Not a bookclub book, but a gift from my sister. I enjoyed the book and she did too. I think it would be a good book club book because of the lives of Leo Tolstoy and his wife. ( )

A big disappointment! Forced myself to slog through this mess of family fights and polarization. Told in voices of several narrators, so we get events from their much-varied points of view. Novel was a mishmash of fact [from characters'' diaries] and fiction. ( )

To understand and appreciate Russian author Leo Tolstoy, one has to understand and appreciate Russian history. Leo Tolstoy was born as a part of the aristocratic class in Russia, yet he spoke up for the serf. Russia has millions of uneducated serfs – and has had for generations. Most viewed them as worthless. Like Abraham Lincoln, Tolstoy saw value in their lives; he, as they say, saw their humanity. Even though many did not read Tolstoy (or anyone else) closely, his magnanimity was felt by all in Russia. His name reverberates in their ears, again, much like Lincoln’s name reverberates in African-American homes.

Leo Tolstoy is an enigma. His life is full of contradictions. On the one hand, he spoke out for the serf and – as an ascetic – sought to renounce the luxury and pleasure he was born into; on the other, he had a wife who sought financial security and thirteen children. (Hardly a life of asceticism…) For most of his life, he maintained a troubled soul – not only about the plight of Russia’s ubiquitous serfs but also about any goodness in the world more generally. This led to personal instability. Unlike the other great Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky (who celebrated life’s inherent goodness), Tolstoy sought to escape the world in the philosophy of his writings (while living in a lavish mansion).

These contradictions and tensions came to a head in his final years. The most famous Russian in history to that point, he routinely fought with his wife over the royalties of his books. Embarrassingly, most Russians well knew of his marital spats. Eventually, he left home and died near a railway station, seemingly of pneumonia. Throughout this time, Tolstoy’s adoring fans and disciples seem embroiled in a never-ending conflict with his wife of forty-eight years.

The author of this account, the biographer Jay Parini, sketches a fictionalized account of this final year. He uses the diaries of numerous people in Tostoy’s inner circle as sources. These sources paint a picture of conflict and personalities and provide a 360-degree view of Tolstoy’s life. Parini weaves them together brilliantly into a beautiful tapestry that encases the whole of Tolstoy’s personality. Indeed, no one person, whether disciple or family member, could fully grasp Tolstoy’s insightfulness and historical impact.

Overall, this is a fun and interesting read that was made into a well-received Hollywood movie. I am planning to watch the movie and would recommend it if you do not have the time to flip through this biopic. Parini, as always, spins good yarn about an interesting topic. ( )

Plot sequence and coverage were good, but more character depth, notably of Count Leo, would have been welcome.
The author eases readers into each personality.

No reasons were given related to why he and Sonja could not, in those long years mostly together,
have worked out a compromise where the family was supported after both had died AND
Tolstoy's works available for a reasonable cost.

Still hard to understand the draw of Chertkov. ( )

I first saw the excellent movie, of the same title, that was based on this book of Tolstoy's last days, yet a book almost always fleshes out so much more of a story. I'm on a bit of a Tolstoy jag and this was just what the doctor ordered ... I'm a happy man. ( )