This novelised account of Tolstoy's last year has been created from his diaries and those of his family, colleagues and followers.
We find out that the aged Tolstoy is the most famous man in Russia and everybody wants a piece of him. His wife wants acknowledgement that being married to such a celebrity is a burden, and assurances that his family will be looked after once he's gone; his manager Chertkov wants him to sign a will leaving his works to the 'people'; his children just want to be loved. Add to this secretaries, doctors and paparazzi, and it's not a wonder that the 82yr old can't get any peace.
Each chapter is written in the voice of one of the main characters, including Leo himself, and you get a real feel for the pressures they're all under living with or being a true superstar. But it doesn't make for an easy read, and as always with Russian novels, getting to grips with all the different names a single person is known by can be confusing, but get past this and it is a remarkable book. ( )

"The Last Station" is a book set in 1910 Russia, the last year of Leo Tolstoy's life. By this stage of his life, Tolstoy is the most famous man in Russia. Everyone reveres him as a God - the peasants love him as one of their own while the Tsar fears an uprising.

The book by Parini is a collection of diary entries by people close to Tolstoy - his wife Sofya Andreyevna, his daughters, sons, his secretary, his doctor and the man who wants to steal Tolstoy's copyrights for his own gain, Chertkov. Throughout the book, we see how each person is maneouvering to control Tolstoy's legacy after he dies, while the old man simply wants to be left alone to read, think and write.

Parini has written the book in such a way that each character sounds and looks extremely rude, disagreeable and unsympathetic. But at the same time, you can see their point of view and perhaps understand a little about why they are acting the way they are. It is difficult therefore to decide who is right and who is wrong, which makes you focus on the one character that matters the most - Tolstoy himself.

The book however is tough reading. You really need to have an interest in Tolstoy, his work, philosophy and Russia. I was forced to re-read several sections many times because I didn't get it the first time - it's not often when that happens. ( )

Its 1910 and Leo Tolstoy, Russia’s greatest novelist is both a cult figure among his countrymen and an old man. Written with style and compassion, The Last Station is a semi-fictionalised account of the last year of his life and the dysfunctional and damaging relationships between him, his followers and his family. The main narrative centres on the struggle for Tolstoy’s affections, soul and legacy between, chiefly, his deranged wife and his self-seeking and scheming acolyte, Chertkov.

The entire novel is told through five voices – a device which takes a little getting used to but is ultimately very rewarding as it provides insight into the minds and motivations of those who surround, nay smother, Tolstoy.

Intense and compelling, The Last Station reads like fiction even though it isn’t, but it is also enlightening and troubling. While Parini has drawn his chief characters finely, there is scarcely one with whom the reader feels any sympathy. Tolstoy’s daughter Sasha is perhaps the most likeable among the motley crew but even she turns out to the self-serving. Initially, the reader is tempted to feel sorry for Tolstoy himself but it rapidly becomes apparent that he too is as much responsible for the scheming and selfishness that surrounds him in his final months.

This is a remarkable book, a remarkable achievement and well worth reading but it comes with a health warning too to those who have not read Tolstoy previously: you will want to by the time you have finished this. ( )

A wonderful evocation of Tolstoy's last days, the people surrounding him and the aura created by the event. Just as Tolstoy was a writer, larger than life, he becomes, in death, a mythic figure. ( )