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Summary: The absolute greatest book!!
Review: This is an excellent story!! From the first to last word you are enthralled be the poetic writing of Pasternak and the complexity of his characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading
Review: A complex, stirring book that hits the reader on a multitude of levels, -Doctor Zhivago- achieves for Boris Pasternak the true desire of an author--to give an insight on the world we live in and the people that populate it, to express lessons and morals discovered by the author (in his perspective) and painstakingly exact them from the gray matter to paper. * Russian life and russian struggle is the theme of Pasternak's masterpiece; he tells the story of the russian revolution through not only his central protagonists but also through a myriad of random charicters that flitter in and out of his vivid, sometimes hallucinary prose. At times this is distracting, espicially with the long and difficult to pronounce names, but as a whole it creates a vision of a time and society that no longer exists except in tomes such as this. * In fact, the names are the only reason I do not award this book a full rating of five: in the version I read the charicters were named at times by their first, later by their last, in seemingly random order, which grew confusing. * Other than that, Doctor Zhivago is a rich and rewarding text worth reading.
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Summary: Masterpiece of modern literature.
Review: Pasternak combines the twin stories of the turmoil of the Russian revolution and the life of Yuri Zhivago in one absorbing literary masterpiece. From the childhood trauma of losing his mother to the moving love that Zhivago feels for both his wife and Lara, Pasternak manages to tell a story that weaves tragedy and joy in the one novel. However, what truly makes the book worth reading are the passages of beautifully crafted writing that border on prose. A fuller appreciation for these passages growing with each additional reading of the novel.Although a complex and initially difficult read, Dr. Zhivago blossoms into a novel which sweeps you into its story and carries you to an end that leaves you feeling saddened and yet richer for the experience. I would doubt that few can read this novel without it changing them and that fewer still can resist reading it again and again.
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Summary: Combination of heavy philosophy with a beautiful soap opera
Review: This is a worthwhile read. After plodding through the beginning, I, too, fell in love with Lara. I could not put the book down any time her character and her relationship with Zhivago was discussed. The more high brow and intellectually challenging parts of the book that focus on the foredoomed defeat of a poetic free spirit by politics (and not necessarily Soviet politics)were, I felt, too tedious and plodding to qualify the novel among the genuine Russian classics. There is no real plot. The lingering impression is of a beautiful love story, set against a less beautiful and compelling but still profound philosophical and political background. The soap opera wins out.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: Time does go by, and in a well written summed up novel, Pasternak shares through his poetry at the end of the book what Zhivago thinks, and portrays how a well-educated and successful man can be destroyed during the times of revolution
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Summary: At the very pinnacle of this century's literary works!
Review: The key to the profound and untold eminence of this literary creation is its symbolism! As an avid reader of this prodigious writing for well over a quarter century now, one may readily assert that, without a grasp of the intricate array of manifold symbols generated solely within the text itself, there can be no unfolding of Doctor Zhivago's timeless, revelatory grandeur and, ultimately, its intended signification. As if to accentuate the primacy of the book's symbolism, near its beginning (ch.2, sec.10) we find a statement concluding with the following crucial, enigmatic phrase: "... life is symbolic because it is full of meaning." Numerous commentaries have noted that, "zhiv" in the Russian language means "alive" (a derivative of the word for "life") and "zhivago" means "he who is alive." With this in mind, one possible approach to elucidating the above phrase might be to consider "LIFE, that is, ZHIVAGO (the book itself, as well as its protagonist) is symbolic because it is full of meaning." Incidentally, among the book's myriad symbolic images and personages, the CANDLE is paramount. Its presence and its absence, whether subtle or manifest, are interwoven throughout both the prose text and the poems. Without discerning and appreciating the candle symbolism, we remain light-years removed from any worthy comprehension of Doctor Zhivago. Indeed, this likewise applies to the other primary symbol, the TRAIN. Though it would seem inviting to make comparisons and contrasts with various great Russian novels of the past (or more recent acclaimed 20th century novels), such approaches are abysmally misguided and ultimately futile. Declining imitation of the timeworn novelistic genre, Pasternak is intent upon introducing a radically new, quintessentially dialogical genre, if you will! As for the movie, admittedly the David Lean/Robert Bolt romantic portrayal of Yurii's and Lara's epochal ordeal is captivating and occasionally provocative. Be that as it may, the cinematic rendering of Pasternak's original text insufficiently conveys any true sense for the relevant symbolism and, consequently, fails to penetrate the meaning-filled essence of this incomparable masterpiece. So, by entering a wondrous realm of sweeping philosophical dimension (pointedly purged of psychologizing), a vast, meditative realm regarding elemental human relations in light of history, art, religion, politics -- yes, life in general and particular! -- Doctor Zhivago, in all its symbol-filled, non-imitative radiance, affords boundless, abiding inspiration in our times of change and plenty
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Summary: A real classic. Deeper meaning on every page. A must read
Review: This book is so enchanting that once started it can never be put down. There is so much imagery and so much to take at face value. I highly recommend this book
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Summary: Doctor Zhivago is a great Russian novel
Review: "Doctor Zhivago" is one of the best Russian novels of all times. While not legally available in Russia until 1988, Pasternak won the Nobel Prize (which he declined to receive) very soon after its publication in Italy, in 1957. Its high-critical appeal rests primarily in its myriad stylistic developments and lyrical descriptions. On the surface, "Doctor Zhivago" may seem like a realist story in the Dostoyevsky-Tolstoy tradition, the story of Zhivago, a poet and physician, beautiful Lara Guishar, and their love for each other, in the tumultuous times of World War I and the Russian Revolution. However, the novel is much more than that. Pasternak, we must remember, was primarly a poet, and, indeed, "Docotor Zhivago" is a poet's novel, for it is lyrical, musical, and enchanting as beautiful poetry. The novel seeks to redefine man's place in the cosmos, and boldly says that man is not above nature, rather part of nature. That a young boy may feel the same longing a wolf cub does when its mother has died serves to illustrate this point. Unlike many modern novels that thrash away at religion and folklore, this novel seeks to encompass them, redefining convincingly what is lasting and important in life. At one point Zhivago says, 'Man was born to live, not to prepare for life' and Zhivago (like Pasternak in real life) finds a way to lead a rich and full life in the repressive Soviet society. We can compare "Docotor Zhivago" to the style of D. H. Lawrence, while its rich use of simile is reminiscent of Bruno Schulz's "Streets of Crocodiles." "Docotor Zhivago" is sad, somber, and beautiful, but above all it is an epic. While the innumerable coincidences and long nature descriptions may give trouble to some, most seriour readers will find their hearts throb and ask themselves again and again through its pages, "Is it as good as I think it is?"
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Summary: Captivating
Review: This novel portraying the young Doctor Zhivago covers with beautiful accuracy and simplicity the many events of the Russian Revolution and its consequences in the eyes of a cast of different characters, whose intertwined lives are all affected by the political changes, some more than others. Although one cannot compare this piece of Russian literature to the works of Tolstoy or, more recently, the outstanding Rybakov, author of the Arbat trilogy, "Doctor Zhivago" is certainly an excellent read, rich with shattered dreams and lost loves.
Rating: 
Summary: The Movie really helps
Review: Great book, but if you really want to understand the plot, watch one of the (2 video) movies!!!
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