The January day was drawing to its close: the increasing chill of evening was nipping the still air and a blood-red sunset was rapidly dying away (Ivan Turgenev)

Wie geht's?

Books read:

• Fathers And Sons (Ivan Turgenev)
• Showdown At Yellow Butte (Louis L'Amour)
• Glory Days: from gumboots to platforms (Dr Glam) 

After dispatching the Louis L'Amour pretty quickly, my appetite for something meatier returned, so into the Turgenev I dived!

Having now finished it, I'm still wondering why it's called Fathers And Sons. 

Although it's clear that Turgenev is making a point about generational differences between youth and the old order - sons replacing fathers, the plot lines are anchored around the sons - Arkady (rather than his father - Nikolai) and Bazarov (rather than his father - Vasily) and their relationships, both with each other and women they come across as they criss cross between various residences.

So, rather than Fathers And Sons, a more honest title would have been Sons, their Woman, and their Fathers. 

Nothing much happens until Bazarov steals a kiss from Nikolai's partner (a servant girl who has a son with Nicolai), witnessed by Nikolai's brother, Pavel. That , of course, given the times, means a duel between Pavel and Bazarov - the only bit of real action in the story so far.

The end of the story is tragic for Bazarov (sorry for the spoiler, but chances are if you haven't read it, it's unlikely to be read now) and happy for Arkady who puts his nihilistic tendencies aside to marry and more-or-less take over his fathers' farm.

Next up: the New Zealand music scene in the seventies - Glory Days: from gumboots to platforms, with our guide Dr Glam (a.k.a. Ian Chapman). Should be a hoot!

Love and peace (from my bubble inside a bubble at Maple Grove) - WNP