The Awakening

The Awakening (Resurrection) (1899) is the last of Tolstoy's major novels. It tells the story of a nobleman's attempt to redeem the suffering his youthful philandering inflicted on a peasant girl who ends up a prisoner in Siberia. Tolstoy's vision of redemption, achieved through loving forgiveness and his condemnation of violence, dominate the novel. An intimate, psychological tale of guilt, anger, and forgiveness, Resurrection is at the same time a panoramic description of social life in Russia at the end of the nineteenth century, reflecting its author's outrage at the social injustices of the world in which he lived. A story of a sinner's christian awakening written as an exposition on the criminal justice system of Russia at the turn of the twentieth century. You will be surprised by the sinners and criminals many times throughout the book. An excellent read. Includes vintage illustration!