Alex Richardson Male, 16. USA

Another mistake from the library gave me a copy of critical articles on the book, which is common. My parents bought me the actual book before the book even came in, but the critical articles always further my appreciation of a book and make me want to actually read it. I actually liked it quite a bit, although the trend of thought is obvious within two articles, and there's not a great selection of thought or even creativity in presenting the thought. But such is criticism, typically one point is discovered by many and interpreted in ways that people with any familiarity with criticism see a lot.

I enjoyed this. I was doing a paper on Chekhov's short stories and decided that reading his plays would be helpful, and it was. The translator prefaces the book, and each play separately, and I'm satisfied with it. Since I finished the paper shortly after finishing Uncle Vanya, I never really was able to finish it, and I didn't bother investing myself in Three Sisters. Chekhov is a fantastic writer, but I can't reread something of his over and over again really.

I requested the actual book, but the library messed up and sent me what appeared to them as a creatively covered copy of The Metamorphosis. The artist, Peter Kuper, is the man behind Spy vs. Spy, and the art style in this book is immensely well-suited. One thing I dislike is the lack of any ambiguity as to the transformation, although the absurdist bent is well-maintained, and the rendering of the tenants was hilarious to me.

Stephen Fry should be knighted or some such thing. He's a fantastic comedian, a talented actor, a brilliant writer, a master wit. He's got everything that can help make a book good, and this book is by no means an imitation. The ending and plot follow a rather different trajectory with a less sugary ending than Dumas' story, and the ending makes it his own more than any other part of the story.

I knew very little about Stephen Fry when I read this book, began, that is. He writes in an illuminating manner, the story really feels like he's talking to you in a quiet, intimate setting. You learn about him, and you reflect on mistakes of youth and whatever course your life is heading. It's remarkable how eventful his life has been, what's more remarkable is that the book is as good as it is. It avoids mawkishness, but there's genuine emotion. It's hard to dislike it, to be sure.

It's hard not to get swept up in this book. It's easily among my favorites, although the translation I have isn't my favorite, the one I originally got from the library, by Michael Glenny is was very good. This one is all right, it's by a good team, but it's not like this is bad, or anything. It's quite the opposite. I'll get around to reading the rest of Bulgakov's work eventually, but I think reading something that he invested himself into as thoroughly as he did this book is enough to sate me for now. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This is easily my favorite work of Dostoevksy's. I loved The Brothers Karamazov, but this is a shorter, equally compelling version. The story moves, in ways that are slow and subtle and these subtle motions build up all the momentum that's released in an amazing ending. This is a book that really ought to be required reading.