Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

58 reviews

challenging reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book.  It is so much more than a romance.  I suggest that you read it as an ebook if you aren't fluent in French.  The translation had many French phrases which you need to comprehend in order to understand the conversations between the characters.

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Amazing book, it’s long but so worth it! Super interesting and the characters are all amazing! At the end of the book I felt like I knew every character so personally and this book just couldn’t have been any better!! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Giving myself major props for finishing my first Tolstoy! It’s easy to feel intimidated by big long classics, but I found Anna Karenina to be very readable and quite engaging. The chapters are short, which keeps the pace moving, and Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s conversational narration made it easy to keep all the characters straight. I was struck by how relatable these characters were. I have no idea what it’s like to be Russian nobility in the 1850’s, but I do know what it’s like to feel jealousy, doubt, fear, joy, and love. The novel deeply explores jealousy in particular, in all its frustrating futility. Tolstoy masterfully captures all these human emotions. I know some folks have issues with this Constance Garnett translation, but on the whole, I found it beautiful. (I could see myself reading this again with a different translation; that’s how much I liked it!) Garnett could have translated more of the French for me, sure, but Tolstoy’s rich imagery, similes, and symbolism truly shined. I loved the part where Levin compares marriage to a little boat off in the distance, for example. From afar, it looks like the boaters are having a sweet, peaceful time on the water, but once you’re in the boat, there’s a lot more rowing and balancing and focus needed to keep the thing afloat. I was also blown away by the scenes where Kitty gives birth. I could so feel Levin’s intense anxiety and joy. Truly a powerful piece of literature!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings