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Last year the group catching up on classics chose The Death of Ivan Ilyich as one of their monthly short story selections. At the time, I did not have the time to read it; however, a play I recently read had reading Anna Karenina as a major plot line. Wanting an introduction to Tolstoy prior to reading this epic, I decided upon Ivan Ilyich as my gateway to his more celebrated work.

Ivan Ilyich enjoyed an upper middle class life in pre revolutionary Russia. He graduated from a jurisprudence course and eventually became a lawyer in an out of the way province. He married Praskovya Fyodorovna and the two lived a married life that was neither happy nor sad for over twenty years. Each person became set in their own ways and the two lived as separate islands in their home, made possible by Ivan Ilyich's income.

I was not completely captivated by the story of Ivan Ilyich. He lived a relatively normal existence and experienced many things that an average upper middle class citizen might have experienced in Russia at the time of publication, hence the rating. I found Tolstoy's writing style accessible, which should ease the way for me to read his longer works. The part I found the most interesting was how Tolstoy through Ivan Ilyich discussed his views on death and dying, which is the premise of this story. Ivan Ilyich grappled with the alternatives of dying and being mired in a marriage where he was not appreciated or loved.

Even though I only gave this story three stars, I am glad I read it as an introduction to Tolstoy. The premise is an interesting one and I enjoy the time period, although, it is not a story that I am not drawn to. I would recommend this to those who might not read classics due to their long length and want to begin to read an author's works. I look forward to endeavoring through Tolstoy's epic novels after discovering that his writing style is easy to read for the masses.