Had I not been feeling terrible for 4 days of my spring break with ear infections in both ears, I probably would not have finished this book. Although, in Kadish's defense, the chances of me falling in love with a book immediately after reading my most-loved Franny and Zooey are slim to none.

Basically, I felt like she's just recently realized that love/feminism/companionship/art/religion are- at times- paradoxical, and- at most times- messy. It's all well and good that she's realized these things and fit them into a neat story about her falling in love on my current stomping ground of NYC, but I'd much rather have read a book by Salinger... who had discovered these nuances of life long ago, has meditated upon them for some time, and writes about how to (or how not to) move forward in a life full of contradictions.

Took me a long time to finish this book because some rush hour knocked it out of my hands as I was getting on the subway and let it fall between the train and the platform so that it was staring up at me from the tracks. So...I've finally finished it.
I'm a Tolstoy fan, so I was thrilled at the idea of that coupled with real chick lit. That's what I got. Not rocket science, but more tolerable than most chick lit (which I have a soft spot for) in that she is clearly well read and has great knowledge of literature. I would've been annoyed that she beats you over the head with it, but it is perfectly set up since the heroine is a lit professor!

The moment I fell in love with the novel Tolstoy Lied: A Love Story by Rachel Kadish would be halfway through page six. Before that point the novel was well-written commentary on literature critiquing as delivered by (if it can be said without unnecessary repetition) an intelligent and sarcastic narrator (as both so often go together that they become one). But her passionate defense of books, and her description of how an addiction forms for the sound of pages turning much the way growing up by the sea attunes one to the constant waves, was my first glimpse at what lay beneath the snarky surface.

One hundred or so pages later, I realized that revealing character depths is one of the novel’s strengths. To borrow the Shrek metaphor, people are like onions and the novel peels them away one layer at a time. Yolanda, introduced as a man-catching appearance-focused woman, carries herself with devastated beauty as an actress and notably provides sage advice to Tracy in her relationship with George after an almost-argument. Jeff, a hardened cynic, is willing to abandon academia entirely for the man he loves and ruin his cultivated reputation for his friendship with Tracy. Elizabeth, a slip of a graduate student, breaks into the library after hours to continue her research. The novel is not without surprises because the well-developed characters are full of them.

It is not only their depths but their flaws that render Kadish’s characters lifelike. Before George revealed his “traditional” views on how he believes a woman should want a family and should prioritize her career above that family, the romance between him and Tracy seemed unreal with them bonding at first sight and quickly progressing to in-depth conversations and amazing sex. Seeing a flaw that could draw Tracy’s ire was the first moment I believed that this relationship between them could be real – anyone can be perfectly charming until you get to know them, and it’s when the charm wears off that you find out how much you really like them.

Despite much of its plot being a play upon borrowed romantic conventions, I’m not sure I would be so quick to classify this as a romance novel; while I can’t deny there’s romance, I see it more as a novel about relationships, not just the one Tracy has with George but with everyone else around her. Much of the novel functions according to Gardner’s definition of metafiction or a deconstruction, in that it takes language and ideas apart to examine their inner workings. The typical idea of a romantic ending, which much like a comedy ends with a marriage, is sporked by Kadish without mercy, as well as American literature’s use of tragedy and its avoidance of happiness in Tracy’s discovery of the spiked plant she comes to call her happiness. It casts doubts on traditional romantic ideals (If a guy gives a girl who hates flowers roses, is that really romantic? Should a woman be expected to prioritize family over career, and pressured into doing so?). But when it comes to the romance novel’s purpose, to make the reader fall in love not only with a person but with the idea of romance itself, Kadish succeeds in a manner worthy of worship.

By Sarah Anderson

I really like Rachel Kadish's writing. The first exposure that I had to her writing was "The Weight of Ink" her writing spoils you so that anything less is disappointing. I have nothing in common with Tolstoy Lied but I cared deeply about the story and characters as I read. The book is funny, not in a silly way but in a relatable way. It makes you smile. Do I believe the premise after reading the story? I dont know, I'm still thinking about it.

2-1/2 stars. I like that much of the book seems to be mocking academia and the dominant premise that happiness is uninteresting. "Every day brilliant people, people smarter than I, wallow in safe tragedy and pessimism, shying from what really takes guts: recognizing how much courage and labor happiness demands."

I first read Rachel Kadish's Weight of Ink, which will probably remain one of my top favorites. This is an earlier book about a female academic and one can see some of the thoughts and threads that were eventually woven into Weight of Ink... Religion and writing... the nature of relationships and gender roles. I think I was drawn to and enjoyed this book because of its academic setting, the challenges associated with graduate school. It was very relateable to me.

When the book opens with the lie by Tolstoy it helped me realize the truth within it. Kadish helped me put into words some of the feelings I felt, and still feel, about my last relationship. He was a horse and I was a llama and that about summed up why we are no longer together. The last paragraph also bespoke to my own mentality on life right now. Take life for what is is a shock, dont prepare yourself for what may happened when the variables are far to numerous.

A readable, if not always convincing, novel set in a university English department. While I found the writing to be lively and insightful, the plot, characters, and efforts to show the absurdity of academic politics all felt a bit flat.

Wonderful, believable, quirky love story set in academe (English department.)

I can relate to the ins & outs of relationship building but theres more screaming signs of " get out & dont do it " that are really uncomfortable yet often common in hetero relationships. This guy is too controlling bordering on gaslighting & shes doing way too much emotional labor, especially for a 3 month long one. Im not sure i consider her friends & family being helpful with their attitudes & advice either.
Its better than typical pulp romance but i sure dont like too many of the characters.

This was the first of three books I read last fall that I picked to read together that had a feminist theme.

I had really high hopes for this one but ultimately felt like it turned out to be quite predictable. It was almost as if it tried not to be then the author got tired and just gave in.

This book follows a young English professor as she tries to get tenured and sort through her feelings on love and happiness. The plot got weaker throughout the book (too melodramatic), but I enjoyed the commentaries on literature and a look into the world of professors.