Dr. Zhivago

   This modern classic by Boris Pasternak follows the events of the Russian
Revolution and of  life in the young Soviet Union up to about 1939. The story
is a personal account, illustrated mostly by the effects of the Revolution
on the main character in the novel. Yury Zhivago. We follow the changes in
Zhivago's life, and the lives of those with whom he comes in contact. So it  
is not merely a historical report, it is a very human novel.
   The novel is parted into two main parts, first part has seven Chapters
and part two has ten chapters. Main story is parted in two horizontal stories,
so we have one story about Yury and the other about Lara. Most important persons 
are: Yury Zhivago (son of Zhivago's), Yevgraf (Yury's half-brother) Uncle Kolya, 
Misha Gordon (Yury's friend), Madame Guishar, Lara (her saughter), Komarovsky 
(a lawyer), Pasha Antipov and Tonya Gromenko.
   On the begining of the story we see two sad happends Zhivago's wife funeral. 
and Zhivago's suicide by jumping out from running train. Yura was a boy then, 
and he thought that his father is abroad on business, but he was drinking and 
womanishing in Siberia. He blew the family milions. They were very rich, they 
had Zhivago's factories, banks, buildigs, even Zhivago's cake, but now they
are poor.
   The war with Japan was not yet finished and waves of revolution were rolling 
accross Russia. Madame Guishar, a widiw, arrived in Moscow with her two children.
She bought two dress business. That kind of business adviced her a husband's
friend Komarovsky; coolblooded businessman who persuaded her to send her 
daughter to the school of his choice. Mme Guishar was well built, terrified of 
men because she has had too much lovers. Lara (16yrs), her daughter was a 
beautiful girl, people thought she was 18 or more because her movements had 
an easy charm. She didn't like mom's new lover Lomarovsky, but when she was
at his flat, she had a little afair with him, they fell in love. 
Oct. 17th - demonstrations all over the Moscow. Pasha Antipov and Lara 
joined them. Down the street people came pouring in a flood, they were singing
revolutionary songs. A swelling noise rolled back to them like great crowl 
shouting "Hurrrah!". Almost at the same momment there appeared the heads of 
riders and their horses and swinging swords. the killing began. A few minutes 
later the street was practically empty. the late sun pushed a finger round
a corner and picked out everything red in the street - the soldier's caps, a 
red flag on the ground, and the red spots and threads of blood on the snow.
But Pasha and Lara had luck, they survived.
   Uncle Kolya saw the running demonstrants from his window, he looked to see
if Yura was among them, but none of his friends seemed to be there. He had left
Yura in Moscow, after her parent's death, with the profesor's family Gromeko.
He thought the atmosphere at he Gromeko's is entire suitable for Yura.
   It was the time of the rising in the Presnaya district of Moscow. The Guishar's
house was in the rebel area, and the next door was used as a meeting-point 
and soup-kitchen. Lara knew some of the boys who went there. One og them was
Pasha Antipov. Lara couldn't help noticing the effect she had on the boy. He
was childishy simple, and could never think to hiding his joy at seeing her.
Uncosciously she began to use her influence over him, though it was not till
several years later that Pasha would fall headover heelds in love with her.
   Meanwhile Mma Guishar had tryed to kill herself with drinking a poison,
but they found her before she was dead.
   By the spring 1906, before Lara was in the top form at school, the six months
of her relationship with Komarovsky had driven her beyond the limits of her 
patience. She wanted to go away from mother. She wrote a letter to Nadya, her
friend, to find her a teaching job, and Nadya answered, that her family looks
for teacher for her younger sister.
   Lara spent tgree years as a member of Nadya's family, as safe as in a fortress.
Lara had a relationship with Pasha too, so they intended to get married when 
they'll get their degrees and became school teachers. In the summer of 1911 Lara
went for the last time with the family to their country house. She adoved the 
place, and the limitless, scented silence of the country. She took part enthusiastically
in shooting competitions. She prefered a high pistol and her arm was good. But
the more she entretained herself, the less she knew what she wanted, and the more 
unhappy she felt, In this mood, at Christmas in the year 1911, she arrived at a fateful
decision. she would leave now and se up a placeentirely on her own. She expected
money help from omarovsky and if he'd refuse to help her, she intended to shoot
him with a gun.
