Books2Movies Club discussion

I hope you'll like something different for this month's quick bite. We didn't have a genuine classic story for a while, and a Russian one too.

First Love by Ivan Turgenev is a story about throes of the first love and disappointment. It was controversial at the time, and one might say it still is, despite the fact nothing surprises us anymore in today's world.

There was a couple of adaptations, these below are the newest ones - so whichever you find would be a fine match:
- Erste Liebe (1970) - Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film!
- Summer Lightning (1984)
- All Forgotten (2001) --> US title: Lover's Prayer
- 1er amour (2013)

If you've seen a stage version or any other, please share your impressions about them too.

Last evening I read the story. The storytelling was superb - sweet, elegiac, and endearing. I deeply sympathized with his boyish infatuation and yet knew it cannot end well, considering how enigmatic was the source of his pain!

The story was intense, characters so vivid and fascinating. While the other stories in the collection were mostly focused on hunting and other so Russian hobbies which I found a bit outdated, this one kept my attention firmly.

The ending especially was shocking, and I needed to re-read those paragraphs more than once, to be certain I understood well what happened there. Tragic story indeed.

I am not sure I'll be able to find any of the movies mentioned above. Share your thoughts if you have seen any of them!