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The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Last Year

Jay Parini

3.54 · Rating details · 1,017 ratings · 176 reviews

As Leo Tolstoy's life draws to a tumultuous close, his tempestuous wife and most cunning disciple are locked in a whirlwind battle for the great man’s soul. Torn between his professed doctrine of poverty and chastity and the reality of his enormous wealth and thirteen children, Tolstoy dramatically flees his home, only to fall ill at a tiny nearby rail station. The famous ...more

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Paperback, 372 pages

Published July 1st 2008 by Canongate Books (first published 1990)

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Dec 15, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, saddest, russian

It's about the final years of Leo Tolstoy. These final years include the dispute on who should own the works (War and Peace, Anna Karenina, etc) and the riches of the famous Russian novelist: his wife or his minions who claim that his works belong to the people. The story of this final years is said to be one of the "saddest in literary world." And this adjective almost always make me run to the nearby bookstore and get myself a copy of the book. I am a sucker for saddest books.

This is indeed a It's about the final years of Leo Tolstoy. These final years include the dispute on who should own the works (War and Peace, Anna Karenina, etc) and the riches of the famous Russian novelist: his wife or his minions who claim that his works belong to the people. The story of this final years is said to be one of the "saddest in literary world." And this adjective almost always make me run to the nearby bookstore and get myself a copy of the book. I am a sucker for saddest books.

This is indeed a sad book. It's about death. It's about love. It's about being left alone. It's about the people you're leaving, who you all love, fighting for your wealth and legacy. You all love them and you are torn between what you feel and what you believe in. Between your personal life and the people whose right you are fighting for. Jay Parini satisfyingly captured the emotions of the people surrounding Leo Tolstoy at the age of 83 denouncing wealth and government in favor of his extreme moralistic and ascetic views that led to excommunication from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1901. Oh, never mind the excommunication, I say to myself, his works on non-violence particularly The Kingdom of God is Within You inspired the non-revolution works of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. And of course, his works are considered as the best even by other famous novelists like Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gustave Flaubert, Anton Checkhov, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Mann, William Faulkner and Vladimir Nabokov (although he hated War and Peace). I would not mind to be excommunicated, if any of these people have praised my non-existent works.

Parini's writing is far from the experience that I had reading War and Peace and Anna Karenina. This book, first published in 1990, uses contemporary English and it lacks the distinct flavor and cadence of an originally-written-in-Russian novel. Not sure whether this is good or bad but when I began reading, I was expecting to be bewildered and relive the beautiful experience of reading Tolstoy novels. However, after a few pages, Parini took me into Tolstoy's estate at Yasnaya Polyana and I was mesmerized I would not want to come out anymore.

Each of the 42 chapters is narrated by the characters, bearing their names as chapter titles, surrounding the dying Tolstoy. Parini gave each of them his or her own voice. However, there is no one narrated directly by Tolstoy himself except when the character quotes Tolstoy directly or by reading his letter or diary entries. I did not feel this to be a shortcoming though, as Parini chose the best memorable lines from Tolstoy's many records or works. Oh, and there are these beautiful poems that are contained in chapters with heading "J.P." and first I was wondering who was he among the characters. Until the very last chapter. Some kind of style there, Jay Parini!

I also liked the way that Parini used the death scene of Ivan Ilych to describe Leo Tolstoy's own death. Very clever and the prose almost moved me to tears. Ironically, when I came to that part, it was Christmas morning and what am I doing all sad and gloomy on the bright Christmas morning of our Saviour's birth!

But then again, I am a sucker for sad novels. So, pray why not if it makes me happy.

Thanks to Maria for giving me a copy of this book, first in my wish list, during the recent Christmas Party! ...more

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Aug 15, 2010 Chrissie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bio, hf, soviet-union, sample-g

Was the book enjoyable? No. (Do you enjoy watching family brawls?)

Was it interesting? Yes, definitely!
You do laugh sometimes.

