The Queen of Spades

It was my first time reading Alexander Pushkin's work, and I adored it. What is it about classic Russian authors that win me over each and every time?! As the title suggests, the story revolves around gambling. While men place their money on lucky cards, Hermann only observes. A practical man by natu......more

(Á eftir að lesa eina söguna, Dubrovsky, skrifa im hana þegar ég hef tima til að lesa hana) En Omg hvað þetta eru góðar smásögur! Ég var eiginlega komin á þann vagn að smasögur væru kannski bara ekki fyrir mig en bæði Spaðadrottningin og Sögur Belkíns hafa snúið huga minum. Mjög skemmtilegt hvað sögu......more

I enjoyed this little book. The writing not quite as sad and downbeat as some Russian authors of this period can be. I particularly enjoyed 'The Coffin Maker', Shakespeare and Dickens were mentioned, or their writing was, at least. There are a few instances of people trying to be who they are not, f......more

Very, and I mean very, 19th century-style novel, despite a friendly jab at Dickens' descriptive style. In its own way, it reminds me of both Dickens and the Count of Monte-Cristo, with some Poe sprinkled throughout: tales of carefully planned vengeance, some with a moral and others with some myster......more

Goed kort verhaaltje met een moraal aan het eind. Leuke sprongen in narratieven ook! Deze komen onverwachts samen en maken het verhaal vervolgens logisch.......more