Doctor Atomic

I had to leave this one at the half. The lyrics were incredibly dull, plot not that exciting (considering it's about the atomic bomb!) and singing mediocre at best. Plus, I had that whole prenancy uncomfortableness to deal with. Bearable, but I'm just not fond of modern opera.

The Brothers Karamazov - Dosteovsky

Surprisingly quick read for a near 800 pp book. I don't know if I got the whole "this book gives you the essence of every element of Russian society" thing, but the characters were sympathetic and the crime drama was interesting. I don't feel that it's quite as moving or philosophical as Crime and Punishment - one of my favorite novels, but it does have a lot of twists and turns. The ever-present strength of the peasants, while still mocking them, sort of pre-figures the Bolshevik revolution. Aloshya is sort of a dull character - really not a lot going on with his development. He forgives all too easily. He doesn't seem to care at all when his girl rejects him. Ivan plays the intelligent fool - drawn into something that he's not guilty of. His love of Katya is tragic, but I don't really understand his relationship with Smerdyakov. They're obviously foils - but why does the servant kill himself at the end? Is he truly MORE intelligent than Ivan? I need to think on this more. Dmitri - it's hard to really place him. He seems to be innately good because he's "noble" despite his lack of money or decent personality. You have to appreciate his struggle to better himself and only be a scoundrel, but at the end of the day, although he's innocent you don't really feel bad for him at all. And the women - even the noble Katya is jealous and vengeful. Grushenka's perhaps the most believable of the bunch. Definitely a worthwhile read, but not quite the classic I was expecting.

Rape of Lucrece - Shakespeare

It seems a sad day when a woman feels guilty and then must commit suicide because of someone else's actions. And this was perceived to be 'nobel'. Things I'll never understand. For being written completely from the perspective of a woman, I think he really missed it. Would she really worry so much about being "pure" for her husband and have no thoughts or herself?b

Stalin - The Red Tsar

Wow - this was a major undertaking. Every detail you ever wanted to know (although the story at times was a bit diffuse because of this). I guess I'm used to reading less "academic" (translation - attempting to be impartial) nonfiction and more stuff that's really trying to drive home a point or tell a story. This book could fall under the reference heading. I have to admit I enjoyed reading it though - gave me some great insights for my mass-murdering dictator series. It also really improved my perspective on the the other communist revolutions that I've been reading about (Cambodia, China) because they're always compared to Russia. Good to have the base.

Venus and Adonis - Shakespeare

This long poem is OK, although it is typically mysogynistic. Wow - even a Goddess is helpless when it comes to men. This means I've finished all of the plays - although obviously they're not all reviewed here.