After reading this book I felt I better understood Leo Tolstoy and who he had become at the end of his life. If you are looking for an in-depth biography of his entire life, look elsewhere. This book only looks at the philosophy and thoughts central to this writer at the very end of his life, right before his death at 82. You look at the last chapter of his life. It is ab ...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Sue rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Huge disappointment, especially because the subject - Tolstoy - is himself the author of one of my favorite novels. However this book is so dull that I couldn't wait for the old geezer to kick the bucket so I could get on to something better. Parini calls his book is a novel, but it's more like a documentary: the characters are flat and there is little narrative pace. The point of view shifts from one character to another as we look into the "diaries" of each one, but they all speak in the same ...more

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Feb 10, 2018 Menna Elmanzalawy rated it it was ok

Shelves: novel, read-as-ebook, history-and-religion, russian-literature

This novel tells the story of life at Yasnaya Polyana during the last year of Leo Tolstoy's life. Surrounded by his children, secretary, hysterical wife, and disciples that idolize him, we catch a glimpse of a very stressful time of the writer's long life. The chapters are cleverly told from the points of view of different members of Tolstoy's inner circle, and you can't help but sympathize to some extent with every character -- no matter how badly they are portrayed from the POV of another char ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Caroline rated it it was ok

Shelves: tbr-already-own

This is supposedly about Leo Tolstoy’s final year, told from the perspective of his secretary, wife, daughter, doctor, the milkman etc. But really it is just them lot bitching about each other. No one is likeable and there’s not enough about Tolstoy himself. I’ve made it about 75% through but I’m done. (Gonna watch the film instead 😉)

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Jul 27, 2016 Roger Brunyate rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography-fiction, russia-east-europe

The Passing of a Lion

I bought this book after seeing a trailer for the new movie starring Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy in the final year of his life and Helen Mirren as his embattled wife. It was immediately clear that these were fine roles for two great actors; was the movie based on an equally great book?

In some ways, it did not need to be, for the greatness was already there in Tolstoy's writings and example. In the second part of his life, following the inclinations of his own Levin in The Passing of a Lion

I bought this book after seeing a trailer for the new movie starring Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy in the final year of his life and Helen Mirren as his embattled wife. It was immediately clear that these were fine roles for two great actors; was the movie based on an equally great book?

In some ways, it did not need to be, for the greatness was already there in Tolstoy's writings and example. In the second part of his life, following the inclinations of his own Levin in Anna Karenina, he took up a simpler life in the country, working alongside the peasants and at least attempting to renounce his wealth. In 1910, when Parini introduces him to us, he is living at his estate of Yasnaya Polyana surrounded by a virtual commune of Tolstoyans (one of several such communities in Russia and abroad) almost worshiping the master and trying to live by his tenets of chastity, poverty, and peace. For Tolstoy himself, this involved many contradictions; the still-married father of numerous children was an unlikely prophet of celibacy, and Russia's most celebrated author might live simply but was certainly not poor. There were also great tensions with his wife, Sofya Andreyvna (Sonya), who was unwilling to renounce the comforts she felt she was due as Countess Tolstoy and mourned the distancing of the affections of her once-beloved husband.

Much as Michael Shaara had done in his Gettysburg novel The Killer Angels, Parini tells the story of Tolstoy's final year through a series of different voices: his wife Sonya, his daughter Sasha, Makovitsky his doctor, Chertkov his closest disciple and agent, and his new secretary Bulgakov; there are also letters and diary entries by Tolstoy himself and three poems by the author. Most of this is based on actual documentary material, but Parini is most effective, I think, when he most uses his own imagination as a novelist. Sonya's reminiscences of their courtship, for example, have a grace that offsets the mentally ill woman she eventually became. Sasha's service as her father amanuensis and ally is humanized by the warmth of a growing love for another woman. And Bulgakov's arrival at the estate is delicious, as an avowed celibate who immediately falls under the spell of one of the master's more attractive acolytes, a worldly-wise young woman called Masha.

The main downsides are that it can be hard to get one's bearings at first, some of the switches between novel and documentary are a bit abrupt, and the book tends to be rather episodic; I have noticed this problem in other biographical novels such as The Master, Colm Toibin's book about Henry James. Towards the end, though, when the 82-year-old Tolstoy finally abandons his wife and home to set out as a wanderer, only to fall ill at a tiny railroad station, the historical events carry everything on their tide. The book offers a facinating insight into the character of this literary lion turned lamb, and I am sure that a good screenplay will smooth out the few rough edges.

