Resurrection in Never too Late to Read Classics

Jun 27, 2014 Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: audible-uk, religion, classics, soviet-union, 2017-read, russia, bio, politics

So what is this book, Tolstoy's last novel (published in 1899), about? Five things:
1. The brutality and injustice of both the legal and prison system.
2. The grimness of life for the peasantry in Russia in the early decades of the 1800s.
3. Land ownership.
4. Religion.
5. The importance of compassion and empathy for others.

The book is clearly written as a polemic! As such it was too preachy for my taste. Knowing that Tolstoy at midlife transformed himself from a dissipate aristocrat into a peniten ...more

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Feb 17, 2019 Kavitha Sivakumar rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nk-btb-2019, ir-armchair-2019

First Tolstoy book. A very thought provoking one. Set in Russia at a time before the land reforms when the lands were held by the landlords who rented it out to the villagers-when rich become richer and poor become poorer.

Dmitri Nekhludoff, the main character, wanted to bring land reforms but got caught up in the upper class societal living web and become a person making bad decisions. Because of one such decision of his, Katusha was affected and forced to live the life of prostitute and ended ...more

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Apr 10, 2014 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-19th-century, audio-books, read-2014, russian-fiction

From BBC Radio 4 - Classical Serial:
Robert Forrest's dramatisation of Leo Tolstoy's last major work.

Katerina Maslova is a young prostitute on trial for the murder of one of her clients. Serving on the jury, Prince Dmitri recognises the young woman as the girl he seduced many years before. Believing himself partly responsible for her predicament, he embarks upon a complex legal attempt to reverse the sentence passed upon her.

2/2. Prince Dmitri follows the young prostitute Katerina Maslova to Sibe ...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Zuly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

******SPOILERS*****

I enjoyed this book, but was underwhelmed by its sudden ending. I wasn't expecting N's response to the Englishman handing out bibles, and in fact saw the Englishman as grist for N's mill of cynicism and anger. It's not that I minded N coming to the conclusion he came to--the poor man needed to resolve his guilt over the seduction and all of the realizations that came with his attempt to do just that--and I'm happy that this prince moved out of his princely zone and trekked to ...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Karen rated it really liked it

I didn't like this book as much as Anna Karenina or War and Peace, but it was indeed Tolstoy. He ended his book with a thought of writing more, it seems, but he didn't the chance. You can see the usual themes: Land Reform, the Church and Crime and Punishment; themes that resonate in Soviet history. In the end, I am glad I pushed forward and finished this book. ...more

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Dec 20, 2024 Fernanda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"Nekhludoff now understood that society and order in general exists not because of these lawful criminals who judge and punish others, but because in spite of men being thus depraved, they still pity and love one another."

What a ride! I felt like journeying through Tolstoy's Russia with Nekhludoff! I loved it so much!!! ...more

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