Title: Fathers and Sons

Author: Ivan Turgenev  

Genre: Classics

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Format: Paperback

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

‘Aristocracy, liberalism, progress, principles…useless words! A Russian doesn’t need them’

This humane, moving masterpiece of families, love, duels, heartache, failure and the clash between generations caused a scandal in nineteenth-century Russia with its portrayal of youthful nihilism.

A new series of twenty distinctive, unforgettable Penguin Classics in a beautiful new design and pocket-sized format, with coloured jackets echoing Penguin’s original covers.

Review:

This book was complicated and fascinating. I imagine people reading this back in the 19th century and just being horrified with what they are reading😂

There are many complicated characters that become intricately woven together in the story. The main character, Arkady, is a young man who just finished school and is returning to live with his father, who runs an estate. Although Arkady isn’t sure if he wants to run an estate like his father. His father, Nikolai, veered off from what his father wanted and didn’t make a career in the army! So you could say one of the themes in the book is the complicated, yet loving relationship between father and son. Nikolai tries to stay current with the times, but having his son home makes him feel like his views are old! This puts a strain on their relationship, but they still love and respect each other.

Arkady brings a friend home with him, Bazarov, who upsets things at Arkady’s family’s home due to his nihilist views. It was interesting to read the characters preach nihilism and hear their views on society. Arkady seemed to only be a nihilist because of Bazarov, and Nikolai found it hard to relate as a liberal landowner.

I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy Russian literature and interesting concepts going around in the later 19th century!

Happy reading bookworms!