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LATER: Having just seen the movie, I certainly think that its evocative setting and the warmth of the central performances gives it a rich coherence that the book does not quite have, with its many discursions and changing points of view. The only part of Parini's story that I really miss is the lesbian relationship involving Sasha, but I can see why this had no place in the screenplay. ...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it really liked it

Shelves: librarybooks

This novel is based on the last year of Leo Tolstoy's life. By combining fact an fiction, Jay Parini provides both an interesting novel and an interpretation of a fascinating man. I doubt that I'll watch the movie: Mr Parini's imagery is all the visual interpretation I need. ...more

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Dec 17, 2007 GUD Magazine rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviews_by_debbie, reviewed_by_gud

Parini's The Last Station is a study of the end of Russian author Leo Tolstoy's life. You don't need to be a fan of Tolstoy to enjoy it--you don't even need to have read any of his novels. This book stands on its own merits.

Told in multiple first person narratives, the book explores how the various players see themselves and each other, enabling the reader to make up their own mind about their characters and motives. Personally, I came to like Tolstoy's long-suffering wife Sofya Andreyevna the b Parini's The Last Station is a study of the end of Russian author Leo Tolstoy's life. You don't need to be a fan of Tolstoy to enjoy it--you don't even need to have read any of his novels. This book stands on its own merits.

Told in multiple first person narratives, the book explores how the various players see themselves and each other, enabling the reader to make up their own mind about their characters and motives. Personally, I came to like Tolstoy's long-suffering wife Sofya Andreyevna the best, if only because all the other characters are ranged against her. She's depicted by them as insane, hysterical, controlling, and I don't know what else, when all she wants is to secure the royalties from Tolstoy's work to their descendants. This simple--some might say, laudable--ambition finds her ranged against her husband, their daughter Sasha, and various of Tolstoy's adherents and hangers-on. As it becomes obvious to her that she's failed, she rages in various frightening--and impotent--ways, and finds herself excluded from her husband's deathbed. The winners write the history: she drove Tolstoy from his lifetime home; she wouldn't let him die in peace. But Parini makes sure Sofya's voice is also heard.

Russia stands on the brink of momentous change, but this novel, like Tolstoy's own work, is more about the personal than the political. Tolstoy may despise the luxury in which he lives, but he's unable to break away from it. He may wish to make the grand gesture of leaving his work to the nation, but he does it in secret, fearing a confrontation with his wife. What we see is a man who's lionised by everyone around him--except Sofya--but who is too weak to live up to their perception of him. Yet his feet of clay go unobserved. He's already an icon, no longer a man. All that's left to him, therefore, is to die.

Parini writes well, and does a good job of distinguishing the various narrators--Sofya, Tolstoy himself, their daughter Sasha, Tolstoy's new secretary Bulgakov, his doctor Makovitsky, and the scary Chertkov, the leader of Tolstoy's fan club. The most likeable character is Bulgakov, whose love affair troubles him only a little in the light of one of the leading tenets of Tolstoyism: celibacy. He's more worried about the mission Chertkov has given him: to spy on Tolstoy and report back. Like Tolstoy himself, his solution is to obfuscate. He begins a tentative friendship with Sofya, but soon adopts the majority view of her.

Interspersed in the narrative are some of the author's original poems. If it is ironic that I found myself skipping them just like I skipped Tolstoy's reflections on the nature of history in War and Peace, I'm not convinced that the irony was intentional. On the whole, I didn't feel that the poems belonged--they broke up the narrative and disturbed the fictive dream.

That reservation notwithstanding, this is a highly readable novel which gives an insight into the nature of illustriousness--and its price. ...more

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Jan 26, 2010 Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This little Novel about the last year of Tolstoy's life is certainly worth the read.

Told from multiple perspectives the plot revolves around the coflict between Tolstoy's wife and his disciples over the great author's legacy and the copyright to his works.

Depending on whose point of view strikes you as most accurate, Tolstoy is either a great man fighting his flaws, a misguided extremist failing to accept his humanity, or a hero who, despite his flaws, stands for values that we should all cher This little Novel about the last year of Tolstoy's life is certainly worth the read.

Told from multiple perspectives the plot revolves around the coflict between Tolstoy's wife and his disciples over the great author's legacy and the copyright to his works.

Depending on whose point of view strikes you as most accurate, Tolstoy is either a great man fighting his flaws, a misguided extremist failing to accept his humanity, or a hero who, despite his flaws, stands for values that we should all cherish and internalize. These vales are egalitarianism, non-violence, justice, and basic human dignity.

