Smoke

"Smoke" by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev is a novel that portrays the complicated lives of Russian people living in Baden-Baden during the 1800s. Grigory Mihalovitch Litvinov, a deep thinking man getting ready to go back to Russia after studying overseas, is in love with Irina Pavlovna Osinina, a woman who is both captivating and troubled. The story begins in Baden-Baden, where Litvinov sees the Russian upper class showing off and feeling bored. As he meets people like Bambaev, who wants to get ahead, and Voroshilov, who is smart, we learn about Litvinov's past and what he hopes to achieve. The book is a mix of romance and making fun of politics, looking at themes like moral decay and trying to find yourself in a society with lots of rules, and suggests Litvinov's close ties to both his country and the mysterious Irina.