Reader discussion: Fathers and Sons

Public reader discussion about Fathers and Sons in the WeRead Catalog by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev.

Why Does Bazarov SPOILER ALERT in Fathers and Sons?

By EclipseIcy

Why does Bazarov even have to die in *Fathers and Sons*? I was honestly pretty bummed out. I kept waiting for him to keep moving forward—his studies, his whole philosophy thing, even what happens with his dad’s estate. And I wanted to see what would’ve come of him and whether he’d ever get past Odintsova. I also felt really bad for his parents; they’re so sweet and they don’t deserve to lose their kid like that. And the way he dies just feels so… casual? He’s not trying to kill himself, but why is he so detached from life that he doesn’t even take care of the wound that’s going to end him? He had to know the danger. So are we meant to think he did it on purpose, or was he just careless? Basically: why does Bazarov have to die? Also, it’s kind of funny that I still had to post a spoiler warning for a book from 1862.

Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev

By ClaireReads1981

I honestly didn’t expect to find out that Fathers and Sons is considered such a big, groundbreaking Russian revolutionary novel, or that The latter is supposed to be a real touchstone for Russian literature in general. I’ve never really read it through that kind of lens, and I’m only on my second pass through it, but still—learning what R. Freeborn says is just wild. Most of all, I can’t stop thinking about the claim that there isn’t any other country with something like that chain/relay of revolutionary novels.

I just got my copy of Fathers & Sons by Ivan Turgenev

By Orchid89

I feel like Turgenev gets totally lost in the shadow of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but his stuff really mattered for Russian literature. I’m honestly glad I managed to get my hands on one of his so-called masterpieces.

Inspired by the "100 books every man should read post" here is my "5 Books that have had a profound effect on me as an adult that you should check out."

By HiddenSwan6

I saw one of those “100 books every man should read” posts this morning and I went through it, but I wasn’t really feeling it. A few picks just seemed off (yeah, The Bible?), and some others felt kinda obvious or preachy (The Prince?). I think my issue is these lists are always so huge and all over the place—what am I supposed to do, read the whole thing and then what, grow a beard and throw a pig on a grill? Like what’s the actual end goal? I’m kind of more into smaller lists anyway, something that doesn’t talk down at you. So here are a few books that actually got under my skin and stuck with me. Not trying to be the final authority or anything—just stuff that influenced me and made me think. One of my professors always said fiction helps you learn how to live (kinda cheesy, but also kinda true), so yeah, here’s my little stack. - Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk). This one hits hard. It’s not just about “machismo” or whatever, it’s also about alienation and nihilism, and it’s honestly unsettling how a lot of people, right when adulthood starts, get to that “okay so now what?” point. Tyler Durden is like pure chaos, convincing you he can fix everything by blowing it up—until you realize it’s basically insecurity dressed up as an answer. It feels like it was made for the specific kind of disillusionment a lot of my generation carries. - Ask the Dust (John Fante). Arturo Bandini is trying to make it as a writer in LA in the 1930s, and I could relate way too much. He’s brutally honest—guilt, shame, pride, ego, failure, success—he doesn’t hold back, so you feel like you’re right next to him. Compared to Fight Club, this one is less bitter and more hopeful, but it’s also still kind of devastating in a quiet way. It’s the second “Bandini Quartet” book, but you don’t really need the others for it to work. - East of Eden (John Steinbeck). I almost avoided “classic” stuff because, obviously, if you read at all, you’re supposed to read the classics. But this one actually goes beyond that. Fathers and sons, heroes and the whole messy side of people—also it really doesn’t feel as slow as you’d expect; it picks up big time after a while. It’s a thick book, but it’s got a lot of heart and important stuff in it. Steinbeck can be subtle, but he’s also not scared to hit you over the head when he needs to. - “Winter Dreams” (F. Scott Fitzgerald). This is a short story and I grabbed it from a random PDF, so it’s kinda janky, but it’s really heartbreaking. It’s basically one of those “growing up and realizing love doesn’t work the way you think” stories. It kind of connects to ideas Fitzgerald was messing around with around the time he was doing Gatsby stuff. - Sirens of Titan (Kurt Vonnegut). I love Vonnegut. This one messes with time in his weird way—Tralfamadorians, all that—and it’s got that everyday-life absurdity he’s so good at. Underneath the jokes it’s really about hope, failure, loss, and redemption. A guy (with his dog) who gets thrown out of normal time somehow figures out how to save humanity. I think it might be his best, but honestly, I don’t think he has a bad thing. Anyway, that’s my list—wish I had more, but these five are the ones I’d point to first. I’m not saying they’re the “definitive” books or anything, just the ones that genuinely influenced me. Happy reading. EDIT: Glad this got some traction—keep sharing the stuff you love. If you do “Winter Dreams” and you like it, check out “Babylon Revisited” right after.