One of the most intersting perspectives in the novel is that of Tolstoy's wife. She is concenred with pratical things. Managing the household, protecting her children's inheritance. Frequently such characters come off negatively in writings of those committed to the spiritual and ethical life. To some extent Tolstoy, and even more so his disciples, see her that way. But her portrayel is a very human one.

The values that Mrs. Tolstoy stands for are given a full defense. This is often left out of books about men like Tolstoy, it is a very fine aspect of the novel.

Also interesting is the role of sex in the Characters' lives. In later life Tolstoy embraced celebicy. The logic behind embracing celiby, according to this novel, is that sex is too animal for the higher spiritual life. The Characters who have sex, however, end up concluding the opposite; that sex is a kind of spiritual ecstasy and union, whereas celibcy an unhealthy denial of life.

This "pro-sex" theme is hardly original. It is, however, nicely done, and fits in well with Parini's critique of Tolstoyism in general.

It remains unclear what Parini wants us to think of Tolstoy's values and ideals. Some seem noble and admirable, such as Tolstoy's non-violence, his passion for social justice and rights for the poor and working classes. Others seem deeply problematic, such as the aforesaid celiby. Tolstoyism as a whole is, however, neither clearly bad nor good. Perhaps we are to make our own judgments.

As I mentioned above, it depends on which character is talking with us ... the true value of Tolstoyism is a matter of perspective. ...more

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Mar 01, 2009 James Henderson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, from-russia-with-love

This is a wonderful evocation of Tolstoy's last days, the people surrounding him and the aura created by the event. He was considered not only Russia's greatest living writer, but a powerful religious figure---more revered and beloved than the Tsar. Disciples sought him out on almost a daily basis, yet Tolstoy himself was torn between his aspirations to religious asceticism and his enormous wealth.

Parini captures all the excitement and intrigue of the last days for this literary icon wealthy man ...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Andrew Darling rated it it was amazing

In a secondhand bookshop in Naples, Jay Parini (novelist, poet, biographer, scholar) chanced upon the diary of Valentin Bulgakov, Tolstoy's secretary during the final year of the great man's life. Parini subsequently discovered that diaries were also kept (and later published) by numerous other members of Tolstoy's circle. From these, he has crafted a magnificent fictionalised account of the events which led up to Tolstoy abandoning his wife and his home, and to end up dying in a railway station ...more

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Oct 11, 2014 Czarny Pies rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Tolstoy fans.

Recommended to Czarny by: My wife

Shelves: american-literature

The Last Station which examines the personal conflicts in the household of Leo Tolstoy is the fruit of a simple brilliant idea by Jay Parini. Leo Tolstoy was at the end of his life the most famous writer of his time and an extremely rich man. He was surrounded by group of ruthless friends and equally ruthless family members who all wanted a piece of him and his fortune. Everyone in the circle wrote well and kept diaries. Parini takes the stories from these diaries to compose a single cogent narr ...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Kathy rated it it was ok

Shelves: novels-abt-russia

The story of Tolstoy's running away from home at the end of his life is well known. This particular version has been made into a movie with award-winning stars, so I was curious . . . and disappointed. First of all, I was slightly annoyed that the main character was called Leo Nicholaevich rather than the Russian Lev Nicholaevich. Secondly, it is difficult to understand Lev and Sofia's alleged estrangement unless you know a lot more about their backgrounds, their marriage, and their personalitie ...more

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Jan 01, 2014 Nancy Chappell rated it liked it

I loved the movie but probably should have read this first. Intrigued by Tolstoy and his wife, tho the end of their 50 year marriage was fraught with anger, hurt, disappointment (to say the least). Ah...famous men... certainly leave behind frustrated and lonely wives. It was interesting that the author read diaries of all the main characters and gave us their varied views of often the same incident.

