“The great leap is not in the body, but in the soul.” Part One: The Beginnings The novel opens in 18th-century China, where Wang Lun, a fisherman’s son, […]
Russian literature
Zuleikha
“A person is like a river—sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent.” Part 1: The Arrest The novel opens in 1930s Soviet Russia, introducing Zuleikha, a meek […]
Russian literature
Daniel Stein, Interpreter
“The truth is always simple, but people complicate it.” The novel Daniel Stein, Interpreter by Lyudmila Ulitskaya follows the life of Daniel Stein, a Polish Jew who survives […]
Russian literature
The Big Green Tent
“Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be expelled.” Part One: Childhood and Early Bonds The novel opens in post-Stalinist Moscow, introducing three boys—Ilya, Mikha, and […]
Russian literature
Doctor Zhivago
“Man is born to live, not to prepare for life.” Part One: The Early Years The novel opens with the funeral of Yuri Zhivago’s mother, leaving the young […]
Russian literature
The White Guard
“And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” — Revelation 20:12 (Epigraph to The White Guard) Chapter […]
Russian literature
The Captain’s Daughter
“Take care of your honor from a young age.” Chapter 1: Sergeyevich’s Youth Pyotr Grinyov, the young son of a retired nobleman, is sent to military service in […]
Russian literature
War and Peace
“The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” Volume 1: Peace (1805) The novel opens in St. Petersburg in 1805, introducing the aristocratic families […]
French literature
The President’s Hat
“A hat is not just a hat. It is a story waiting to be told.” Chapter 1: The Loss François Mitterrand, the President of France, dines at a […]
French literature
HHhH
“This is a true story.” — Laurent Binet, HHhH Prologue The novel opens with the author reflecting on the nature of historical storytelling, questioning how to faithfully recount […]