Please don't judge a book by its cover. After reading the reviews (New Yorker, N+1, NPR and so on) I was under the impression that this book would be...morePlease don't judge a book by its cover. After reading the reviews (New Yorker, N+1, NPR and so on) I was under the impression that this book would be a humorous account about a graduate student in Russian literature at Stanford University. Instead, I got long-winded summaries of Russian novels and a sprinkling of funny stories. The essays that I found good where "Introduction," "Babel in California" and "Who Killed Tolstoy." Everything else painful to read, especially the last essay. Which gives away the entire plot of Dostoevsky's Demons. (less)
I really enjoyed this book, then again, I'm a fan of anything that discusses Sylvia Plath. Badia's thesis is two-fold, the first being that although w...moreI really enjoyed this book, then again, I'm a fan of anything that discusses Sylvia Plath. Badia's thesis is two-fold, the first being that although well intentioned, Plath fans have hindered Plath's work being taken seriously by academia because of their "feminist" leanings. Badia doesn't see anything wrong with Plath fans being feminist, but she wonders if some fans are "reading" Plath correctly. The author does address sexism in academia and Ted Hughes' contribution to the Plath fan hate in hopes of cleaning up his legacy. In all, this book was a good, quick read. I saw a lot of my teenage and college-aged self within those pages.(less)