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May 20, 2010 Trudy rated it liked it

I had high hopes for this book as the cover quotes Gore Vidal saying,"One of the best historical novels written in the last twenty years." However, every characater in the book had at least two different Russian names, so I was halfway through before figuring out who was who! Well written but not satisfying. ...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Lauren Albert rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction

The characters in The Last Station were characters, not people. They just weren't believable to me as people. At times they seemed more like caricatures. ...more

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Aug 22, 2010 Jessica rated it it was amazing

I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars. What a beautiful read. ...more

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May 05, 2019 Kathleen Vickers rated it really liked it

I picked this book up in the airport as I had forgotten my Kindle. I was only drawn to it as I had seen the movie last year. I knew very little about Tolstoy except that he was Russian and wrote War and Peace which is a VERY long book. If you have an interest in history and literature this book is recommended. The story is about Tolstoy’s final months and his struggle to please his many followers but also pacify his wife Sophia, who fears that he will disinherit his family on his death. It is ex ...more

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Jan 18, 2021 Maite rated it liked it

I liked reading about Tolstoy's last days, it's intriguing, worrisome and it got me wanting to read more about his life. I can tell it's a well researched fictional account but I just don't like Jay Parini's writing style. Perhaps it was the translation that put me off? ...more

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Mar 05, 2018 Fran Calloway rated it liked it

Interesting story of Leo Tolstoy's last year of life basically centering on the marital strife with his wife, Sonya, while dealing with his impending death. There were occasional philosophical ramblings which I found difficult to muddle through, but, that being said, it was an pleasurable read. ...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Nancy added it

Shelves: literature-fiction

watched the film-The book is next on my list:
Film Review
In THE LAST STATION, set in pre-Revolutionary Russia, in the year 1910, Valentin, JAMES MCEVOY, a young man who almost worships the aged writer, Tolstoy, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, is hired by Chertkov, PAUL GIAMATTI, to be the great man's secretary and, at the same time, to spy on his wife, Countess Sofya, HELEN MIRREN...

Valentin discovers that, in the commune where Tolstoy's disciples live in social equality as celibate vegetarians, life is not watched the film-The book is next on my list:
Film Review
In THE LAST STATION, set in pre-Revolutionary Russia, in the year 1910, Valentin, JAMES MCEVOY, a young man who almost worships the aged writer, Tolstoy, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, is hired by Chertkov, PAUL GIAMATTI, to be the great man's secretary and, at the same time, to spy on his wife, Countess Sofya, HELEN MIRREN...

Valentin discovers that, in the commune where Tolstoy's disciples live in social equality as celibate vegetarians, life is not straightforward.
Chertkov wants the writer to sign over the ownership of his work, including WAR & PEACE and ANNA KARENINA, to the Russian people;
Sofya strongly believes these valuable assets should be bequeathed to her and her family...
Michael Hoffman's film about the final year of Tolstoy's life, based on a novel by Jay Parini, is a German-Russian co-production mostly filmed in Germany and beautifully acted by a sublime cast.
PLUMMER, as the elderly writer who dresses like a peasant but who finds it difficult to adhere to his own teachings, is a magnificent figure; as his wife, who doesn't share many of his beliefs but who still loves him, HELEN MIRREN gives one of her strongest performances. The performances are the thing; the screenplay is a bit on the clunky side, motivations aren't always clear, the direction is not particularly strong.

But in the end the film is quite moving, and the original home movie and newsreel footage we see over the end credits adds a potent touch to the drama we've already seen.

Review by David Stratton-At the Movies (Australia)

-----------------------------
BOOK REVIEW
From Publishers Weekly
Inspired by diaries kept by members of the household of Count Leo Tolstoy, Parini ( The Patch Boys ) here offers a searching view of the last year in the life of the author of War and Peace . His venture is complex, making use of alternating narrators taken from the contentious factions of the Master's vast estate to depict a man at war within and without, torn between his philosophy of poverty and the life of privilege he leads at the insistence of Sofya Andreyevna, his wife. She, one of the voices telling this tale, is consumed by paranoia and a fear that her husband will sign over his lucrative copyrights to the people (which he does). And like Vladimir Chertkov, Tolstoy's friend and chief acolyte, his wife causes his "perpetual state of compromise." Surrounded by hangers-on, beset by inner struggles, the great one makes a run for peace in his final days, and--in a closing that Tolstoy might have written himself--the chronicler of the aristocracy and hero to the peasants finds all he has yearned for in a humble trainmaster's house. In the end, it is not the people around him who speak most eloquently for Tolstoy, but the sincerity of his own words--and those of Parini in his kaleidoscopically rich and skillful novel. ...more

