Sonya: The Life of Countess Tolstoy. Hardcover – April 6, 1981

I am so used to reading on a Kindle that reading this fine print is difficult.However, I am looking forward to a nice day of reading 'Sonya' on my patio in the bright sunlight.

I discovered this book via some social media recommendations and I was not disappointed. I pored through the first part of this book with the hunger of a fascinated reader. As Tolstoy’s madness crept more firmly into the pages, my fascination soured. I firmly recommend this book for historians and those interested in Russian history. Sonya’s perspective is a critical link for lovers of Russian literature. Anne Edwards spins a powerful tale that is firmly based on letters, documents, diaries and journals. A must-read.

This book (difficult to read, the writing is excellent but the content is a bit disturbing at times) exposes the acts of Mr Tolstoy, who in today's world might wind up on a tabloid newspaper for his treatment of his wife.Tolstoy spends his young days sexing up various prostitutes (at the urging of his immediate family members), an older relative, and eventually, one of his serfs while her husband is away.Basically Sonya describes him best. He is a genius, a great writer, but not a great man, because great men are not hypocrites. The Tolstoyan Disciples (his entourage) are "idlers" who mooch off Sonya. Their chief, Chertkov, bilks Sonya and her family out of the profits of Tolstoys works.... and somehow Chertkov, preaching the evils of property, never gives up his own massive wealth or possessions and some money goes disappearing. . . . . . . and this is the tip of the iceberg.Sonya has over a dozen children, and many of them die. The high number is because Tolstoy doesn't believe in birth control. Abortion, of course, is a mortal sin, but Sonya is still driven to jump onto hard objects in secret because she can't get the help of the local herbalist midwife --- who is too afraid of Tolstoy to help her.Tolstoy also doesn't believe that giant fissures on your nipples should excuse you from the 'duty' of suckling a baby. Regardless of the horrendous pain and suffering and possible infection. Sex with a nursing woman is abhorrent as well to Tolstoy. Eventually, all sex becomes abhorrent to him (and it caused him a great deal of trouble, in his own life). Apparently he can never accept that she wants to be with him in spite of his sins.So why did she stay with him? At the head of one of the chapters, Edwards quotes her that she was in love with the 'enldess dream' of the man.

Anne Edwards is a favorite biographer (see "Vivien Leigh") and she doesn't disappoint with this biography of Sonya, wife of Count Leo Tolstoy. Using diaries and letters, she constructs an intimate portrait of their courtship and marriage, including the free use Tolstoy made of Sonya's family in "War & Peace." A gifted writer herself, Sonya became a martyr to the great man's needs which Edwards depicts in agonizing detail. This book must be the basis for "The Last Station," starring Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer, depicting the tragic and peculiar circumstances of his death. This is an intimate portrait of a remarkable and gifted woman fighting for her Children's heritage and her own soul.

Read lots of history so this was very informative.

very thorough........the real truth coming from Tolstoy's wife - good photos - a gem to save -

This book is a revelation. The true story of this famous marriage is astonishing. Sonya is revealed as a remarkable woman who endured much more than any human being should yet remained faithful to a very great and impossible genius.The fact that she transcribed, repeatedly, so many hundreds of pages of his manuscripts, working from his terrible, crabbed handwriting, earns her a special place of honor in Tolstoy's history. But there were also many times when she stood up and did what had to be done to preserve the family and its fortune when they were jeopardized by his peculiar behavior and incredible, often cruel, eccentricities. Theirs was one the most tortured marriages, one of the most unhappy in the annals of literature.I enjoyed this book greatly and learned so much more about Tolstoy himself, revealed here in the greatest detail as a monster of egotism. But I doubt that anyone, having read the creations of his mind, can ever forget them or the transcendent genius that gave shape to them.The history of the Russia of that time adds to the interest of this fine biography. And, in my opinion, if there is any history more gripping than Russia's, or any nation more renowned for its victories and more afflicted in its sufferings, I have not heard of it.

I am fond of Anne Edwards style of writing and find this book very interesting because it is well researched and the story of Tolstoy's marriage to Sonya is a fascinating glimpse of history. Particularly as it relates to the books he has written and how the characters and incidences were based on his real life. That said, I sometimes just wanted to reach into the book and hit them both on the head! Although he is certainly one of the greatest writers, Tolstoy definately would have greatly benefited if Prozac were available in his day. His wife Sonya, wasn't any better -- she vascillates between fanatic love and deep hate for him. They were both co-dependent and frankly, it just made my blood boil as I was reading the book. I just wanted to scream at them and say "enough - get a divorce...if not for your well-being, then think of the kids!...." After putting the book down, it is almost impossible to feel any empathy for these two people because ultimately, they just didn't get the concept that a relationship is between two people and not just about yourself.

I had no idea whatsoever about the life and times of Count Leo Tolstoy. The Story of Sonya is a revelation. It tells of how he lived his eccentric life and destroyed her. I would read it again and again. Well done Anne Edwards.