   Komarovsky houskeeper said he was out, but said that Lara could wait for him.
But she said that she is in hurry and that she need him. Housekeeper told her
tha Komarovsky was at a Christmas party at the Sventitdky'd house. Lara decided
to go there. 
   When Lara came to the party she shoot to Komarovsky and killed him. Yura and
Tonya were there too, but Tonya said to mih, that message arrived from home, that 
they must go back at once. When they came home, they didn't find Tonya's mother
alive. She had been dead for 10 minutes. For the first few hours tonya screamed 
and banged her head on the floor and would recognize no-one. Her mother was 
buried at the same churchyeard as Yury's mother.
   Pasha saved her from aresting her and thanks to him she was able to continuoe
her studies, safe and unharmed. Lara said to Pasha, that she's bad woman, not
worthy of him. She admited him, that she didn't love him, but he didn't belive 
her because she was soo sobbed. Pasha decided to marry her at once. And they 
married. At the wedding night she told him everything. He questioned Lara, and 
with eachof her imaging, couldn't keep up with her cofestions. In all Pasha's
life there had been no greated chance in him. He got up a different man, almost 
astonished that he was still called Pasha Antipov. Meanwhile Yury and Tonya married
too, and soon they got little son Sasha. They was living happily but, unfortinately
Yury had to go in army too.
   Pasha and Lara lived in Yuryatin, place where Lara was born. Pasha didn't like
it, so he accepted new job in Omsk, for army school teacher. Lara didn't want
him to go, but he gone. One day Lara stoped getting Pasha's letters, so she
decided to train herself as nurse and then go to find him.
   Misha Gordon found Pasha in hospital. And when Pasha went out to get some things,
he was knocked off his feets by an explosion, and hit by flying piece of metal from 
shell. He fell in the middle of the road, bleeding and unconcious.
Meanwhile Lara was still searching for Pasha. She met Guliullin and Yury in
one of the hospitals and Guliullin lied her about Pasha, that he is not killed,
but that he is in prison.
   Yury unexectedness came back to home. Tonya was soo happy and surprissed that
she decided to make a big dinner and invite uncle Kolya on it. 
   Yury stayed at home. He was dismissed for the army because he was hurded.
But at home it was terrible life too. Three terrible winters came, darb, hungry
and cold. In that bad surcumstances Yury got a typhus fever. For a fort night he
was inncouncious most of the time. Slowly Yury began to get better. Tonya fed
him on white bread and butter, sugared tea, she gave him  coffe. All that luxury
she got from Yury's half-brother Yevgraf from Omsk.
   It was the end of March and Zhivagos were geting redy to go to Varykino.
didn't know anything about that place and people. The had terrible journey.
Train would often stop in the middle of the nowhere, and security men would examine
the passinger's papers and laggage. One day train came and stop infront of lifeless
burned out ruin. This was all that left of a station. Beyond it lay a desert 
village blanked in snow. The work of cleaning the line took three days and all
the Zhivagos tool part in it, even Nyusha, Sasha's babysiter.
   When there were sleeping, Yury heard shooting and he went out, but the guard
took him to the boss, Strelnikov. The had little chat and then Strelnikov let him
go. 
   On the train Toya introduced Samderyatov to Yury. He knew Tonya ganfather Kruger,
Kruger was the master in Varykino. Soon they came to the station where they left the 
train. They had to go out on Torfyanaya station. Station master had get a phone call 
from Smaderyatov, to help Zhivagos. He took them to the Varykino place with his horses.
   That winter Yury began to keep a diary. People in Varykino liked Zhivago, because
he was a doctor, and they were bringing him eggs and bread as payement. They couldn't
sorvied without Samderyatov help. He was sending them all they needed.