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Dec 21, 2016 Steven Clark rated it really liked it

i've enjoyed Parini's works, and read his historical novel about Herman Melville, deciding it was time to read this. It's a story of Tolstoy, who was a superstar in his era. I've read some of his works, spent an entire week on Christmas break reading War and Peace from sunrise to bedtime, and loved it. I also like his short stories, but wasn't that much into Anna Karenina.
This novel is about Tolstoy the fading lion, and he has his pride with him. Sofya, his wife, Chertkov, his sons and daughter i've enjoyed Parini's works, and read his historical novel about Herman Melville, deciding it was time to read this. It's a story of Tolstoy, who was a superstar in his era. I've read some of his works, spent an entire week on Christmas break reading War and Peace from sunrise to bedtime, and loved it. I also like his short stories, but wasn't that much into Anna Karenina.
This novel is about Tolstoy the fading lion, and he has his pride with him. Sofya, his wife, Chertkov, his sons and daughters, and Valentin Bulgakov, a new secretary whom Chertkov recruits to spy on Tolstoy and Sofya, and the young idealist gets an introduction to the passionate bickering and sniping of Tolstoy's fading world. The main plot point is will Tolstoy bequeath his works to Sofya or to Chertkov, who will give them 'to the people?'
The book has different characters narrate each chapter, so the reader gets a complete view of the war in the Tolstoy camp. Sofya is the most passionate and most approachable to me, and this is contrasted by Tolstoy's chapters, more 'knee plays' that hold the work together as he writes correspondence to famous figures like Shaw, Gandhi, or his musings on life, and some excerpts from his works, such as What Then Must We Do? and The Death of Ivan Illlich. Tolstoy comes off as being remote and although a clear thinker and force, confused about what he owes Sofya. He can also be a bit of a windbag. They annoy each other but need one another as well. I thought Parini captures this period and literary court very well, and I like how he positioned Tolstoy as a counter to Valentin…a great man and his acolyte. Valentin becomes disillusioned with being caught in a tug-of-war between Tolstoy and Sofya, and learns to love, watering down some of his earlier ideals learned from Tolstoy, especially chastity. When I read the book, I recalled an essay Paul Johnson wrote about Tolstoy called God's Elder Brother, describing the master's desire to compel people to be virtuous, and George Orwell's essay Lear, Tolstoy, and the Fool, where Orwell took Tolstoy to task when he denounced Shakespeare, and, in this book, Tolstoy comes off as a Lear, trying to abandon his power yet still not letting it go. I thought Parini gave a very balanced and thoughtful portrait of the swirling court around this man. The prose was approachable and had vivid scenes and dialogue.
Many on this site have mentioned the film The Last Station, which they compared to the book. I didn't see the film until I read the book. It was a decent movie, although I agree with one critic who called the film more Chekovian than Tolstoyan, and Plummer and Mirren definitely were engaging, and culled much of the acid from the book in their portrayal. The Last Station was an enjoyable read. ...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Ape rated it really liked it

Shelves: books

2007 bookcrossing journal:

This is a fictionalised account of the last year of Tolstoy's life, told from the perspective of various characters who were close to him: his wife, agent, secretary, doctor and children. It's based on biographies, diaries etc, but obviously this is Parini's interpretation of all of that.

I know essentially nothing about Tolstoy. The closest I've got to his books is watching the Audrey Hepburn film War and Peace. So in some ways I probably missed a lot in this book. Mayb 2007 bookcrossing journal:

This is a fictionalised account of the last year of Tolstoy's life, told from the perspective of various characters who were close to him: his wife, agent, secretary, doctor and children. It's based on biographies, diaries etc, but obviously this is Parini's interpretation of all of that.

I know essentially nothing about Tolstoy. The closest I've got to his books is watching the Audrey Hepburn film War and Peace. So in some ways I probably missed a lot in this book. Maybe people who know their stuff think it's a fantastic representation of Tolstoy's last year and the relationships with the people around him. I can just look at this as historical fiction, showing life in Russia at the turn of the century for the more affluent, as well as a compelling story of the complexity of human relationships.

Every character has a different take on the events, but heck, how a lot of them had it in for his wife! And to be fair, she was paranoid, hysterical and annoying, but I think they looked at her too harshly and didn't take into account the rest of her life. Plus they idolised Tolstoy like a god, so anyone who didn't - such as his wife who saw his faults oh so very clearly - was clearly just mad and bad.

