Doctor Zhivago (Harvill Panther): Amazon.co.uk: Boris Pasternak, Max Hayward, Manya Harari: Books

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The Times

`clearly a novel by a poet, occasionally messy, sometimes clumsy...yet somehow vastly greater than the sum of its parts'.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

The story of Yuri Zhivago, physician and poet, is both a panoramic, epic portrait of a country in the throes of the most radical revolution in history, and an intense love story

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Novel with some flaws,, 18 Jul 2005

By	James Rogers (Norfolk, NE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Zhivago (Paperback)

I watched the movie before I read the book and one thing for sure is the fact that the movie dwelled too much on the Lara and Yuri love story. However, the novel goes deeper, describing Russia as it was during the first half of the last century especially before the Second World War. Actually, the novel revolves around Yuri Andreivich Zhivago a doctor and poet whose life is a series of trials beginning with the funeral for his mother' until he too made the honorable exit to the world beyond. Dr Zhivago trials take him across the length and breadth of Russia through war as a soldier in the Red Army and as a man with a strong desire to lead a normal life with his wife and son, but who cannot avoid the love of a woman destiny always put on his way.
The remarkable thing about Dr ZHIVAGO is the fact that Pasternak successfully made it possible for the reader to look beyond the tragedies and sufferings in the story to the worthiness of life that comes with love and loving. Romance is born and even thrives in tragedies and misery showing that life can be beautiful at all times because the human soul that harbors hope can endure the worst atrocities of war and still stay beautiful.
Rich and poetic, DR ZHIVAGO is a breathtaking story. It has a few flaws, but the underlying strength of the story is overwhelming. Reminds me of THE UNION MOUJIK, WAR AND PEACE, and TARAS BULBA. I enjoyed DR ZHIVAGO and would recommend it to any book enthusiast, especially someone with an interest in Russian literature.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An epic study of revolutionary losers, 14 Mar 2007

By	Sam J. Ruddock (Norwich, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Doctor Zhivago (Paperback)

Frequently considered one of the most sublime love stories ever told, Pasternak's masterpiece marked a significant moment in the history of Russian literature. Although rejected for publication, the furore around its censorship was the first step in liberating creativity from the clutches of the ideologues. This historical significance barely scrapes the iceberg in comparison to the beauty of the events it portrays. In this tale of love and loss and struggle for survival during the Russian Revolution, Pasternak captures better than anyone else the supreme majesty of the simple things in life. The view from a study window, the freedom of living ones life free from compulsion and terror. But that is the lot of some periods of history and it is in how you cope with these strains which determine your life. Yes, this novel focuses on the upper classes and the erosion of the uncontested freedoms they once enjoyed, but it is so much more than that. This is a novel about human freedom from compulsion, whether you are a millionaire or a pauper, the liberation of the human spirit should begin here and now, with this book.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wandering, fascinating book, 12 Dec 2006

By	Mr. Paul J. Bradshaw (Midlands, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Doctor Zhivago (Paperback)

Firstly, this is not "One of the greatest love stories ever told" as the cover proclaims: the love story is a small and incidental part of the story, and doesn't begin until 250 pages in.

What this is is a fascinating insight into the history of Russia through the last century's revolutions, told through the experiences of Zhivago and others. The structure is particularly interesting - we skip through the years extremely quickly, and between characters you'd be forgiven for not recognising. But this is part of its charm, and in many ways replicates the peripatetic nature of the revolution years as characters wander from town to village in search of food and shelter.

In many ways it reminds me of Primo Levi's 'The Truce', his account of what happened after he was liberated from a concentration camp at the end of WWII and likewise wandered across Eastern Europe with other refugees. It's the story of what happens to those who experience history, after the history books have moved on.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the Russian classic it's professed to be
As a huge fan and avid reader of Russian literature I was slightly dissapointed with this novel. I knew upon the undertaking that it is not considered a particularly literary... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Mr. Oliver Hickman

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tale of Life.Love and Destruction
This Russian classic begins in 1901 and takes us through the dying years of Tsarist Empire and through the unspeakable horrors of the Bolshevik Revolution and the resultant Civil... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Gary Selikow

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare novel
After reading famous books you often feel that whilst it was good, you can't quite understand why it has become so renowned. Read more

Published on 30 Sep 2007 by Mr. D. Drabble

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Novel with some flaws
I watched the movie before I read the book and one thing for sure is the fact that the movie dwelled too much on the Lara and Yuri love story. Read more

Published on 24 Jul 2007 by James Rogers

3.0 out of 5 stars Deeply disappointing
I found this book a very disappointing. It is certainly not the 'greatest Russian novel ever written' nor the most 'sublime love story ever told'. Read more

Published on 13 April 2007 by Rubrix

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent audio book
This is an excellent way to get into the novel as it is read well and the pace helps move the story along. Read more

Published on 7 Jan 2007 by Nina-Jo Rees

5.0 out of 5 stars Art is always meditating upon death and thereby creating life
Dr. Zhivago's ideal life `escape into freedom out of all sorrows' contrasts sharply with the horrors of war and revolution around him: `the ruthless logic of mutual... Read more

Published on 18 Dec 2006 by Luc REYNAERT

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably brilliant
I hadn't realised just what a superb insight this book would give into the extraordinary history of Russia between 1900 and 1920 - in fact it's not only a brilliant epic and page... Read more

Published on 25 Aug 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
I bought this new TV tie-in edition of the classic novel after watching the stunning mini-series starring Keira Knightley and Hans Matheson. I'm glad I did. Read more

Published on 28 Nov 2002 by Kelvin MacGregor

3.0 out of 5 stars As a Useful Cold War Tool, Inevitably it was Overpraised
The stir this book created when it was banned in the USSR - because the hero, Dr Zhivago, was ambiguous about the Revolution [i.e. Read more

Published on 9 Jul 2002

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	86% buy the item featured on this page: Doctor Zhivago (Harvill Panther) 4.5 out of 5 stars (16)
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Doctor Zhivago (Harvill Panther) (Paperback)

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