   They were living in two rooms in a wooden addition to the back of the old house.
As spring appreached, Yury wrote: "I belive Tonya is going to have a baby. I told her
she doesn't belive me, but I'm sure of it. Her face dims, her skin coarces, her eyes
shine in a different way." In spring Yury hadn't wrote much, he was busy. They got
a visit too, his half-brother came to visit them.
   Yury almost all morning went to the Yuryatin's library, to read newspapers.
One day he saw Lara there and he noticed down her address. Next day Yury went to
look for Lara. He found her, and her daughter Katya. Lara told him, that Pasha is not
dead, that Strelnikov is in fact Pasha. 
   Yury often went to the Lara's place and because that he felt uncomfortable with
Tonya. He decided to confess everything, but first he went to Lara's and told her
everything, but when he wanted to go, some soldiers took him into partisans army as a 
prisoner.
   It was almost two years since Yury had been taken prisoner by the partisans. After
each of his three attempts to escape, he had been caught again. He did not suffer any
punishments, but the risks were to high, and he didn't try again. He wanted to go to see
his family madly. Good news came from front, Red's almost beat whites. One night
he tryed to escape again, and he did it. He arrived in Yuryatin. Whites gone. City
was in Red's hands. When he came to Lara's flat, it was locked with big lock. He 
looked for the key in the hollow between the bricks. Miraculously, there was a key 
inside, with a note from Lara. He unlock the door and step inside. The he read note
and looked around the flat. He wanted to have a haircut and to shave off his beard.
He had looked for a barber earlier, but thet had all been closed, so he wnt to the 
tailor's shop for a scissors. When he came in Tailor's, lady offered him to shave him
and cutt off the hair. When she was doing that, hey were talking and Yury found out
that his family had gone back in Moscow again.
   He came back to Lara's flat, tidy up it and fell asleep. When he woke up, he noticed
that Lara is near him, crying.Lara told Yury that Tonya had born little girl Masha. He
wanted to go to Moscow, but Lara didn't let him, because he was to week.
   Summer came and went almost unnoticed. Yury recovered and began work at the hospital.
Lara was taking care for him. Yury got a letter from Moscow, Tonya was asking him,
wgere he was, and told him, that they are going to Paris and probably they won't see
eachother never again.
   Komarovsky came back to visit them, they both didn't want to see him, but
Strelnikov wanted then to escape,on safe place, with him. Next day they went to Varykino
and stand there. Yura abd Komarovsky agreed that Lara and Katya must go on safe place so
Yury let Lara to go with Komarovsky, but he stayed in Varykino. Yura felt sorry, because
he let Lara to go. He decided to go back to Moscow.
   Strelnikov came back to Yury's place. They were talking and Strelnikov said that
is over with him and that he would be arested next day. Next morning Yura found dead 
Strelnikov, he shooted himself.
   After that Yura wnt back to Moscow. On the way to Moscow he met Vassya a soldier he knew.
He was on the way to Moscow too. In Moscow Yury tryed to get permison for family to
return to Russia, as well as a foreign passport for himself, but he semed to expect
failure, because he didn't semm surprised when he had no success.
   Vassya and Yury were good friends, but Vassya found fault with Yury more and more often,
and finaly their friendship broke up.
Yury get himself third wife, Marina, the younger daughter of the house he lived.
She had ofter came up and helped him with his housework. Yury soon left his new house and 
wife, because he wanted some time for himself. 
Yura's feeling was mixed up, he didn't know what to do and finaly Yura did a suidice by 
jumping through the window.
   On a quiet summer evening in Moscow, fine or six years after the Second world war, Misha
Gordon was sitting by the window and high abovethe immense city spreading away into the desk.
He was reading a book Dr.Zhivago.

A Book Dr.Zhivago is really good. I it's kind a sad love story mixed with adventures of
Yury. Story is not too hard to understand, but you can have problems with parted story;
To put everything in order. I can say only that that book is worth to read even only
for fun.