The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)

For those who have never heard of this short novel by Tolstoy, be prepared - it is a fascinating story, but one of the most depressing depictions of marriage ever. Even as the narrator says horrible things about marriage and relationships, however, you find yourself agreeing with some of what he says. This little book had great reception in the US when it was published and won Tolstoy a lot of American admirers, some of whom wrote an even visited him.

Given the unevenness of the story telling this is as easily a three-star collection. Given that one is more than outstanding , I a long time re reader of books Tolstoy will write off the disappointing story and up-star the balance.Of the three short stories included, the first and shortest is a lightweight parable. All of these stories were written as Tolstoy was entering his final spiritualist mind frame. It follows one of his later literary dictums that all art should be restricted to moralizing stories understandable by the least of the pesent classes. “How Much Land does a man need is nicely written but more like a fable and hardly a heavy dose of Russian philosophy. Th title tell you almost all you might want to know about its thinnest of the three plots.The Death of Ivan Ilych is a nearly perfect story exactly as suggested by the title. Ivan Ilych may be as close to the perfect Russian everyman’s name as one is likely to think of. His final days feel as authentic, cautionary and final as might be anyone’s final days in a world were the medical industry has not aided us to a nearly sterile and unfeeling state. This is a brilliant story well worth the book and then some.The last story, the title story has been described as splenetic by a perceptive and clinically precise previous reviewer. This is another in the many classic Russian as told by a stranger on a long train ride stories. It is among other things a broad-spectrum attack on the way upper class Russians corrupts their youth. Males by the availability of commercial sex. Females by cloistering. It condemns the tragedy of marriage based more on social habit, financial need and momentary feelings rather than any real knowledge the targets of the marriage should have of each other. Coincidently this is the same question asked in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, which I also recently read. Hardy did this topic much better. Hady did need 400 pages to Tolstoy’s 80. But Tolstoy is not efficient so much as exhaustively angry.Perhaps a better idea than this title, is a lager collection of Tolstoy’s short stories, He is all that as a writer, but this collection of 3 is uneven.

:-)

Not a huge lover of Tolstoy but his storytelling has it's good points.Am still processing the issues in my mind and asking ;are they ever spoken about in today's society.Very doubtful.It would be a great book for fans and participants in "Book Clubs"

Tolstoy is Tolstoy. But there are a lot of errors in this kindle edition, which makes this version super annoying and makes me feel that the translation is off, even though I don't know Russian. It seems they scanned an old print version to digitize this and words got mangled. I would pay more for a better version.

A classic, beautiful, astonishing contemporary.

The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy is a masterpiece. The book is short and is composed of three short stories. They are all sad, but unforgetable. I highly recommend this book for serious readers and for those who wish to become acquainted with the writings of Tolstoy.

it was all right

I am quite enjoying it and understand it is a well-told story.

on time, great book

Very satisfactory

Excellent

Interesting but clearly not his best