Many thanks Cannongate Books for this book. I will read it soon (possibly early 2008) and post a review.

Synopsis:

Set in the last tumultuous years of Leo Tolstoy's life, The Last Station centers on the battle for his soul waged by his wife, Sofya Andreyevna, and his leading disciple, Vladimir Cherkov. Torn between his professed codtrine of poverty and chastity and the reality of his enormous wealth, his thirteen children, and a life of hedonism, Tolstoy makes a dramatic flight from his home. Too ill to continue beyond the tiny rail station at Astapovo, he believes that he is dying alone, whle over one hundred newspapermen camp outside awaiting hourly reports on his condidtion. A brilliant recreation of the mind and tortured soul of one of the world's greatest novelists, The Last Station is a richly inventive novel that dances bewitchingly between fact and fiction.

Review:

I expected this to be a very dry read, instead it was rich with relationships and connections. It was fascinating to see the different viewpoints of the players and see them partaking in a merry dance. Not knowing anything about Tolstoy or his life I was compelled to do a little research whilst reading just to see how close to the facts it came. It would seem that this is a very plausible story.

I will now look to pass this on elsewhere.

RELEASE NOTES:

Taken to the meetup today.

Couldn't resist this, another canongate book! Thanks molekilby for bringing this today to the Cardiff meetup.
Will have to join Mount Toobie for a little while, but not for too long I hope.

What I really enjoyed about this novelisation was that it really didn’t matter if I knew who Tolstoy was or not. I could still appreciate the narrative, as a very gripping and revealing commentary on the lives of two people, where one has given up all, for the enhancement of the other, but the point comes when the sacrifice just isn’t enough; and thereby hangs a tale!

As the final year in Tolstoy’s life it was a fascinating insight into the lives of this family and the events surrounding his final days. As others who have read Parini’s book, I too feel the need to discover more of this giant among Russians and must get on and read Anna Karenina, a copy of which I have had for some time now, just waiting for the right impetus.

Forwarding Bookray:

Annodyne, Sale, Cheshire, UK
tagesmann, South Yorkshire, UK
wanderingstar8, London, UK
Kiri, California, US

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

In the post today to Annodyne in Cheshire.

Thank you Cassiopaeia. The book is now with me, and as I'm on the last few pages of my current read, I'll be making a start on it right away.

This is a historical novel, but had a strangely contemporary feel to it. We tend to think that ours is the age of the cult of celebrity, but here it is, and in a fairly well-developed form. It's extraordinary to think that, without the benefit of "the Media", and with a largely illiterate population, there was scarcely anyone in Russia who did not know of and revere the name of Tolstoy.

I agree with other readers that the book gives a fascinating insight into the lives of two people who are dealing with extraordinary circumstances. Like everyone in the novel, I was driven to distraction by the tantrums and instability of Sofya Andreyevna, but would she have been driven to such extremes of jealousy and irrationality if the man she shared her life with had not been the superstar of his age, surrounded by disciples and hangers-on? I think Jay Parini must have had the same thought.

A good read! Ready to be forwarded to tagesmann once I have an address.

Now on its way over the Peaks to tagesmann, as I posted it today.

Received yesterday, safe and sound.

This wasn't quite the book that I was expecting. But it was very enjoyable. The way the story is told from different viewpoints, all of them quite believable from each person's perspective works particularly well. Often when a book changes from one narrator to another it doesn't work. This does.

just received. I'll read it soon!

I'm afraid I'm giving up on this. It's a pity, because I think the story could be really interesting. But I wish the author had chosen to turn his research (into the diaries and memoirs of the people around Tolstoy) into non-fiction instead.

On its way to Kiri.

TBR