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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
“toda diversidade, todo o encanto, toda a beleza da vida é constituída de sombra e luz."
"[…] entendi que não posso mais me enganar, que estou viva, que não tenho culpa, que Deus me fez assim, que preciso amar e viver.”
5/5
"[…] entendi que não posso mais me enganar, que estou viva, que não tenho culpa, que Deus me fez assim, que preciso amar e viver.”
5/5
i love tolstoy because he hates people just as much as i do
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-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
Read in the 1990s
Re-reading as part of a Litsy #AnnaKareninaReadAlong
I just finished and all I can say is, “I need more stars“. This was at least a six-star read. It may actually be my favorite book of all time.
Re-reading as part of a Litsy #AnnaKareninaReadAlong
I just finished and all I can say is, “I need more stars“. This was at least a six-star read. It may actually be my favorite book of all time.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
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
challenging
dark
emotional
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 love how Tolstoy writes, and in many ways it was a pleasure to inhabit his world for these many, many pages. But I could have inhabited it for a little less time. The story is creative in how it manages to meaningfully explore some of the deepest human themes against a rather mundane backdrop, and also how it is essentially two stories thematically tied into one. At times, it reads as philosophy, which was fun--I love authors who use stories as a way to philosophize!--but it also read at times like Tolstoy's private diary that could have been edited a little more. Overall, this is without a doubt a strong piece of literature (and also a fascinating view into aristocratic Russia in the predawn of capitalism) but I found myself wishing for a little more (or less). That said, the ending was spectacular and will stay with me.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-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
What is deeply complicated about this book is how it jumps back and forth from having empathy and understanding for its female characters to condemning them in the same way it seems to be criticizing!
I loved Anna and Kitty (And the others but mainly these two) They were complex but sympathetic each in their own way. And when the story was told from their perspective or even just focused on them as full people, it soared.
But sometimes it treated them as cardboard, Anna as a femme fatale manipulative black widow, Kitty as a silly, naive, superfluous girl.
This isn’t even getting into the male characters, who were detestable when meant to be, but also when they weren’t. Levin didn’t seem a rational, calm, salt of the earth man. He seemed dull, judgy, condescending and arrogant from beginning to end.
It really did feel like this book was written by more than one person with more than one worldview.
All I’m saying is I know there is no actual proof Sophia Tolstoya actually wrote any of this, but her influence in the book is well known and I think larger than we can imagine.
I loved Anna and Kitty (And the others but mainly these two) They were complex but sympathetic each in their own way. And when the story was told from their perspective or even just focused on them as full people, it soared.
But sometimes it treated them as cardboard, Anna as a femme fatale manipulative black widow, Kitty as a silly, naive, superfluous girl.
This isn’t even getting into the male characters, who were detestable when meant to be, but also when they weren’t. Levin didn’t seem a rational, calm, salt of the earth man. He seemed dull, judgy, condescending and arrogant from beginning to end.
It really did feel like this book was written by more than one person with more than one worldview.
All I’m saying is I know there is no actual proof Sophia Tolstoya actually wrote any of this, but her influence in the book is well known and I think larger than we can imagine.