The Death of Ivan IlyichThe Death of Ivan Ilyich
Score Classic
What it's about
Ivan Ilyich is a respectable judge who has lived a proper, comfortable, ordinary life. A small fall while hanging curtains leads to a mysterious illness, and as he declines, his family and colleagues pretend nothing serious is wrong. Facing death, and the falseness of everyone around him except his kind servant, Ivan begins to ask whether his life was lived rightly. Other short works by Tolstoy fill out the collection.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books. The Death of Ivan Ilyich is short but one of the most powerful things ever written about dying and how to live.
You'll love it if you liked
Anna Karenina
War and Peace
A Grief ObservedGood to know
The title story is novella-length and can be read in an evening. The companion stories differ by edition.
By the numbers
- Readers67 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller32 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
More by Leo Tolstoy
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Gravity's Rainbow
Breakfast of Champions
The Bell Jar
Cat's Cradle
Rabbit, Run
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Quick answers
Is The Death of Ivan Ilyich worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books. It ranks #731 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Death of Ivan Ilyich about?
Ivan Ilyich is a respectable judge who has lived a proper, comfortable, ordinary life. A small fall while hanging curtains leads to a mysterious illness, and as he declines, his family and colleagues pretend nothing serious is wrong. Facing death, and the falseness of everyone around him except his kind servant, Ivan begins to ask whether his life was lived rightly. Other short works by Tolstoy fill out the collection.
How long does it take to read The Death of Ivan Ilyich?
About 2 hours (70 pages), or about 4 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Death of Ivan Ilyich?
If you liked it, try Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy or A Grief Observed by CS Lewis.