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lucekl's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
ckrupiej's review against another edition
Introduction:
"The misfortune of us all is that we know so little, even nothing, about one another - neither about the soul, nor the life, the sufferings, the habits, the inclinations, the aspirations of one another. Literature, which I have the honor to serve, is dear to me just because the noblest task it sets before itself is that of wiping out bounderies and distances."
"My task was to point out the horror and the iniquity of capital pusnihment under any cirumstances."
"It is not death that is terrible, but the knowledge of it: it would be utterly impossible to live if a man could know exactly and definitely the day and hour of his death."
"The misfortune of us all is that we know so little, even nothing, about one another - neither about the soul, nor the life, the sufferings, the habits, the inclinations, the aspirations of one another. Literature, which I have the honor to serve, is dear to me just because the noblest task it sets before itself is that of wiping out bounderies and distances."
"My task was to point out the horror and the iniquity of capital pusnihment under any cirumstances."
"It is not death that is terrible, but the knowledge of it: it would be utterly impossible to live if a man could know exactly and definitely the day and hour of his death."
xhenid's review against another edition
4.0
Leonid Andreyev's beautiful storytelling and deep exploration of existential and moral themes make this book a timeless read for those interested in literature that explores the human condition in all its complexity.
chubbartie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
ancab's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
agne_sab's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jen_richardson19's review
5.0
A book as much about life as it is about death. This book literally disintegrated as a read it, which seemed fitting.
“And it was not because he saw death that Sergey suffered, but because he saw life and death at the same time. A sacrilegious hand had lifted the curtain which from all eternity hidden the mystery of life and the mystery of death; they had ceased to be mysteries, but they were no more comprehensible than the truth written in a foreign language.”
“And it was not because he saw death that Sergey suffered, but because he saw life and death at the same time. A sacrilegious hand had lifted the curtain which from all eternity hidden the mystery of life and the mystery of death; they had ceased to be mysteries, but they were no more comprehensible than the truth written in a foreign language.”
mlytylr's review
5.0
haha i'm taking a break from doomy russian novels preoccupied with death for a bit
brynhammond's review
5.0
Perfect craft in this story on the cruelty of execution. I don't know a better story in the world.
Follows on from Dostoyevsky's passages on capital punishment in [b:The Idiot|12505|The Idiot|Fyodor Dostoyevsky|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865902s/12505.jpg|6552198] and the short work important to him in his turn, Victor Hugo's [b:The Last Day of a Condemned Man|63040|The Last Day of a Condemned Man|Victor Hugo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328728909s/63040.jpg|1632537]. I think, though, they'd each be proud to have written this. It not only has the seven perspectives -- terrorists and common murderers -- but the effects on guards; and begins in theme with the political victim who gets away, but not before he discovers the psychic torture of a scheduled death.
It's gutting: go in with care. But profoundly humane.
Follows on from Dostoyevsky's passages on capital punishment in [b:The Idiot|12505|The Idiot|Fyodor Dostoyevsky|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865902s/12505.jpg|6552198] and the short work important to him in his turn, Victor Hugo's [b:The Last Day of a Condemned Man|63040|The Last Day of a Condemned Man|Victor Hugo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328728909s/63040.jpg|1632537]. I think, though, they'd each be proud to have written this. It not only has the seven perspectives -- terrorists and common murderers -- but the effects on guards; and begins in theme with the political victim who gets away, but not before he discovers the psychic torture of a scheduled death.
It's gutting: go in with care. But profoundly humane.
stephmostav's review
5.0
Nono e penúltimo volume da coleção que leio e parece que encontrei minha novela favorita. Tinha que ser de um russo LOL O tema me lembrou bastante de um livro também curto do Victor Hugo, ' O último dia de um condenado' (e, em ambos, o título é um 'spoiler' porque NOVIDADE, a história é sobre sete pessoas que serão enforcadas), mas ao contrário da obra francesa, que foca nos sentimentos e pensamentos de um único prisioneiro, nessa a diferença de como cada um enxerga e enfrenta o fim próximo é o foco. Brilhante. Para quem ainda não leu nenhum dos livros, recomendo a leitura de ambos em conjunto/sequência.
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