First Love and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)

These six stories are an obvious influence on the likes of Chekhov or Katherine Mansfield. They describe small moments that, nevertheless, have something epic in their emotional scale. It is the characterisation that makes them something really special. From the flawed, superfluous man of the first story, to the small cruelties of the old mistress in 'Mumu.' It is the two love stories 'Asya' and 'First Love' that are the most beautifully written. The two very different women at the centre of these stories are haunting and fascinating. The childlike, impetuous Asya, and the vain, complex Zinaida, linger in the mind long after the stories are over - much as they linger in the minds of the narrators. Turgenev is an evocative writer and he creates something nostalgic and, at times, romantic about the places and the people he describes. These are not plot-driven stories and some of them are long by modern standards, but they are written with real and rare skill.

Not much feel of Russia - possibly look for a different translator

Loved this book. Couldn't wait to read another.

Excellent

Orlando Figes in his ‘The Europeans’ depicts Turgenev as a very sensitive person, so deeply affected by romantic love that he doggedly followed Pauline Viardot everywhere throughout her European sojourns. There are therefore many likely autobiographical elements, including ex-patriot life in Germany, in the sensitive accounts of delicate uncertain love in the stories of ‘Asya’ and ‘First Love’. Such love is always tinged with sorrow and loss. Even a man’s love of his dog is turned to loss in ‘Mamu’. Love’s vagaries divide friends and inflict hurt in ‘The Song of Triumphant Love’, or love becomes a tool to tease its captives in ‘The Diary of a Superfluous Man’. All this in the context of a cruel Russian feudal culture in ‘King Lear of the Steppes’.For Turgenev it seems, love constantly promises sublime sensitive fulfilment, but its hope is spoilt. It fails to deliver.

I am an avid reader of American and European fiction from the late 19th century onwards and have never delved into the Russians, so, instead of going in headlong to a War and Peace or Brothers Karamazov, i picked up the novella First Love by Turgenev. The writing is simple, the story instantly engaging and the sentiment easy enough to relate to.Three men sit around following supper and discuss their respective first loves, neither of the first two has an interesting tale to tell, but the third has an intriguing story which he writes down and proceeds to tell us.Aged 16 our young hero spends the summer in a cottage in the country with his rather detached parents when an aged and impoverished princess and her daughter move in next door. The daughter is beautiful, our narrator becomes infatuated and he suffers all the agony of a first love, a first realisation that such things do not always turn out as we might have hoped, and all the while struggling to understand his own life and his own relationship to his parents.The twist in the tale is a little obvious and the extra cast of characters perhaps a little under-developed, but the central narrator is a journey through the emotions and his journey is extremely engaging. A very successful first Russian for me and i shall now move on and report back with the findings!!

My first experience of Russian 19C. Loved this book and will enjoydiscussing it at our book group.CONS: Felt half the characterssuperfluous and was left with little feeling of depth for most of them.PROS: Translated sympathetically and, although the "twist int' tale" waspredictable, I felt somewhat pleased when it was discovered. It wasalmost as though Turgenev wanted us to guess it in advance!Perfect screenplay material.Read it once in an hour, then over again immediately.

the book arrived on time but the package was broken. the damage is just on the cover but next time i'll send it back.