impress me like Dostoyevsky's other works. Dostoyevsky. There's a nice ring to the name. Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky. I like writing it.
Dec 19, 2011
Kurt added it
Spoilers, I suppose.

This pre-prison novella from Dostoevsky pretty much shows that true love never results from pity. Naskenka disregards the main character and "The Lodger" disregards Nastenka (for a time, at least).

At the end, Dostoevsky asks whether a single moment of happiness is enough for a man. No, I don't think it is. But it is at least something.
Dec 26, 2011
Karen rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Pretty much everything that happens in love, and accurate descriptions of the emotional adjustments you have to make when it does happen, all rolled into one masterfully written story.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36034/360...
http://librivox.org/white-nights-other-s...
Dec 02, 2011
Anbu rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This novella was so wonderfully written and so poetic. And I could relate it with many of my friends' experiences of love. Though this was adapted into the films like Saawariya in Hindi, Iyarkai in Tamil, etc.. and I've seen 'Iyarkai' and liked it very much, The book was a wonderful read.

I really felt bad that it is too small. But sometimes having it lesser makes it much better. One of the best books with love as a them I've read.