Read this when
Fathers and Sons
He rejected everything his parents stood for. The last chapter is them at his grave. Call your parents. 🌾
Who it's for
Turgenev's great gift is fairness: he shows both generations' blind spots, so young readers pushing against their parents and parents bewildered by their children can each see themselves and the other side.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Fathers and Sons is Ivan Turgenev's 1862 novel. University graduate Arkady Kirsanov comes home to his family estate with his friend Yevgeny Bazarov, a medical student and self-declared nihilist. Bazarov's radical views clash with Arkady's father Nikolai and his uncle Pavel, who stand for the liberal ideals of an older generation.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US in Constance Garnett's translation, free on Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks; Katz and Bartlett translations are in copyright, in print and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); au.
Before you start
Heads up: A young man's death from illness.
Age: Ages 14+
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Part 1, Chapter 1 (tr. Constance Garnett)
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