Series ✦ Penny’s Take 🎧 Audiobook
The Death of Ivan Ilych: Literary Classics
Leo Tolstoy · 2020
🎙 Narrated by Kevin Gilhooley (Woodkeep Audio, 2020 edition)
88/100
👍 Worth It
This slim Tolstoy novella is a gut-punch in the best way — a court judge's fatal illness forces him to reckon honestly with what actually mattered, and it earns its emotional payoff without ever turning preachy. The middle stretch is bleak, but the close offers real peace. I couldn't confirm much about this specific narrator's take, though other editions of this one are read with a warm, unhurried touch that suits the material well.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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🎙 Narration: unknown Could not verify this specific 2020 Woodkeep Audio performance; other editions of the novella are praised for warm, conversational pacing.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety85
Substance / usefulness92
Craft & writing90
Originality85
Evidence & accuracy90
Hype vs delivers85
Age-fit80
Human-eye read90
Penny’s verdict88
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