The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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The Death of Ivan Ilych
Leo Tolstoy Collection
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Death of Ivan Ilyich, The: Reading Schedule
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Not sure yet if I'm going to participate. Looks like The Wings of the Dove is going to be the next book, and I need a break from these "downer" books for a bit. And I wish I could revote for the next book - I didn't realize that North & South is also depressing - I would have gone for Twain or a bit of terror with Uncle Silas instead. I'll probably read those on my own rather than Ivan Ilyich.
I'm excited for this read. It's been on my tbr for quite awhile now. I love Tolstoy.
Lynnm wrote: "Not sure yet if I'm going to participate. Looks like The Wings of the Dove is going to be the next book, and I need a break from these "downer" books for a bit. And I wish I could revote for the ..."Lynn, there is a "change your vote" link you can click on under where it shows the number of votes for each book. It allows you to make another selection until the poll is closed. I discovered this during the vote in another group, in which I really didn't like the front runner choice hehe :P
Lynnm wrote: "Not sure yet if I'm going to participate. Looks like The Wings of the Dove is going to be the next book, and I need a break from these "downer" books for a bit. And I wish I could revote for the ..."Lynnm -- isn't the voting open through September 9? You do know that you can shift your vote until the polls close?
I am absolutely astonished to see The Wings of the Dove in the lead, given that the mood of the group seemed to be for something lighter, even though it is still the book on the list with the greatest interest for me personally. But I will admit to being a bit intimidated as I have read more about it. (I greatly enjoyed The Portrait of a Lady .)
On the other hand, I would not characterize North and South as a "downer" of a book. It certainly has some sad episodes, but it has a strong heroine.
I don't know the ending of Wings, but I do like the exploration of character and motivation for which James is known, so the pleasure for me would likely to be as much the unfolding as the story line -- despite the long sentences!
And I understand the need to pursue one's own reading interests sometimes. I have been struggling with that topic myself recently -- part of why I wasn't around for HND, although I was still caught up in other commitments. Do know I have enjoyed your posts when we have been sharing reading experiences.
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If you want to do a buddy read, I'll read the Uncle Silas with you. I, too, need a break from the downers.
I've never been in a reading group, but thought I would start here. I have no idea how it works, but guess I will find out. I downloaded a copy of "The Death" to my iPod Touch, and have started reading....
This is a great piece of fiction, with much revelation about human nature. Look forward to the discussion.
I do hope that those voting will also be reading and commenting. I have a fear that RR is falling apart because some choices have not, in the event, garnered enough readers even though the vote has been high:(.
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I love War and Peace too Deborah! It is great escapism but also has much depth. I skip the gory battle scenes though:). I downloaded it onto my Kindle, which made it a lot easier to read than carting around those two large volumes!
I will be participating in this discussion. How can I pass up Tolstoy? :-)
MadgeUK wrote: "I do hope that those voting will also be reading and commenting. I have a fear that RR is falling apart because some choices have not, in the event, garnered enough readers even though the vote has..."I'm really looking forward to Uncle Silas (which appears to be winning right now). Hopefully everyone that voted for it will be a part of that discussion. And I hope some others will as well. We definitely don't want RR to fall apart....
BunWat wrote: "I have requested Ivan Ilyich from the local library, and if the vagaries of the library interloan system do not let me down, I intend to participate. ..."Here is an online version (I also posted it in the "Resources" thread), just so you can participate, in case the library fails you again. :)
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/tolst...
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Madge - We are so alike. I didn't enjoy the gory battle scenes either.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this read due to my current move to Europe. I have not even been able to finish HND yet and will have some hectic weeks ahead. I am really sorry that I did not continue commenting on it any more. Furthermore my copy of the death of Ivan Ilych is currently in a container to be shipped to Europe. I will try to read Oliver Twist though with the Dickens project, as I have that one in my suitcase. As soon as I am settled in, which will be ( hopefully) in a couple of months, I will participate in the different group reads again.
However, I hope you will all enjoy the book.
I just finished this book. It is amazing! And today is Tolstoy's birthday.
I'm very much looking forward to reading this.
Hedi wrote: "Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this read due to my current move to Europe. I have not even been able to finish HND yet and will have some hectic weeks ahead. I am really sorry ..."you just happened to pack Oliver Twist? that's awesome.
Hedi wrote: "Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this read due to my current move to Europe...."Hedi -- best to you in the exciting weeks ahead as you settle into your new home! If willing, please do share where from and where to in a bit more detail. (You may have already done so elsewhere -- I just haven't seen that.)
BunWat wrote: "I have requested Ivan Ilyich from the local library, and if the vagaries of the library interloan system do not let me down, I intend to participate. Sadly they did let me down on Hunchback. I..."
