Only actually read The Death of Ivan Ilyich here: the other stories will have to wait. Nevertheless, my first taste of Tolstoy and I can see why he is acclaimed: he writes with an intensity and purpose that brings out the struggles of Ivan Ilyich as he dies. Particularly compelling was the idea that we lie to ourselves about hope and the inevitability of death, and when this is gone you can only suffer. More thoughts to come, but perhaps I will attempt other Tolstoy at a suitable opportunity. ( )

Wonderful how the Russian translates to English and still reads smoothly. ( )

Crass moralising parables with none of the subtlety or nuance apparent in his earlier work.
the writing is as wonderful to read as any of his work but the themes and structure really annoyed me. ( )

The writing and the characters were so precise. Tolstoy's negative views of life and overall relationships was quite distressing. My copy (1960) included also Family Happiness, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Master and Man. ( )

The chronology of this is wonderful. It begins with the end, making the reader question why we should care, and then builds up, creating this flawed but sympathetic character going through life crises most of us can empathize with, before...A phenomenal ending that couldn't have gone any other way. ( )