BOOK REVIEW: WHITE KNIGHTS (2.5/5)

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Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky

This was recommended to me by a close friend, who described it as "deeply tragic and emotional". Curious to explore the literary power packed in just about 70 pages, I purchased this short story. I honestly loved the size of this mini-book, that was another reason I was inclined to read it, although I am not a fan of pre-modern era writers. 

*SPOILERS ALERT*

So, I honestly could not relate to the story much. It did not leave me in tears, or briming with emotions, as expected. My only reaction at the end was "huh, not a bad read". I found the "love" that all of the characters experienced in the story, to be superficial at best. There was no emotional depth or any deep conversations between the characters which could have led to such deep emotions. I feel throughout the story, infatuation has been confused with love. Also I clearly despise the female protagonist. She viewed the protagonist as a backup and gave him unnecessary hope, only to take it all away when her lover finally arrived. She definitely did not feel anything close to love for the protagonist. She left him all alone to deal with a shattered heart. With minimal emotional depth, it obviously isn't a very moving story. Has it delivered a good plot in minimal number of pages? Kind of. Is it a must read? Absolutely not. If you like emotionally powerful stories, you can comfortably skip this one.

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