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marinaraydun's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mizpurplest's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book would have been a lot more meaningful if I'd actually read Anna Karenina already. But as it was, it was a very interesting story, well written and entertaining. And it made me want to read the original even more than I wanted to before!
thejoyofbooking's review against another edition
It's rare that a modern retelling can be better than the original. To be honest, I'm not sure that's what happened here, but I do know that I don't feel like I need to go read Anna Karenina now, and that's a cool thing.
Anna, a 30-something New Yorker in the Jewish Russian immigrant community, finally settles down because she feels like she's supposed to. Alex K. seems nice enough, he's financially stable, and it'll finally get her mother off her back. Of course, no sooner is she settled than she meets David, who's dating her cousin Katia, who's being pursued by Lev. It's a modern soap opera fraught with the tensions of both unrequited and unacceptable love.
Anna is the kind of woman you'd love to hate, but you can't quite muster up enough feeling for her to do so. Which, actually, is part of this story's brilliance - drawing an unlikable protagonist while keeping the reader engaged is difficult to do, but I think Irina Reyn does it very well. The tragedy at the end of the book is quietly devastating, all the more so because of its realism.
Anna, a 30-something New Yorker in the Jewish Russian immigrant community, finally settles down because she feels like she's supposed to. Alex K. seems nice enough, he's financially stable, and it'll finally get her mother off her back. Of course, no sooner is she settled than she meets David, who's dating her cousin Katia, who's being pursued by Lev. It's a modern soap opera fraught with the tensions of both unrequited and unacceptable love.
Anna is the kind of woman you'd love to hate, but you can't quite muster up enough feeling for her to do so. Which, actually, is part of this story's brilliance - drawing an unlikable protagonist while keeping the reader engaged is difficult to do, but I think Irina Reyn does it very well. The tragedy at the end of the book is quietly devastating, all the more so because of its realism.
mschmug's review against another edition
3.0
Anna K is intriguing to me because she's from the Soviet Union. Also, the ethic neighborhood of Rego Park is also interesting.
randybo5's review against another edition
4.0
If you like Anna Karenina, this is a must read. No, it's not Toltoy, but it does a pretty clever job of updating the story for the 21st century. That being said, I spent half the book wanting to smack the characters for dreaming about a fantasy world instead of appreciating what they had.
spiderfelt's review against another edition
2.0
Something I couldn't quite peg irritated me about the main character right from the start. I stayed with it for a few hours, but once the author claimed the teenage boys rejected her because they were 'struggling with their sexuality', the groan emerged which meant I could not listen to any more.
heathermollauthor's review against another edition
2.0
sharp portrait of Russian-American Jews in NY, witty, insightful. Not exactly Tolstoy, but an entertaining read.
maggie_atwood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, and Sexual content
Minor: War and Racism
crankylibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
The classic story reimagined in the insular world of Bukharian Jewish immigrants in Queens. Anna, Lev and Katia (standing in for Levin and Kitty) struggle with their conflicting identities as Russians, Jews, and would-be Americans:tragedy arises from their failure to distinguish their true natures from their fantasies. Poignant, beautifully written,with flashes of wry humor: the matchmaker hired by Lev's increasingly desperate parents coolly assesses his chances at Bukharian matrimony: "There is no need to think Ashkenazi just yet".
mimima's review against another edition
3.0
This modern retelling of "Anna Karenina" is deftly done. It nods to the original, while updating the setting to New York in a community of recently (or fairly recently) Russian Jewish immigrants. I really loved the way that she drew the characters, and the way that you'd see the subtle nods to Tolstoy's novel.
I am waffling between 3-4 stars, but I would definitely recommend the novel.
I am waffling between 3-4 stars, but I would definitely recommend the novel.