Collegiate Times

Leo Tolstoy is one of history’s most renowned novelists and intellectuals, and his lasting effect on Russian culture cannot be ignored.

Author Jay Parini examines Tolstoy’s contributions and the followers who supported him in the book “The Last Station.”

The novel is the story of Tolstoy’s final months as he is caught in a bitter conflict between fanatical supporters and his long-suffering wife.

Tolstoy, renowned for his novels “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina,” was also an important social leader who advocated hard work, piety and chastity.

The writer was also a member of the Russian noble class and had 13 children. The contradictions in his teachings and his lifestyle are the backbone of “The Last Station.”

Novelist Parini thrusts the reader into Tolstoy’s complex world through the eyes of Valentin Bulgakov, a young intellectual who secures a position as secretary to the famous author.

Throughout the novel, Bulgakov is torn between the manipulations of the slimy Chertkov and Tolstoy’s vindictive wife Sofya.

Chertkov and his cronies want Tolstoy to end life as a martyr for the cause of the people and to make themselves famous for being his associates while Sofya wants her old husband back and the rights to his works.

Bulgakov gets caught in the middle of the fray when he is made to spy on both sides of the issue.

“The Last Station” is filled with fascinating characters that exhibit fully realized motivations and passions. Parini shifts the storytelling to another character every chapter and spends time exploring several viewpoints of the legendary Tolstoy.

Parini uses Tolstoy’s own words throughout the book to further clarify the impact the man had on tsarist Russia. Letters and anecdotes from Tolstoy intersperse the narrative at exactly the right moments, shedding light on the plot.

While “The Last Station” is a fascinating character study, the plot moves along at a slow burn. The first 100 pages are almost purely focused on establishment of the conflicts in Tolstoy’s home.

The slow unfurling of the plot is not necessarily a weakness of the novel, but for readers who may be expecting a narrative full of intriguing situations, “The Last Station” is not that book.

It does give vivid insight into early twentieth century Russia and the sharp divide between the aristocracy and common people that gave rise to communism.

While Tolstoy was not a communist himself, he advocated equality among men and the value of hard work. He did not allow followers to use his noble title and often used his influence to help out commoners.

The conflicts in “The Last Station” are a direct result of this rejection of the aristocracy. Tolstoy leaves behind his wife and their former circles to become a hero of the people.

The beauty of Parini’s book is that these conflicts are handled by allowing each character to relate his or her own opinions and feelings. The management of the large cast is reminiscent of one of Tolstoy’s own novels and elevates “The Last Station” to something greater than just a biography of Tolstoy.