Kadish, Rachel: * 1969
Tolstoy Lied, 2006 - Language/Style
- English Language Level: Medium
- Vocabulary – The book uses a mix of everyday and slightly advanced literary vocabulary. It’s not full of archaic or extremely rare words, but some sentences have nuanced or abstract terms that require moderate comprehension.
Sentence Structure – Most sentences are clear, but Kadish sometimes uses complex or multi-clause sentences that need careful reading—more challenging than beginner texts but not overwhelmingly difficult.
Themes & Ideas – The novel explores historical, philosophical, and literary themes (like Tolstoy, love, and Russian literature), which demand some background knowledge or thoughtful reflection.
Literary Style – Kadish ruses descriptive passages and literary references that are denser than casual contemporary fiction, which can slow down readers not used to literary English.
- Vocabulary – The book uses a mix of everyday and slightly advanced literary vocabulary. It’s not full of archaic or extremely rare words, but some sentences have nuanced or abstract terms that require moderate comprehension.
- The novel is accessible to readers with intermediate English skills but would be tricky for someone at a basic level.