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Returning to Russia from a tour in Italy, twenty-three-year-old Dimitry Sanin breaks his journey in Frankfurt. There he encounters the beautiful Gemma Roselli, who works in her parents' patisserie, and falls deeply and deliriously in love for the first time. Convinced that nothing can come in the way of everlasting happiness with his fiancée, Dimitry impetuously decides to begin a new life and sell his Russian estates. But when he meets the potential buyer, the intriguing Madame Polozov, his youthful vulnerability makes him prey for a darker, destructive infatuation. A novel of haunting beauty, Spring Torrents (1870-1) is a fascinating, partly autobiographical account of one of Turgenev's favourite themes - a man's inability to love without losing his innocence and becoming enslaved to obsessive passions.
About the Author
Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883)
Novelist, poet, and playwright, known for his detailed descriptions about the everyday live in Russia in the 19th century.
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... ABOUT two in the morning he returned to his study. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
... ABOUT two in the morning he returned to his study. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the first novel I have read by Turgenev and I found it very accessible. The theme that seemed most enduring was that of the enslaving possibilities of desire. It is said to be autobiographical and if so shows a remarkable honesty and vulnerability about the author's own lack of experience and first passions. I am not a Russian student but I found the translation very dated and I imagine it lost some of its lyricism and depth when compared with the original. I would be interested to read an alternative translation if I could find one.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Flaubert for Russians
3 Aug 1998
Format:Paperback
'Spring Torrents', albeit a romantic tragedy, is infused withcomic elements at the will of an omnicient narrator, a style similarto yet distinct from Turgenev's friend Flaubert. What makes Turgenev's craft so brilliant is his ability to make us weep at the misfortunes of Dimitry Sanin yet not without reproval of Sanin's actions. Whereas Sanin is the protagonist of the novel, he also plays the antagonist of his own moral degeneration in the pursuit of love. 'Spring Torrents' is not as didactic as Turgenev's 'Fathers and Sons' which employs little subtlety in criticizing Russian gentry. This can be a welcome relief for the reader lacking familiarity with Russian Revolution; consequently, the book is very engaging and reads quicker than some of Turgenev's more political works, forgiving the moments that we are forced to pause, mulling over his beautifully ordinary prose, a graceful verse in German, or a breath-taking allusion to Virgil's Aeneid. If you are a man it will change you; if you are a woman it will change the way you look at men and their infinite vulnerabilities.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
The "Torrent" Feelings That "Spring" From Love
13 May 2004
Format:Paperback
I hope the amount of reviews posted here is not a reflection of how many people have actually read this novel. That would really be a shame.
I've always felt Turgenev doesn't get the wide audience he deserves. He's one of my all time favorite authors. My favorite piece of work has to be "First Love". An emotional recalling of what first love is all about. That novel captured so many sincere emotions, so many things I could connect with and here with "Spring Torrents" Turgenev is spinning the same magic. It's setting up characters and situations we can relate to. It then causes us to think back to our own memories.
Turgenev was a master. People need to become more familiar with his work. Those who don't not read his stories are missing out on tender, beautifully written, intelligent works of art.
If you enjoy this book buy "First Love", "A Month in the Country", and the extremely popular "Fathers and Son".
Bottom-line:A novel that causes us to relive our past (or maybe current) situations dealing with love. Resembles the genuis of his story "First Love". Well worth reading.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Russian Waters Run Deep
10 Aug 2005
Format:Paperback
I liked the other reviews of the book except for the Australian's reference to Bonobo monkeys and Mike Nichol's comparison of it to 'High Fidelity' - Christ, why don't we bring up Harry Potter while we're at it? No, this is a masterwork from a Russian I had not previously known. The fervor of young love, the rigidities of custom, the fatal decisions that make us wonder about missed opportunities the rest of our lives - it's all here, in fine brushstrokes. The chase through the forest towards the end still sticks in my mind in a way all good novels should. Read it and wonder why we spend most of our reading hours on the garbage at airport gift shops. Turgenev gives us a wonder of the old school.
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