I hesitated before starting this beautiful, timeless piece of art, because it was a verse novel written in the 19th century, and therefore, possibly boring, but I was so wrong.

The story is brilliant, a tragedy that can mock its subject matter and remain friendly instead of pedantic. It was enjoyable to read throughout, and Onegin is a character that's going to interest everyone who loves, interested in, or dislikes Romanticism. Pushkin's approach to Onegin feels very different from how English Romantics deal with their own heroes.

Only I think the ending was a bit abrupt, but original so it makes up for it.

I've read Mitchell's version and enjoyed this meticulous and literary translation a lot. Unfortunately I can't evaluate how faithful to its original Russian it was, but the notes in parts where changes took place made me feel assured as a reader.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed this concise collection if I had a more comprehensive knowledge of Greek mythology and history, but still it was at some parts enjoyable, some parts boring depending on the poet.

Real rating: 2.5
I feel like I should have appreciated this collection more but I just couldn't. I loved some of the poems, and most of the imagery but I made the mistake of reading them in a row and poem after poem the feeling that you didn't understand what you read gets to you. Still, it feels new for its time, not the prose poems itself but the part dream part nightmare like imagery.

A very riveting read for anyone interested in the Romantics and their lives. I've read it in its entirety but it is also possible to read about only the myths you are curious about.

“I don’t know how to beautiful. I don’t know how to gentle. There is a right way to be this gender. It has been taught to me since birth. I have failed every class.”

Some poems, mostly these in the first half, were actually good with original content, but majority of the book felt generic.