Kenza*ೃ:.’s Reviews > White Nights > Status Update

Dostoevsky’s writing reminds me a lot of the style of French classical authors, especially in the descriptions and long monologues. I find myself enjoying it greatly, but at the same time, it is quite difficult to read. I don’t think the difficulty lies in the language itself, since I am reading an English translation. Rather, the hardest part is understanding the references, as well as the Russian way of life and the routines and habits of people in Saint Petersburg at that time.
This is my first Russian classical novel, and I am much more accustomed to French and English ones. Through my many readings about that era, I came to understand the way of life of British and French nobility and common folk almost as if I had lived back then—but it took a great deal of research to reach that point. I hope it will be the same with Russian literature.