First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

In the Polish village of Lipce, scandal, romance and drama crackle in every hearth. Boryna, a widower and the village’s wealthiest farmer, has taken the young and beautiful Jagusia as his bride – but she only has eyes for his impetuous son Antek. Over the course of four seasons – Autumn to Summer – the tangled skein of their story unravels, watched eagerly by the other peasants: the gossip Jagustynka, pious Roch, hot-blooded Mateusz, gentle Witek. At once richly lyrical and realistic, comic, tragic and reflective, Władysław Reymont’s epic novel is a love song to the land, and to the eternal, timeless matters of the heart.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! I hope the week has been kind to everyone and that you’re all ending it on a high note. Just like that, the first workweek of the third month of the year is done. Third month of the year? Woah. How time flies! I can’t believe we are already in March. At times, it feels like nothing of consequence has happened; yet at the same time, it also feels like a lot has happened, even though we are just two months into the year. Nevertheless, I hope the year is providing everyone with plenty of opportunities to grow and improve. With the weekend looming, I hope everyone has a great one and ends the workweek on a high note. It is now time to dress down and wear more comfortable clothes. I hope you spend the weekend wisely—whether by resting from the rigors of a demanding career, pursuing your passions, completing household chores, spending time with loved ones, or simply relaxing. I hope you’re all doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The arrival of a new month means that things are about to get hectic once again. Thankfully, the previous month-end closing was not as tedious as I expected. I guess the processes are getting smoother or are working properly. Still, many things need improvement. I have quite a lot on my plate at work, including correcting errors from previous years. It seems that at every turn, I keep opening a Pandora’s box. On the brighter side, I have regained my “accounting” groove. I am still a little overwhelmed, and it is a tall order, but I know I can do it. I just have to take it one step at a time, and before long, things will be whipped into shape. With the start of a new month comes a new literary journey. After spending the first two months of the year reading works by Latin American and Caribbean writers, I have crossed the Atlantic to commence a literary journey across the diverse European literary landscape. Toward the end of February, I didn’t have any idea what my March literary journey was going to look like. Then I realized that my reading challenges are also filled with works of European literature.

It was this realization that made me decide to venture across the vast and rich tapestry of European literature. Commencing this new literary journey is Polish writer Władysław Stanisław Reymont’s (born Rejment) The Peasants. It was during a random foray into the local bookstore that I first came across Reymont and his novel. What immediately piqued my interest was the book’s heft. At nearly 900 pages long (more if the notes and the glossary are included), hefty is an understatement. You see, I have always had a preference for reading longer books. I also had another motivation to read the book. Apparently, Reymont was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature by the Swedish Academy in 1924. The Swedish Academy’s main motivation for choosing Reymont, interestingly, was his epic novel The Peasants. Yes, my current read. This made it imperative for me to secure a copy of the book, and I even made it part of my 2026 Top 26 Reading List.

Originally published in four parts between 1904 and 1909, The Peasants is widely recognized as Reymont’s greatest literary achievement. The four parts were then collectively published as Chłopi in 1909. The first parts of the story were published in the weekly magazine Tygodnik Illustrowany. The four volumes comprising the novel are titled after the different seasons. The story commences in autumn (Jesień, 1904), transporting readers to the village of Lipce in central Poland, where the novel is primarily set. As the leaves of the trees burst into color before falling to the ground, we are introduced to an eclectic cast of characters. Still, the novel’s literary lens focuses on one family: the Boryna family. The patriarch, Maciej, is one of the richest and most respected farmers in the village. He has been widowed twice and has grown children. This did not hinder him from pursuing a third marriage. He chose to marry nineteen-year-old Jagusia (Jagna), who had earned a reputation for her physical beauty.

However, Jagusia is no virginal or pure young woman. Maciej was unaware of her questionable reputation. She was renowned in the village for having affairs with various men. For her part, Jagna agreed to marry Maciej largely because of her calculating mother, who advocated for the marriage. Beyond her ill reputation, Jagna is actually a passionate woman. She was indifferent to Maciej’s affluence. His vast tracts of land barely impressed her. Their marriage, however, visibly upset Maciej’s son, Antek, who opposed it. Interestingly, Antek had his own designs on Jagna, even though he was already married to Hanka, with whom he had three children. Antek opposed the marriage not only because he was jealous of his father, but also because he feared that his inheritance would slip away. After their marriage, Maciej gifted his new wife generous portions of his best lands, to the detriment of his four children.

Following the marriage ceremonies and a series of hilarious moments, winter (Zima, 1904) swiftly settled in. With the cold breeze came the wolves who lurked near the peasants’ stock barns. It was also during the winter season that Antek heard rumors surrounding his stepmother. At Christmas, the Boryna household was filled with merriment. It was announced that Jagna was pregnant. But things started to become even more intriguing as Antek and Jagna gradually became closer, rekindling a lost romance. One night at the inn, Antek becomes drunk, ignores his wife, and asks Jagna to dance with him, but then Maciej arrives, abruptly taking his wife with him. Maciej initially sent Jagna away, but later took her back only to treat her as a servant. Meanwhile, Antek lost his job, forcing Hanka to join the paupers seeking firewood in the forest. To say that the novel is uneventful is an understatement.

There is actually quite a lot to process in the story. The murky relationships between the characters are just scratching the surface. Beneath them are dynamics that are quite intriguing. I must say that the novel is quite verbose, which adds to the challenge of deciphering the story and its characters. The characters are equally complex and even morally gray. This, I suppose, makes them even more compelling to read. On top of this, I am in awe of Reymont’s vivid portrait of the Polish countryside. Lipce slowly comes to life through Reymont’s lyrical and descriptive writing. The village gradually develops into a character in itself. Yes, the changing seasons also astutely underscore the relationship between nature and humans. There is still quite a lot to unpack in the story, even though I am already halfway through it. I am looking forward to seeing how both the story and the characters develop.

I just started the book’s third section, Spring (Wiosna, 1906). I believe the characters are due for some blossoming. How about you, fellow reader? What are you reading this weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current book. Happy weekend!