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mirrorofneptune's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Parts with Levin: 1.5/5
This is an objectively well-written, thoughtful, and complex novel and I do understand both the timelessness and the hype. I also know that there’s something to be said for the literary merit of books with large casts where each character plays a role in communicating the themes of the story. That being said: I cannot stand Levin. He’s a shameless self-insert and I resent that he contributed to the plot. On a less biased note I didn’t find the storyline with him as compelling as the storyline with Anna– I know from a literary analysis perspective his relationship is meant to parallel Anna’s, but that doesn’t mean I liked reading about it. For a book titled Anna Karenina it felt like the Levin show a lot of the time…
All that aside, this book was a genuinely poignant sketch of complicated emotions, societal hypocrisy, and moral shades of gray. I am glad I read it, even though it was challenging at times. Some interesting pacing decisions were made but there’s a plethora of haunting quotes and scenes to make up for that.
In conclusion: God bless Sophia Tolstoy, I’m so sorry your husband probably plagiarized your diaries to write this, but the parts it looked like he lifted verbatim were some of the best 🙏🏻
Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity
annasorr's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Classism, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, War, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Animal death
cowboyariel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Big TW for suicide & suicidal thoughtslachiemorris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A small gripe I had was that I found it odd that the title was Anna Karenina, when the book was much more than that. Often times it would divulge into a 100-page chunk where the titular character wasn't mentioned or seen. But again it's a minute gripe.
For my dislikes, I found it rather annoying when Tolstoy decides to spend 8 chapters on a character mowing with a scythe, or when he finds it imperative to the plot to explain things that in no way shape or form should be mentioned. Along with this, I find at times he halts the plot to explain his own views on things through his characters. When its intriguing I don't mind, but when its not its painstakingly obvious and at times a slog. And for this reason I found the first half to be often times slow, as characters are being shown to the reader through their views. For these reasons it isn't a 5 star.
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
hjb_128's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
Moderate: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: War and Racism
tommy_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Minor: War, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Pregnancy
klingcooper's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Having just finished this book a mere five minutes ago, I do look back at the journey with fondness, and I especially appreciated the final chapters of Levin’s internal reckoning with spiritual mysticism.
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
jeanned_arc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
elihrus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Minor: War and Alcohol
brighetti's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.0
The "great" love story isn't even that great in my opinion - as a reader I don't feel that their love is strong, I am told. Occasionally their actions (i.e. what they give up) is used to demonstrate how much they love each other, but that is still not quite written well enough to make me feel it. So, by the time the relationship is
There were passages that I enjoyed reading, and moments in the plot where I was engaged, but overall Tolstoy uses far to many words to tell a story in a less than interesting way. I simply think he could have done with a hard-truth editor. Or perhaps redirected some of the tangents into separate books so they are not so interruptive in this one.
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Suicidal thoughts