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The Death of Ivan Ilyich

A Leo Tolstoy Short Story

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The Death of Ivan Ilyich

By: Leo Tolstoy
Narrated by: Bill DeWees
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About this listen

The brilliance of this story is in how a normal bureaucrat, a judge in this case, has a small accident that winds up gradually taking his life. As he deals with this incident, with hope at first and then despair, he comes to terms with his family, his life, and the mediocrities that we all suffer with, except for the exceptional few. This story rings a particularly poignant note for those in early middle age facing the next part of their lives. This story is considered Tolstoy's best.

Public Domain (P)2011 Christina Brown
Anthologies Classics Psychological Fiction Short Story
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    3 out of 5 stars
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The life story of Ivan.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The story is not really as per synopsis. I expected more of how feeling the hand of mortality affects an individual. Nevertheless, the listener can be drawn into the characters of this story, so in fairness I've given it some stars.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It just tells of Ivan's career, marriage, family, marital problems, onset of illness and ends with his death and his wife's reactions in bereavement. That is everyone's story, nothing unusual and without interesting insights.

Could you see The Death of Ivan Ilyich being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Just a plot line for a soap.

Any additional comments?

Full names, narrated every time each character is mentioned. Ivan is never called just Ivan, always his full name, same for everyone else. This was very tedious, confusing and unnecessary as lends nothing to the story for such great effort. Bill DeWees is tongue-twisting very similar sounding surnames throughout, awful!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Read with an American accent

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story is ok, not fantastic. But what irritated me most was the strong American accent of the narrator. And here especially the way he pronounced the name of the main protagonist Ivan. Spoiled it for me.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Bill DeWees?

anyone

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1 person found this helpful