Negative Positive
Title: sprawling, splendid novel
Review: I read this book in two days, pausing only for coffee and sustenance. In a world of paper-thin characters in fiction, television movies, how refreshing to have a character as complex as Vladimir Girshkin. He is an immigrant, yes, but there is a little bit of Girshkin in all of us, whether we were born here or not. Like most of us Girshkin dares to dream big, and like most of us he is punished so terribly for his dreams. I can't think of the last time a person so complex could evoke our sympathies and our pity, maybe The Confederacy of Dunces. When the book ends you feel lost in a world that is without Girshkin, and without the narrator's moral clarity. Superb.But a warning. This book is for mature readers only. If you want a modern masterpiece, this is the book for you.
Is the review positive or negative? 