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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this and was ready to, despite my previous boredom, rate it a strong 4 stars. Until the last chapters after Anna's death which focus solely on Levin. I get it, it is Tolstoy's self insert and he has quite interesting ideas. Yes, this book isn’t just about Anna. AND STILL. I FELT LIKE I COULDN’T ANYMORE READING THE LAST FEW PAGES. My eyes were closing. All I could think of was to get it done as soon as possible.
I loved Anna, she is my favorite girlfailure to ever exist, and I loved Kitty and Dolly as well. I have no idea how Tolstoy knows what women think like so well (or maybe I do know: by reading his wife’s journals and plagiarizing) but his talent in dialogue and thought exposition is close to unmatched. As much as I enjoyed Kitty, I couldn’t brush off that Levin felt like a predator to me (yes, I know, those were the times) and everyone else as well was always babying Kitty, saying don’t step like that, don’t jump too sudden, don’t rush, don’t don’t don’t… and i am supposed to believe she’s more than a child…I thought her and Levin’s jealousy crises were a match made in heaven and really ridiculous but not in a pestering way.
This was such a fun read also from a learning aspect about the 19th century and you can basically feel the bolshevik revolution bubbling, almost ready to go off. Also, there’s discussions on feminism and women’s role and education, marriage, honor, war, patriotism, economic models, politics, community, class division and so on… Funnily, there’s at some point a “he loves me he loves me not” flower ritual, there’s eating cucumbers with honey, which reminds me of my childhood, there’s the weird game Serioja was explaining they play at school which I found as a window into the past.
I also have read quite a few reviews that mention the reader’s participation (as a member of society) in Anna's scrutiny which I found really interesting. In general, the commentary on society is what makes this book. A few comments: Vronsky says “Society! What need would I have of society?” Also, two hundred pages before
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dense but rewarding. Even the chapters that delved into the minutia of farming, estate management, politics or philosophy, I found engaging. The greatest asset is the cast of characters - Anna and Kitty in particular for me. Levin is great too but sometimes you just wanna smack some sense into him! Also, seeing the parallels between Anna/Vronsky and Levin/Kitty as their lives diverge makes it all the more tragic.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
I can’t not give this book 5 stars! True, many of the segments with Levin were dull (his character was my least favorite), but the richness of history, the expertise in writing, and — come on — the ability to write a riveting 817-page novel in the days before computers? Five stars indeed.