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joanabacana's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: War
sebastianoblass's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Such a beautifully written book. This Tolstoy explores themes such as family, suicide, love , philosophy, class, etc. I surprised at how this book captured me from the beginning, with its lengthy descriptions of russian imperial luxury and fashion. Such a stylish read.
the story seems to divide between two main plot lines that keep intertwining with each other. Anna’s love affair with count Vronsky and Levin’s search for a purpose in life. Levin’s side of the story would often drag into lengthy monologues about diverse topics that, while insightful into russian society of the time, and the diverse social and economic dynamics of the country, i couldn’t help but feel like they dragged out a little too much, but then again, that’s russian literature for you. he was just such a tedious character and i couldn’t help but disagree with a lot of his thoughts and ways of regarding his life and the people on it. His cynicism at the start of the book was really insufferable. On the other hand, Anna’s affair with count Vronsky was to me the central focus of the book, and it kept me engaged and wanting to know what would be of them. Anna’s quick decay in society and descent into madness as well as her development of a drug addiction was documented in a kind way, which i appreciated. The author didn’t join in on the bashing of this fallen woman. the hypocrisy of russian society made me particularly mad in this respect.
Towards the end of the book we see something interesting happen, which is the revival of Religion by the end of the 19th Century, by which we see our weaker minded characters first influenced, such as Karenin, when fallen under the spell of Lydia Ivanovna < spoiler>. It was insufferable to me how he excused his own selfish desires ( revenge) behind the front of being a good religious man, specially when he had seemed to have found real authentic goodness right before influenced by Ivanovna. It annoyed me particularly how he saw Seryozha as a weapon rather than his own son. Later on, we’ll see characters like Levin and even Anna on her very end find God and start asking questions about him and the universe, which i thought was an interesting factor of the times
Other Thoughts:
We were robbed of a Kitty lesbian arch. Like, that girl kept falling in love with women… specially Vasenka.
I hope Dolly leaves her asshole husband and lives a lavish life ( though i can say that Oblonski grew on me quite a bit )
I thought the ending for Vronsky was quite appropriate, i was sick of him not experiencing any consequence to the whole situation, other than being driven mad by Anna’s jealousy.
There is so much to say about this book but these are my initial thoughts.
Best Scenes
- initial Moscow Ball when Anna dances with Vronsky.
- Dolly visits the Vronsky in the country
- Anna’s final monologue
- Levin rescues Kitty and gives that powerful final line to the book.
- Horse Race when Anna tells Karenin
- Anna Visits Seryozha
- the opera.
the story seems to divide between two main plot lines that keep intertwining with each other. Anna’s love affair with count Vronsky and Levin’s search for a purpose in life. Levin’s side of the story would often drag into lengthy monologues about diverse topics that, while insightful into russian society of the time, and the diverse social and economic dynamics of the country, i couldn’t help but feel like they dragged out a little too much, but then again, that’s russian literature for you. he was just such a tedious character and i couldn’t help but disagree with a lot of his thoughts and ways of regarding his life and the people on it. His cynicism at the start of the book was really insufferable. On the other hand, Anna’s affair with count Vronsky was to me the central focus of the book, and it kept me engaged and wanting to know what would be of them. Anna’s quick decay in society and descent into madness
Towards the end of the book we see something interesting happen, which is the revival of Religion by the end of the 19th Century, by which we see our weaker minded characters first influenced, such as
Other Thoughts:
We were robbed of a Kitty lesbian arch. Like, that girl kept falling in love with women… specially Vasenka.
I hope Dolly leaves her asshole husband and lives a lavish life ( though i can say that Oblonski grew on me quite a bit )
I thought the ending for Vronsky was quite appropriate, i was sick of him not experiencing any consequence to the whole situation, other than being driven mad by Anna’s jealousy.
There is so much to say about this book but these are my initial thoughts.
Best Scenes
- initial Moscow Ball when Anna dances with Vronsky.
- Dolly visits the Vronsky in the country
- Anna’s final monologue
- Levin rescues Kitty and gives that powerful final line to the book.
- Horse Race when Anna tells Karenin
- Anna Visits Seryozha
- the opera.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
thedandybrambler's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Gun violence
rubiecore's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i don't really know what rating to give this. i might just leave it without one. this doesn't mean that i didn't like or enjoy it because i did! i truly did enjoy it but it almost feels wrong to slap a rating on it because of the amount of stuff that happens throughout the story. it follows so many characters and discusses so many different topics it's hard to truly place how i felt about them into a certain amount of stars. tolstoy really likes words, and i think it's incredibly interesting how many of those are relevant to topics of discussion in the society of 2023 even if they are in a different context. i feel like this is a book i need to reread every once in a while to see if there's anything new i can get from the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
aritag's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
its a classic novel of ideas, with themes that have timeless elements to them. however it is still grounded in its time which makes for an interesting read but also a challenging read. it was a struggle in parts to continue, but i overall enjoyed the journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infidelity and Misogyny
lucekl's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
elkiebear's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
amirahazhar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Probably my favourite Tolstoy to date, and personally an easier read than War and Peace (which I liked, but not enough for me to go back to it). I could connect with all the characters and their inner strife. Tolstoy framed this in a way that you would side with anybody, but at the same time remain a neutral, because nobody was particularly good or bad.
I enjoyed the inner monologues of the characters and their tension with each other. It was the perfect period piece, and I devoured every single bit of it. Although to my chagrin, it took me a whole 2 months to finish the book, I wouldn't have had it any other way because this time, I wasn't speed reading. Rather, I took it one sentence at a time - in fact, this was the first book I've ever annotated properly. Every sentence just felt like gold and I didn't want any of it slipping through the crevices of my brain. I appreciated the conversations on the greater good, one's morality, farmers' struggles, the importance of agriculture etc. This text was so rich with discourse.
Also, usually, reading Tolstoy leaves me with a feeling of dread when I'm done but my soul just feels more nourished. Not sure if I'm making any sense. But wow, an easy 5 stars.
I enjoyed the inner monologues of the characters and their tension with each other. It was the perfect period piece, and I devoured every single bit of it. Although to my chagrin, it took me a whole 2 months to finish the book, I wouldn't have had it any other way because this time, I wasn't speed reading. Rather, I took it one sentence at a time - in fact, this was the first book I've ever annotated properly. Every sentence just felt like gold and I didn't want any of it slipping through the crevices of my brain. I appreciated the conversations on the greater good, one's morality, farmers' struggles, the importance of agriculture etc. This text was so rich with discourse.
Also, usually, reading Tolstoy leaves me with a feeling of dread when I'm done but my soul just feels more nourished. Not sure if I'm making any sense. But wow, an easy 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
knenigans's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I did not love the story or the overarching message but I did very much enjoy the writing and it is clear why this remains so popular.
I wish I had read this novel when I was 15, I think that would've been the perfect age for me to fully appreciate it.
I wish I had read this novel when I was 15, I think that would've been the perfect age for me to fully appreciate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Antisemitism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism