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darwin8u's review
4.0
"Kerr has said that every attachment has two sides: one loves, and the other allows himself to be loved; one kisses, and the other surrenders his cheek."
- Leo Tolstoy, Boyhood
Boyhood, is Tolstoy's second novel(la) and the second of his three autobiographical novels ([b:Childhood, Boyhood, Youth|226377|Childhood, Boyhood, Youth|Leo Tolstoy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408406518s/226377.jpg|1685249]). Like with Childhood, I get big Knausgårdian vibes from reading these early Tolstoy novels. They are "technically" ficiton, but draw heavily on the childhood, boyhood and youth (see what I did?) of Tolstoy. Details may change, relationships might not be exact, but in many ways, these novels capture if not the letter of Tolstoy's early years, at least the spirit of those years. But I also get a bit of a Nabokovian vibe too (yes, I agree, Nabokov's and Knausgård's novles TECHNICALLY have a Tolstoyan vibe...but bear with me.). Some scenes in Boyhood sing with a flavor I haven't felt since certain chapters of [b:Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle|12187|Ada, or Ardor A Family Chronicle|Vladimir Nabokov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327867767s/12187.jpg|2138313] or [b:Speak, Memory|30594|Speak, Memory|Vladimir Nabokov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1346107008s/30594.jpg|2540547].
Probably the most poignant part of this novella, for me, was the section where he was talking about the almost Nihilist hatred Tolstoy had for St. Jerome (his French tutor). He captured in a couple short paragraphs that melancholy loneliness of boys from 12 to 14. That awkward incediarism driven by isolation, curiosity, and inevitable growth, that all must pass through and MOST pass through safely, with just a few scars. Tolstoy NAILED it, at least from my perspective. He captures the insecurities, the fears, the myopic stupidities of boyhood. Some things NEVER change.
- Leo Tolstoy, Boyhood
Boyhood, is Tolstoy's second novel(la) and the second of his three autobiographical novels ([b:Childhood, Boyhood, Youth|226377|Childhood, Boyhood, Youth|Leo Tolstoy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408406518s/226377.jpg|1685249]). Like with Childhood, I get big Knausgårdian vibes from reading these early Tolstoy novels. They are "technically" ficiton, but draw heavily on the childhood, boyhood and youth (see what I did?) of Tolstoy. Details may change, relationships might not be exact, but in many ways, these novels capture if not the letter of Tolstoy's early years, at least the spirit of those years. But I also get a bit of a Nabokovian vibe too (yes, I agree, Nabokov's and Knausgård's novles TECHNICALLY have a Tolstoyan vibe...but bear with me.). Some scenes in Boyhood sing with a flavor I haven't felt since certain chapters of [b:Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle|12187|Ada, or Ardor A Family Chronicle|Vladimir Nabokov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327867767s/12187.jpg|2138313] or [b:Speak, Memory|30594|Speak, Memory|Vladimir Nabokov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1346107008s/30594.jpg|2540547].
Probably the most poignant part of this novella, for me, was the section where he was talking about the almost Nihilist hatred Tolstoy had for St. Jerome (his French tutor). He captured in a couple short paragraphs that melancholy loneliness of boys from 12 to 14. That awkward incediarism driven by isolation, curiosity, and inevitable growth, that all must pass through and MOST pass through safely, with just a few scars. Tolstoy NAILED it, at least from my perspective. He captures the insecurities, the fears, the myopic stupidities of boyhood. Some things NEVER change.
amandaalexandre's review
2.0
The writing is elegant (Although it begins with 10 pages of a bland road trip and excessive weather descriptions. Something authors could afford to do in a time there was no Candy Crush Saga.). The way [a:Tolstoy|8203337|Tolstoy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] paraphrased the simplicity of childish conversations with his mature prose gives a deliciously hilarious effect....
But the plot failed to engage me. I felt [b:The Death of Ivan Ilych|18386|The Death of Ivan Ilych|Leo Tolstoy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336967150s/18386.jpg|234915] or [b:Master and Man|50270|Master and Man|Leo Tolstoy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386748184s/50270.jpg|538757] had more depth and critique.
But the plot failed to engage me. I felt [b:The Death of Ivan Ilych|18386|The Death of Ivan Ilych|Leo Tolstoy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336967150s/18386.jpg|234915] or [b:Master and Man|50270|Master and Man|Leo Tolstoy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386748184s/50270.jpg|538757] had more depth and critique.
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