Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - I've read this book two times now, the first time during the summer of my sophomore year in college, and the second time during this year. Every time I read it, I find something new to lose my breath over. The poeticism of Pasternak's imagery, the characters and how they're all inter-connected, and the story behind the story will continue to fascinate me for years to come. If you enjoy reading about the World Wars, about Russia, or about life itself, you must give Doctor Zhivago a try.
The Zhivago Affair by Petra Couvee and Peter Finn - The story behind Doctor Zhivago - a poet turned into public enemy #1 by the country he loved most, his beloved 'Motherland' Russia. During a time when literature still had the power to sway nations, Boris Pasternak had unwittingly penned a nuclear bomb when he wrote his first novel, and the Soviet officials stopped at nothing to prevent Pasternak from completing the novel, or worse, printing it internationally. Believed to be anti-soviet during the time of Stalin's regime, Pasternak was banned from publishing the book within his homeland, but outside the borders, the world was clamoring to get their hands on it. From incognito missions by American CIA agents, who dropped the book from airplanes into Soviet territory, to the tragic, personal story of the author himself, who sacrificed life and love to send his novel beyond the constraints of Soviet rule, the book found its way into the hands of readers. When he gave the manuscript to a young Italian publishing agent in 1956, he reportedly had said: "You are hereby invited to my execution."
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Blog post coming soon!
The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace - I held onto this book for several years before giving it a try. I had purchased it for a quarter at my library, and after reading it, I'm so thankful that I found it. It was a true hidden gem among the tattered cookbooks and self-help guides scattered around the donation boxes of the library. The style of prose this writer has is very beautiful and lyrical. Quite simply, I envy her writing. Here's an example: "Carolina always opened these gifts in her mother's company, so as her sight was leaving her she handled some of the most beautiful things she had ever seen: an enameled box, robin's egg blue, wavy like watered silk, lined in rose velvet; a spiral shell the size of her fist, with a silver lid, for holding salt..." The Blind Contessa's New Machine is the true story of passion, and despair at last written about the typewriter's invention--the means for inventor, Pellegrino Turri, to communicate with his blind lover, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano. If you enjoy historical fiction, if you enjoy poetic prose, and if you enjoy a good love story/tragedy, read this book.
Lara by Anna Pasternak - You might notice there is a pattern in my preferences for books lately. Some might say I'm a bit obsessed with Russian history, literature, culture, etc., and they may be right. It all started when I first watched the film Doctor Zhivago (1965 version) with Andrew in college. We were up in his dorm late at night, and both enjoying classic oldies, decided to watch it. It was my first time, and wanting more, I bought the book the following summer while on a writer's retreat in Martha's Vineyard. Ever since, I've been smitten with Yuri Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, and the tumultuous, tragic history behind the novel. Like The Zhivago Affair, by Petra Couvee and Peter Finn, Lara by Anna Pasternak (Boris Pasternak's grandniece) chronicles the real-life story of Boris Pasternak, and pulling no punches, provides insight behind the love affair of his uncle and Olga Ivinskaya, the muse behind the captivating character, Lara. As you read Pasternak's book, you quickly realize how the affair between these two 'star-crossed lovers' not only sent their families on a course that would change their lives forever, but also sent the world on a mad chase to both smother and inflame the blaze of their love: Doctor Zhivago. All this, and the fact that through Anna's research and personal family stories of her great-uncle, I saw a side of Boris Pasternak, widely considered as Russia's last great writer, that felt human. Yes, he defied the Soviet regime that stopped at almost nothing to prevent his novel from getting attention from the world and its people, but this man also was afraid of so much, and cared so immensely about how others saw him. During the darkest days of his exile, the simplest kind word or greeting from a random stranger would buoy his spirit for days, and conversely, any form of criticism from the people of Russia (excluding officials) would tear his heart to pieces. As you can see, I loved this book, and I hope someday a movie is made about the lives of Pasternak and Ivinskaya, because their story, like Doctor Zhivago, is an important story to know. Until then, if you want to know the story behind the man who single-handedly undermined the reputation of the USSR during Stalin's years of terror, the Cold War, and know the story behind the woman who, through it all, loved and protected Pasternak to the point of years of imprisonment and torture, then read this book. It's the story of love, tragic losses, and most of all, of the triumph over the oppression of artistic freedom.
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