White Nights
Ratings190
Average rating3.9
Well, it's Dostoevsky's take on a love story. This was published before his four years of hard labor in Siberia, so it's much less anguishing than his later stories.
I sincerely respect the protagonist of White Nights. I see a lot of other reviews empathizing with him, which I definitely feel as well. Still, I feel a sort of distant respect for him, knowing that I couldn't do as he did. This “dreamer,” as he describes himself, has his dreams crushed and manages not to crumble under the rubble of those dreams. And it isn't out of cynicism or disdain that he carries on so admirably; rather, it's from valuing the joy he gained from those dreams, even if they might now be crushed. Sure, he feels dejected at the end, but he can cherish the temporary joy he had. As someone who has trouble valuing all things temporary and ephemeral, Dostoevsky's dreamer is the most remarkable protagonist I've read in a while.
Apesar de uma primeira parte lenta, este livro é de uma sensibilidade enorme. <3
4.5 Stars.
If you didn't like this book , you probably didn't get it .
Fyodor's genius story is not just about two people meet and instantly one of them fall in love with the other . no .
It's about how fragile human soul is . how desperate we are for love , even when we can't admit it , or don't want to admit it . It's not about a simple boring man , who wonders around at night and meets a random girl . it's about a lost spirit who can't cope with people easily ,because they cannot see the world as he sees it . he doesn't see himself as unsocial , because he can connect to things in a way people don't get. he notices the houses on his street . he knows the people's faces . but he can't commit to the social conventions of saying hi and chatting , talking about everyday's none sense , for him , it doesn't work like that .
I like reading about these kinds of characters because it reminds me of my own character (or personality ) ; i totally get being socially awkward , or feeling like you don't belong to the same world that the people around you are living in, maybe that's another reason that made me fall in love with this story .
There's something in Fyodor's style that's just Right . so right that i'm falling hopelessly in love with him ! i came to realize that i can relate to his writing , even after reading only two books by him . i think he writes what we human are afraid to show , afraid of that thing that people might see if they looked deeply into our soul . our true self.
And writing about that makes him a Genius .
Finally , my favorite quote in the whole book , this literally made me go crazy ! it was so beautiful that i reread it multiple times . it got me . it surely did :
...This is why we almost greeted one another at times , specially when we were both in a happy frame of mind.The other day when we met after an interval of two whole days , we were actually on the point of raising our hats but , fortunately , we pulled ourselves up in time ,dropped our hands and passed each other by with unspoken sympathy in our hearts.