My library has the same problem! My copy of Ivan Ilych came in yesterday and I got it today--I look forward to getting started. It's been getting harder and harder to get copies of older books at my library. . .it's almost time for me to invest in an ereader :-)
I went a bit crazy with Hunchback versions. Got a free audiobook in French. Then a free kindle book in French. Then a not-much-good free kindle book in English. Then a second hand Penguin Classics bought very cheaply. A bit OTT for something I doubt I will read again any time soon. I ended up listening to the audiobook, skimming the Penguin Classics and sending the kindle versions into the ether.
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Good luck with the move. Hope all things go smoothly. I'm still in boxes here, and actually had to purchase some books that we were reading, but were in among who knew what box!
Looks like "Uncle Silas" is in the lead now, and if it should win the poll I'll not be participating in the read. I'm not a fan of gothic, scary books and have too much in the queue already that needs to be read. I would have read "The Wings of the Dove" happily with you all though. Thanks!
Lily wrote: "Hedi wrote: "Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this read due to my current move to Europe...."Hedi -- best to you in the exciting weeks ahead as you settle into your new home! ..."
Hi Lily. Thanks a lot. I am currently at the corporate headquarters of the firm I work for in Germany for a few weeks, and will then most probably move to Sweden, but that depends on all the contractual pieces that are being worked out at the moment. However, my whole household in the US has already been packed up and is stored there now. I hope I will be able to get finally settled again by Christmas, but I will have to go house hunting and car hunting first, learn a new language and get settled in a new job with new people I hardly know at the same time, too. So that will be a quite exciting, but also exhausting time.
Kristen wrote: "Hedi wrote: "Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this read due to my current move to Europe. I have not even been able to finish HND yet and will have some hectic weeks ahead. I am ..."Hi Kristen, well, it was not coincidence. At the time of the movers' coming to pack I could organize to at least keep Oliver Twist in my suitcase, as that was 4 weeks ago. I did not think of Ivan Ilych at that time, but might not even have been able to make it anyway. I hope I will be able to settle soon again and then have some more time for reading again.
Deborah wrote: "Hedi wrote: "Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this read due to my current move to Europe. I have not even been able to finish HND yet and will have some hectic weeks ahead. I am ..."Thanks Deborah! Good luck with your unpacking then, too. It is sometimes really annoying searching for something and not knowing for sure where it is located. I have this already after 4 weeks living out of suitcases and am not looking forward to doing this for another 2-3 months or so.
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We'll hang in there together. It's been 2 months @ new location. I've yet to see a room without a box in it!
Hedi wrote: "...So that will be a quite exciting, but also exhausting time."To say the least! Hope you find some minutes for yoga practice or whatever is its equivalent in your life!
Ellen wrote: "Looks like "Uncle Silas" is in the lead now, and if it should win the poll I'll not be participating in the read. I'm not a fan of gothic, scary books and have too much in the queue already that ne..."Yes, Uncle Silas seems to have come up on the outside:). I hope the 11 voters are also going to be readers. I'm not very good with scary novels either Ellen so I won't be reading it in bed!:O
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I've got my copy and am ready to start. I'm really looking forward to it.
I'm currently reading it with another group and absolutely loving it.
Denae wrote: "I'm currently reading it with another group and absolutely loving it."Enjoy! I'm going to tackle something from my TBR or perhaps finish some things started. I can almost say thanks for the continued break, even though I much enjoy the book conversations here and the insights this group brings to the books it takes on.
I'm glancing at this discussion and I'm confused: what happened to the final chapters? Were they never discussed?
Katy wrote: "I'm glancing at this discussion and I'm confused: what happened to the final chapters? Were they never discussed?"Kathy -- Are you asking about The Death of Ivan Ilyich (which was discussed in its entirety and should be around here somewhere on these threads) or Uncle Silas (for which I didn't participate, so don't know either)?
I'm talking about DOII... I can't see the final chapters discussion. It's not a big deal. I just have issues navigating the discussions here, sometimes.
Katy wrote: "I'm talking about DOII... I can't see the final chapters discussion. It's not a big deal. I just have issues navigating the discussions here, sometimes."@Katy,
Click on "Death of Ivan Ilyich" in your top left corner. It will take you to the different folders which holds the discussion. Most threads get hidden within the main directory after 30 days if inactive to reduce the clutter on the main page. That will take you to:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...
Have fun!! :)
The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910
Books mentioned in this topic
The Portrait of a Lady (other topics)The Wings of the Dove (other topics)
North and South (other topics)
Sept. 10-14: Ch. 1-3
Spet. 15-19: Ch. 4-6
Sept. 20-25: Ch. 7-9
Sept. 26-30: Ch. 10-12