Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bought in Brighton on a friend's insistence and read under the sultry sun of Sussex, amidst the shouts of, "Clear up your loose! " and "There is a pot here with burnt bone in it! " this book kept yours truly company on her first excavation in between breaks and on the nights when no one played Ring of Fire or watched Tarantino movies!

Jumping straight to the review, Eugene Onegin is a the story of a proud, arrogant town man, who looks down on everything in the country where he moves to, including the affections of the simple and passionate, Tatyana. The consequences of this are disastrous and not just for the poor young girl. I will not give out any spoilers but I will tell you this: just when you think that Tatyana is stupid, vulnerable and pathetic, she rises like a phoenix and displays remarkable sense of character.

Written in verse, Eugene Onegin is entertaining with insights into Pushkin's own head. In fact, there are passages which give you the feeling that you are talking to Pushkin directly and for its originality and for many other things that I cannot really explain, this book is, sort of, my favourite.

Worth reading? Yes! And if you adore Vikram Seth as much as I do, here is another SPLENDID reason for you to read it: This book inspired him to write The Golden Gate.

View all my reviews