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Fathers and Sons

Ivan Turgenev

Start date: April 1, 2021

Finish date: April 30, 2021

Discussion: Current Group Reads

Why we're reading this: Old School Classics April 2021
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Current Group Reads

* Cousin Bette - Spoilers
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last updated Sep 29, 2025 03:29PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 20, 2011 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-19th-century, e-books, russian-fiction, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, novellas, gutenberg, read-2014

Free download available at eBooks@Adelaide.

Opening lines:
“Well, Pyotr, still not in sight?” was the question asked on 20th May, 1859, by a gentleman of about forty, wearing a dusty overcoat and checked trousers, who came out hatless into the low porch of the posting station at X. He was speaking to his servant, a chubby young fellow with whitish down growing on his chin and with dim little eyes.

Page 23:
“He is a nihilist,” repeated Arkady.
“A nihilist,” said Nikolai Petrovich. “That comes from the ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2025 spoko rated it really liked it

Shelves: canon-classic, fiction, book-club, russia

I wouldn’t say that I felt strongly about any of the characters, but still I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. Turgenev does manage to wend his way through various philosophical and political stances, which I guess I found compelling. But the story itself is also well told, and so many moments ring true.

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2021 S added it

Hating Bazarov was for me the only strong experience of reading Fathers and Sons. It was a pretty good book: not tremendously moving, not tremendously conclusive. It examines the irony and sorrow when young adults reunite with their parents after a few years of university.

How fresh and profound to be the first generation ever in the history of time to be Right. At last, we have come! Just what we [shh! no one else!] have been waiting for!

Bazarov is that, times an ick factor that I cannot quanti ...more

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Feb 11, 2021 Melissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: global, fiction, russian

Fascinating, emotive, bittersweet, and even hilarious in some places. I've never read Turgenev before, but now I absolutely love him.

Maybe this book was about loving the real and true things, and rejecting shallow, popular, and hypocritical things.
Perhaps it is about developing strong relationships between family members, friends and communities. This book might be about reforming what is harmful while conserving what is ancient and beautiful.

I believe the flavor and ideas will stick with me f ...more

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