THE LAST STATION: A NOVEL OF TOLSTOYS FINAL YEAR PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Jay Parini | 384 pages | 08 Nov 2007 | Canongate Books Ltd | 9781841959672 | English | Edinburgh, United Kingdom The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoys Final Year PDF Book On the other hand, completing this book compelled me to read two other books that I already had in my private library including "The Diary of Sofia Tolstoy, " a really excellent translation with good footnotes. Alexis Landau. Again I was unaware of the adulation and following he had amongst working people, most of them illiterate. Yelena Akhtiorskaya. Leo Tolstoy was born as a part of the aristocratic class in Russia, yet he spoke up for Leo Tolstoy. The Translation of Love. Original Title. In , 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. He had 13 children and was promiscuous. I didn't feel moved when he philosophized about God, but his passionate faith gives more depth to his character. Pass it on! Read with Sophia Tolstoy. 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. 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 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. May 23, Andrea rated it really liked it. A novel with a lyric tone that manages to extract excitement from an unlikely subject. Phoenix Books. Joshua Cohen. Perhaps if I had read the book first, I would have preferred its insights, and then been di Rarely does one prefer the movie over the book. Therefore it's impossible to tell with whom the author's sympathies lay. You all love them and you are torn between what you feel and what you believe in. From this core problem the love that did exist between Sonya and Leo was smothered. I thought Sonya's monologues were especially interesting; you learn to see how her selfishness and cruelty de I had my reservations the first tens of pages of this,; it being a collection of diary entries which could be really tedious e. Parini does as good a job as any in balancing back-story and action but there were things I would have preferred to know more about. 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 personalities than this book explains. 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. You have to remember four names for every individual. Parini says he has ''freely imagined what might have, could have, or should have been said. These vales are egalitarianism, non-violence, justice, and basic human dignity. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Literary Fiction. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Family arguments can't get much worse, and we all know how terrible these can be. And any novel with as perfectly beautiful a final sentence as this one deserves to be read all the way through. Download as PDF Printable version. Parini has made a valuable contribution to our understanding of Tolstoy. Make a point of downloading the movie with Christopher Plummer and Helen Miren which is very faithful to the letter and the spirt of this outstanding novel. You can read my full review on my blog here. Parini appears to want to create a balanced portrait of life at Yasnaya Polyana. Parini invents nothing. The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoys Final Year Writer Reviewers consistently praised the lyrical quality of the writing. And I now feel slightly less bad about losing my life's savings in a disastrous secondhand bookshop business in a back street in Yorkshire; I don't remember a visit from Jay Parini, but I suppose it's just possible that a book from my shop kindled a similar literary enterprise; that's a thought that might comfort me a little as I contemplate the financial wreckage. As portrayed by Mr. 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. Sometimes it just depends on which one had the first chance to make an impression. This is a book about a dysfunctional marriage, a battle between moral beliefs and responsibilities, and, obviously, death. In this case, I saw the movie and greatly enjoyed it. Parini appears to want to create a balanced portrait of life at Yasnaya Polyana. Tolstoy may despise the luxury in which he lives, but he's unable to break away from it. As for his portrait of Tolstoy, Mr. He had 13 children and was promiscuous. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. 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. 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. 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. Yelena Akhtiorskaya. Literary Fiction. The Gendarme. Paperback —. In , 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. Jan 01, Nancy Chappell rated it liked it. A wife with her own ideas of what her husband should do with his health, estate, and friends. The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoys Final Year Reviews Literary Fiction. Dushan Makovitsky, as well as assorted followers and sycophants who made the long pilgrimage to Yasnaya Polyana. The book was first published in but I listened to an audio edition released in Just as Tolstoy was larger than life as a writer, he becomes, in death, a mythic figure. Please try again later. And the attempts to "spice up" the book so that it will no doubt appeal to a larger contemporary audience are obvious and distasteful. Mark T. View all 15 comments. Phoenix Books. But Parini makes sure Sofya's voice is also heard. Ilsley rated it really liked it Shelves: historical-fiction. Between your personal life and the people whose right you are fighting for. Perhaps no writer has led a more documented life than Leo Tolstoy. Apr 09, L. Dancing between fact and fiction, The Last Station is a brilliant and moving literary performance. 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. 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. He was surrounded by group of ruthless friends and equally ruthless family members who all wanted a piece of him and his fortune. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Oh, and there are these beautiful poems that are contained in chapters with heading "J. Leo Tolstoy was at the end of his life the most famous writer of his time and an extremely rich man. View 1 comment. The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoys Final Year Read Online Get A Copy. I really enjoyed this book and am really interested in finding out more about Count Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy comes across as a humble man, tormented by his wealth and feeling guilty by living in a big house and wanting to be free; to live like a peasant; and to be free of his jealous wife; but never doing anything about it until his last days. The Last Station had consistent praise from critics at home and abroad. Here is another possibility: Henri Troyat has written a book entitled Tolstoy. Become a Member Start earning points for buying books! It's about love. I cannot get the title link to appear Adult children who had very individual perspectives on their famous father. No-Signal Area. You know the saying: There's no time like the present He praised religious piety. Jan 01, Nancy Chappell rated it liked it. You glimpse their initial love only at the beginning of the book. Views Read Edit View history. 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.