The Aviator

By: Eugene Vodolazkin, Lisa C. Hayden - translator, Gabrielle de Cuir - director

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir, John Rubinstein

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

From award-winning author Eugene Vodolazkin comes this poignant story of memory, love, and loss spanning 20th-century Russia.

A man wakes up in a hospital bed, with no idea who he is or how he came to be there. The only information the doctor shares with his patient is his name: Innokenty Petrovich Platonov. As memories slowly resurface, Innokenty begins to build a vivid picture of his former life as a young man in Russia in the early 20th century, living through the turbulence of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. But soon, only one question remains: How can he remember the start of the 20th century, when the pills by his bedside were made in 1999?

Reminiscent of the great works of 20th-century Russian literature, with nods to Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Bulgakov's The White Guard, The Aviator cements Vodolazkin's position as the rising star of Russia's literary scene.

©2018 Eugene Vodolazkin (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Captivating Story with Unfullfulling End

Any Russophile will find this story that involves a man born in 1900, who ends up being frozen in a gulag and then revived to find himself in 1999, a compelling subject. The poetry of his description of life in the past and present is worth the listen. However, the ending is disappointing and leaves too many questions.

Strange

What a strange story.I only stuck with it to find out what happened, strange, very strange.

A MASTERPIECE

A view of Russian hisory told in a fantastical, compelling story. A work of genius.

The ending is bewildering

To say the least, the ending is anti-climactic. I was truly stunned and hope for a sequel. Otherwise, the book is very interesting and thought-provoking. Would make a great movie. Maybe with a different ending.

Deep and odd, not an easy read but a rewarding one

A book it would be very hard to categorise, as it is unusual in so many ways. If you liked Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance then you would probably like this. The Russian names both place and people are a little hard to get a grip on but the translator and the narrators do a marvellous job in making this listenable and rich in English. A book that will stay with you for a while and one that I can't say I wholly understand but one that you will want to research more about after you have listened.

Fantastic read!

Great way of telling a story and reviewing history.
Looking forward to more from this author!

ambiguous.

I was hoping for more. the ending was unsatisfying. not sure if it was worth the listen. it's sort of like flowers for algeron without completion or purpose.

Not sure what to think

Liked parts of it, fascinated by some of the ideas, depressed by some of it. Not really entertaining, but rather thought provoking. Very well performed.

The Aviator

An evolving epic story of events in history taking place in two eras, the two seamlessly carrying the listener through a life that is tested beyond endurance. A fascinating read, an author strongly interpreting masterful Russian writers, especially Alexandr S. Pushkin, but projecting a super modern and exciting style of his own. Loved it.

nul

Ce livre est complètement nul!

Je n'ai rien compris à l'histoire.

Quelle perte de temps.

Heureusement que c'etait gratuit ....