Sonya: The Life of Countess Tolstoy.

by Anne Edwards

A sympathetic account of Sonya Tolstoy's struggle for independence reveals Sonya to be a forerunner of today's modern woman, showing how her intense love for Tolstoy was diminished by his refusal to see her as her own person

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Russia, Biography Memoir

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Sonya sometime in the early 1980's. It made quite an impression on me at the time so it is time for me to give it some credit here in Goodreads.

I was never able to finish War and Peace because I always got bogged down in the "war" sections, but Sonya Tolstoy not only read it but copied it over by hand many times. Leo would make corrections and Sonya would make a fresh copy incorporating them. This biography also makes clear how much Sonya was involved in Leo's creative process and included much about their day to day life. Leo Tolstoy is a hard man to admire after reading this book.

[Krisette Spangler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rough read, because Sonya and Leo were so unhappy. Leo Tolstoy was a very confused man, and he made life very difficult for his poor wife. I'll never be able to look at his work the same way again.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but distressing, portrait of a life dominated by a troubled marriage. I'll never read Anna Karenina the same way again.

[Ulla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mycket intressant.

[Zoé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cette bibliographie, d’une qualité scientifique, est une merveille. Longue et passionnante. Il n’y a pas un instant où le lecteur se lasse. La fin est bouleversante, noire et tragique. Je crois qu’il faut lire cette biographie si l’on veut posséder l’envers des romans éponymes de Tolstoï. Il y a un souffle d’âme slave qui émane des pages. Un parfum de jacinthes et d’encens, celui d’une détresse qui résonne encore des décennies plus tard. Sophia, Sophie ou Sonia qu’importe ses noms francisés, est une des héroïnes tolstoïenne. Il est grand temps que nous lui rendons hommage. Jamais plus je ne lirais un Tolstoï de la même manière.

[Pat Wolf-bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over 20 years ago, I owned the copy at the time. I wish I had another copy so that I could read it again.
This book is about Sonya Andreyevna Tolstoy, the wife of the novelist Leo Tolstoy.
It was a look into, both Sonya and Leo... I learned a lot about the kind of man Leo Tolstoy really was and how he treated his own family. He was not the nicest person to those closest to him.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great, especially after reading Anna Karenina!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting and sad. Edwards writes wonderfully about Tolstoy's wife.