Turgenev's Fathers and Sons: a ramble

By NinaInTucson95

Found a hardback copy of this in one of those dusty little pockets of a second-hand shop, right by the highway. It was published in 1945 and looked like it hadn’t really been touched—there was even a name inside the cover, Helen Harris, written in careful cursive. I’ve been on a Russian lit kick for a few years now and I’ve basically been slowly working through most of Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, and Tolstoy. My big hits so far have been The Possessed, Chekhov’s The Bishop (short story), and Anna Karenina. I’d heard of Turgenev, but honestly I always thought of him as kind of the “still counts, but not the top tier” guy compared to the others. So I went into Fathers and Sons with low expectations…and it absolutely knocked me off. I wasn’t ready for how intense it felt, how emotionally deep, and how much it connected. The writing just hits this sweet spot—romantic sweeping stuff like Tolstoy, but also that darker psychological and moral tension you get with Dostoyevsky. And none of it feels overdone; the characters and the whole Russian landscape description are really nicely balanced. What really got to me, though, was how much it talks about nihilism almost like it was calling things ahead. And then you look at the century after it came out, and even now, and it’s hard not to wonder if we’ve gone even further than what Turgenev was dealing with. His younger nihilists at least still seem to have some respect for enlightenment ideas—reason, knowledge, science, personal integrity. Which is… maybe not something I can say about today’s world. I mean, just look at Trump—how he’s managed to get into the White House again is pretty damning evidence of where things seem to be headed in the West. I also can’t get over that line near the end, where Bazarov basically puts it like: you’re trying to fill up the “box” of your life so there’s no empty space. That’s exactly the feeling I get sometimes, trying to make a life work in a world like this. Anyway, I kind of went off track here (and I’m not even sure why Trump jumped in), but I’d genuinely love to hear what other people thought about Fathers and Sons—especially whether anyone else feels like it’s been weirdly spot-on about where we are now. And are there any other great Russian writers that feel like they’re still hiding in the background?

Your three favourite litterature characters ?

By softrabbit

Hi! Quick question: if you could pick three literature characters as your favorites, who would you choose—and why? Mine would be: - Sherlock Holmes, because I love the whole idea of this Victorian “superhero” type guy whose real power is his brain. - Madame Bovary, because I thought she was so well written that I ended up actually hating her—she felt so selfish and never satisfied. - Gandalf too. To me he’s basically the perfect example of a wise wizard.

What have you been reading lately, and what do you think of it? [02JAN2020]

By BinaryMeadow

So what have you been reading lately, and how’s it been? The second part is way more interesting, so I’d rather not just see a bunch of title drops. Also, if there’s something you’re wondering about that feels too small for its own post, this seems like a decent place to ask—especially if someone else has read the same book and you’re curious, or if their comments make you think of another question.

book about relationship between father and son

By field-chance8064

Pretty much what the title says—I’m trying to find books that really focus on the father/son relationship. I watched Beautiful Boy first, and then I found out it was based on a book with the same title, so honestly I kind of wish I’d read the book instead of the movie. Any suggestions you’ve got are good with me, whether they’re more sad or more upbeat or anything in between. Looking forward to hearing what you recommend—thanks for taking the time to reply!