Solovyov and Larionov

Solovyov is a young historian writing his thesis on General Larionov, who somehow had avoided execution and lived to old age, despite supporting the losing side in the Russian Revolution. Solovyov travels to Crimea to research Larionov’s life. Along the way he meets a variety of eccentric characters. This book is a combination of mystery, historical fiction, and coming-of-age. It is densely written in a literary style and contains subtle humor. It takes a while to get moving. It switches back and forth in time, and the passage of time is one of its themes. The flow is a bit uneven. Sometimes it is a dry recitation of details about military battles, other times it ventures into philosophical musings about life and death, and all this is interspersed with the sexual antics of young Solovyov. It is not a particularly satisfying mystery, so I would not read it to find out exactly what happened. This was Vodolazkin’s debut. I liked it well enough, but I much prefer his later books, Laurus and A History of the Island.

I'm not going to try to summarize or explain the plot, if there is one. This sly novel pokes fun at a number of things that need a little (a big?) dose of satire. Academics takes a hit, bureaucrats are not spared, biographical accuracy is questioned, literary detective stories are spoofed, and there's more. How accurate are memoirs? And what about plagiarism? Coming of age novels? There is also a love story, sort of. This was so much fun to read!

My first time reading Evgeni Vodolazkin and I found it an enjoyable experience. A historian (Solovyov) searching out details from the life of a white army General Larionov during the civil war after the Bolshevik revolution. Book segues back and forth between present time Solovyov and historic time Larionov and kind of seams both present and past together. A fun read.

I'm one of those reviewers who is having a hard time getting into this one. I am sure it is good and I usually love Russian literature (which is why I requested it), but for some reason, I can't seem to stay focused. My mood has been for something far lighter. Some of my favorite books have been books I had a hard time getting into, but came back to a while later and ended up absolutely loving. I get the feeling this could be one of those books. I plan to make future attempts and hope to have a better review soon.

Solovyov is a history student who tries to find out how the infamous General Larionov avoided being captured after the 1917 revolution. Such an oddly funny book (in the same way I've found in other Russian novels to be), but also a beautifully written bildungsroman that, if somewhat episodic, engages throughout the read. The pacing works really well too - it's like you're on that train chugging along. The translation seems good (mainly because it's not really making any noise), but my Russian is non-existent, so I can't really tell.

I tried on three separate occasions to read this book, but I couldn't get past the first 20 pages, and I wasn't sure what was going on then. Perhaps it was the translation, but I couldn't force myself to try it again.
:(

Solovyov is a naïve young scholor who has been given the topic of General Larionov for his thesis. General Larionov was a commander in the White Russian Army during the Russian Civil War. The mystery surrounding him is why Larionov was allowed to live the remainder of his life following the war in the new Soviet Union. He was even given a pension by the soviets. Solovyov goes to Yalta where Larionov last lived to find some lost wages of Larionov’s memoir in an effort to solve this mystery. Along the way, he meets a host of unique characters.

This book is a very unique blend of literary genres. The author has a dry wit and I enjoyed his humorous satire. I’m sure I missed some of the satirical references due to not being Russian but there were quite a few that I understood. The military history could be somewhat dry at times and sometimes quite interesting. Solovyov is a very likeable character and I enjoyed the romantic parts of the book and the fun that Vodolazkin poked at his main character. It was a bit slow taking off but once it did, I became captivated by this Russian tale with all of its stories within a story. This is a true Russian novel with all the complications that Russian novels entail.

Recommended.

This book was given to me by the publicist in return for an honest review.

A marvelous debut novel. Even though, in English translation it came out AFTER the other two books books by Vodolazkin. His "The Aviator" and "Laurus" have made a lasting impression, and I was looking forward to this one. I came to deeply appreciate Vodolazkin's unhurried, deliberate, measured tone of the narrative, in which you can fully envision what the author is trying to say.

In "Solovyov and Larionov", his subtle satire is especially daring, with a sure arrow that reaches its aim perfectly. His irony shines ever so cleverly. I can almost imagine the writer behind the words - he has this knowing smile. And the two periods in Russian history that he describes are juxtaposed perfectly - with young historian Solovyov in 1990s passionately researching the famous and controversial White Army General Larionov and his famous battle in 1920. The novel is structured in such a way that one gets just a whiff of the denouement throughout the book, and then one sits in wonder as the last pages come to an end. Excellent translation by Lisa C. Hayden.