Dead Souls (Abridged) Audiobook

" A brillant satire! at last a Russian with a sense of humor, very clever and entertaing "

" Sorry Chichikov. I just couldn't get through this book. It was a very interesting idea, and written rather nicely apart from Gogols perhaps too often interjections. I also enjoyed the satirical side of the novel and larger that life characters such as Nabokov. However, I never felt an urge to read on. To find out what happens next. It was just a struggle from chapter to chapter, until I gave up. Perhaps I'll come back and give it another go one day... "

" Amazing writing, have to read it again a few times to really absorb it...Russian books, you know. Gogol burned the second half :( "

" Gogol is the top of the heap of the Russians. "

" Sometimes here, and sometimes there...this one is a bit fragmented and the narrator is a bit too self-conscious, but the reward is in his balance between gravity and playfulness. The exaggeration is delightfully funny! "

" This book is pretty macabre, but also quite funny at times. It offers some pretty sharp satire of the landed classes in mid-1800s Russia, as well as some interesting characters and a cleverly dark scheme. The novel was never quite completed by the author so there are a couple confusing spots where pages of the manuscript are missing, which doesn't help the already uneven pacing. "

" I really wanted to like this book--but couldn't force myself in the end. Some really interesting messages to consider--but I couldn't get over Gogol's style which left me feeling a bit lost. "

" Maybe it would be more interesting to me if I were Russian, but it was boring, all he did was go around collecting dead souls (slaves). That's it, no climax, no interesting plot. Just going from house to house. "

" Hilarious, incredible, rambling, the middle is dull. "

" started reading this as I saw it illustrated at the recent Marc Chagall Exhib and liked the story .. "

" expected better after reading "The Portrait". too much was lost in translation. "

" I love this book. One of those can't stop so I will read it all night ones. Gogol has such way of touching on human foibles and the human condition. It is amazing to think that despite the time, distance and culture that divide us, you still feel exactly what he is getting at. "

" Meh. Quite amusing for a while, but not really going anywhere. I stopped shortly after he started a many-page meditation on the Russian character. Disappointed. "

" It took me a while to get into this book, but I ended up really liking it. I only gave it 4 stars because I don't like that there's no ending! "

" Somewhat disjointed, but a provocative view of Russia before Czar Alexander III freed the serfs. "

" I read half of it and could not bring myself to finish it. The half I read was written beautifully - the descriptions were vivid, the dialogue engaging. But the plot just did not move along for me. I couldn't keep with it. After 2 months with the bookmark in the same place, I gave up. :( "

" Love this and hate that it is incomplete. When it trailed off mid-sentence at the end of book one I thought I was supposed to figure something out. Book two is sketchy throughout. Brilliant premise. Incisive writing of the character of Russia. "

" Dead Souls is some funny shit. "

" actually i read the Arabic version, translated by raduga publisher Moscowbut i hated the main character as much as i can cause he was dirty mean feudal. "

" I laughed out loud! I only wish Gogol had lived to finish it himself, because there were bits missing. But a great story well written. "

" I prefer Gogol's short stories, but this piece could have been magnificent if he managed to finish it before he died. Full of his typical wit and humor, despite it leaving off in the middle of a sentence, it's still an enjoyable read. "

" Gogol has some really important points to say but I found myself getting disinterested in it in parts despite it's potential to be a radical text. "

" Engaging, but the ending did not, I feel, cash the check that the story was writing. The style, though (obviously) translated was what got this a three and not less. "

" I read half of it and could not bring myself to finish it. The half I read was written beautifully - the descriptions were vivid, the dialogue engaging. But the plot just did not move along for me. I couldn't keep with it. After 2 months with the bookmark in the same place, I gave up. :( "

" Not necessarily a breeze to read but well worth your time. I really enjoy Gogol's writing style. "

" A decent dark comedy. Diary of a Madman was better. "