I think the most levelled and unbiased account of the events was from the secretary. He was originally sent in as a spy for the agent, Chertkov, but I think he knew his own mind and did attempt to see both sides of the situation. And I feel like I want to know more about what went on with that will and Chertkov - he did come across as a conniving little so and so.

It's interesting to compare Tolstoy's and his wife's jealousys. When she was younger, she was great friends with a pianist (male) who was helping her develope her talent. But Tolstoy was so paranoid and jealous that she had to give up her friend and her talent and devote herself to the family. Now, in his late years, he has a very similar close relationship with his agent, Chertkov, which in turn makes his wife, Sofya, irrationally jealous and demanding... and yet people scold her for it and Tolstoy refuses to give in to her. Doesn't seem entirely fair.

Really interesting read. I'll probably take this to the next York book meet and pass it on. ...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Nurul Nadzirin rated it really liked it

I had my reservations the first tens of pages of this,; it being a collection of diary entries which could be really tedious (e.g. Orhan Pamuk's 'Red'). However soon it began to be coherent, and even more, very dynamic where one can first form an opinion based on something written by Bulgakov, for example, and then read another point of view of the same thing from Chertkov's perspective. I thought Sonya's monologues were especially interesting; you learn to see how her selfishness and cruelty de ...more

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Feb 25, 2010 Carole rated it really liked it

The book is narrated by each of the people closest to Tolstoy in his final year, by alternating chapters.

Sofya Andreyevna - his wife for nearly 50 years - to me had the loudest voice. She was an extremely complex character and not someone that I liked at all. She was paranoid, neurotic and extremely jealous of all the people surrounding Tolstoy. She was constantly trying to find out what he'd written about her; she wanted to read his diaries and letters. They even sent letters to each other, eve ...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I’ve seen The Last Station criticised because it focuses on Sofya, Tolstoy's wife. I really can’t see how it could do otherwise. She’s by far the most interesting character. It’s she that turns this from an engrossing piece of academia into a real page-turner. Sofya’s mood swings are extreme, the whole gamut from empress to madwoman. A number of other reviewers have noted that The Last Station is a film script masquerading as a novel and I can’t disagree. My main problem with it is that you real ...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Karen rated it really liked it

I seldom read a book after I have seen the film. In this case, though I am a Parini fan, for some reason I skipped the book when it came out. Once I saw the film, I was even less inclined as I found it flat and too involved with the lovelife of the minor character narrator, Tolstoy's young secretary. I found the choice of narrator even more perplexing now that I have read the book, as its multiple narrators offered much better choices. The book successfully depicts the conflict beween Chertov, T ...more

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Apr 09, 2016 Lee rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-novel

Tolstoy is a name many of us recognize, even if we've not read anything by this Russian author. His works are still the fodder of literature classes and political pendants. I know very little about the man, his work, or his times so when I saw The Last Station, A Novel of Tolstoy's Last Year, I thought I'd give it a try. Historical novels, such as this one, weave facts with fiction and in the Afterward to this book the author, Jay Parini, points out where his inspiration and fabrications origina ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Elliot Ratzman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An excellent film is based on this interesting novel. During Tolstoy’s last year, apparently everyone is writing letters and scribbling in diaries because we have a rich detailed account of Tolstoy’s troubles. By 1910, the eighty-something Tolstoy is one of the most celebrated novelists in the world. He has abandoned fiction to agitate for a moralistic Christian life outside of the Russian Orthodox Church. He advocates radical social equality, vegetarianism, non-violence and a veneration of the ...more

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Jul 16, 2018 Pamela Carey rated it liked it

This novel, written by a prolific professor, is an example of a new genre known as the "biographical novel." Parini took the notes and books written by and about Tolstoy and created a novel about his last year, when Tolstoy was torn between his wife of 48 years (trying to protect her 13 children's assets in copyrights, etc.) and his disciple and friend, Chertkov. We also witness Tolstoy's inner turmoil as he wrestled with his renunciation of family wealth and sex, his wife's attachment to materi ...more

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About Jay Parini

Jay Parini

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Jay Parini (born 1948) is an American writer and academic. He is known for novels and poetry, biography and criticism.

Books by Jay Parini

One Matchless Time: A Life of William Faulkner

Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America

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