Chekhov's Sister(S351)
by W.D. Wetherell | Literature & Fiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0316931624 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0316931624 Global Overview for this book
2 journalers for this copy...
discarded by library; hardback; 343pp; published, 1990
FROM THE CRITICS
Publisher's Weekly
The premise of this morality tale, set at the Chekhov Museum in 1941 Yalta, is a strong one--that great art can never be successfully manipulated for political purposes. Unfortunately Wetherell's ( The Man Who Loved Levittown ) homage to Russia's most distinguished playwright--which incorporates allusions, imitations of Chekhov's style and the occasional adoption of dramatic form--is marred by theatrical excesses. When Peter Sergeich Kunin, an idealistic medical student, is enlisted by his patroness, Chekhov's sister Maria Pavlovna, to help prevent the Museum from being turned into a Nazi barracks, he is at first repulsed by Pavlovna's attempts to ingratiate herself with the new German minister of culture, Reneok Diskau. A drug addict and sociopath, Diskau greatly admires Chekhov and decides to stage The Seagull as a showcase for his administration. Diskau not only casts himself in the lead role, but, certain that he can improve on the master's lines, shamelessly rewrites the play. Pavlovna, although willing to go to great lengths to see the Chekhov Museum preserved, resists Diskau's attempts to adulterate her brother's masterpiece, earning Kunin's sympathy. By the end of the novel, the forces of history render the Nazi invasion a shambles: Diskau's production is enthusiastically received by the few Russians who dare to attend but boycotted by the Nazi officers it was meant to impress. (Mar.)
Library Journal
A paean to the great Russian writer/dramatist by the author of The Man Who Loved Levittown ( LJ 11/1/85), this novel centers on an attempt by Maria Pavlova Chekhov to save her brother's Yalta villa (now a museum) and its treasured contents from the depredations of the invading Nazis. Central to this attempt is a decision by the newly assigned Minister of Culture to stage The Seagull as a means of convincing the local population of the Germans' good intentions. This allows Wetherell to incorporate portions of Chekhov's work directly into his own. Indeed, its thematic content, style, and very structure serve as constant reminders of its source of inspiration--an approach that does not, however, imply a lack of originality. It is a moving story whose characters stand on their own and whose interactions remind us of the power of art (unlike more formal histories) to get to the essence of things and to help us endure. Highly recommended . -- David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publisher's Weekly
The premise of this morality tale, set at the Chekhov Museum in 1941 Yalta, is a strong one--that great art can never be successfully manipulated for political purposes. Unfortunately Wetherell's ( The Man Who Loved Levittown ) homage to Russia's most distinguished playwright--which incorporates allusions, imitations of Chekhov's style and the occasional adoption of dramatic form--is marred by theatrical excesses. When Peter Sergeich Kunin, an idealistic medical student, is enlisted by his patroness, Chekhov's sister Maria Pavlovna, to help prevent the Museum from being turned into a Nazi barracks, he is at first repulsed by Pavlovna's attempts to ingratiate herself with the new German minister of culture, Reneok Diskau. A drug addict and sociopath, Diskau greatly admires Chekhov and decides to stage The Seagull as a showcase for his administration. Diskau not only casts himself in the lead role, but, certain that he can improve on the master's lines, shamelessly rewrites the play. Pavlovna, although willing to go to great lengths to see the Chekhov Museum preserved, resists Diskau's attempts to adulterate her brother's masterpiece, earning Kunin's sympathy. By the end of the novel, the forces of history render the Nazi invasion a shambles: Diskau's production is enthusiastically received by the few Russians who dare to attend but boycotted by the Nazi officers it was meant to impress. (Mar.)
Library Journal
A paean to the great Russian writer/dramatist by the author of The Man Who Loved Levittown ( LJ 11/1/85), this novel centers on an attempt by Maria Pavlova Chekhov to save her brother's Yalta villa (now a museum) and its treasured contents from the depredations of the invading Nazis. Central to this attempt is a decision by the newly assigned Minister of Culture to stage The Seagull as a means of convincing the local population of the Germans' good intentions. This allows Wetherell to incorporate portions of Chekhov's work directly into his own. Indeed, its thematic content, style, and very structure serve as constant reminders of its source of inspiration--an approach that does not, however, imply a lack of originality. It is a moving story whose characters stand on their own and whose interactions remind us of the power of art (unlike more formal histories) to get to the essence of things and to help us endure. Highly recommended . -- David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Journal Entry 2 by SAMMY-SAMSEL at Reliance Bank in Des Peres, Missouri USA on Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Released on Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at about 6:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Reliance Bank in Des Peres, Missouri USA.
RELEASE NOTES:
11781 Manchester Road, ATM, inside ziploc bag
RELEASE NOTES:
11781 Manchester Road, ATM, inside ziploc bag
I found it on my desk, and hopefully I"ll get the time to read it.
