Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Anna Karenina by Amy Mandelker, Leo Tolstoy

40 reviews

mrkat's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was slightly disappointed in this book. For a book titled Anna Karenina, it has very little to do with the woman herself, and more to do with the society in which she lives. I realise that it is a "classic" and it shows a lot about the time and place in which it was written, but I was bored while reading it. The story felt as if it was like Moby Dick in terms of unnecessary tangents about anything from politics to farming methods and like Gone With the Wind in terms of character development or lack thereof. None of the characters grew, nobody learned anything, and nobody changed

(maybe with the exception of Anna Karenina herself, who went crazy and jumped in front of a train).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Infidelity, Death, and Chronic illness

satansbraten's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racial slurs, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

carolinacortesv's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death and Pregnancy

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual content and War

unfinishedduet's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Infidelity

Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Medical content

funmilayo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Antisemitism, Racial slurs, and Racism

sofmar917's review against another edition

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

5.0

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!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

Minor: Alcoholism

ewelinakl's review against another edition

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

laurenleigh's review against another edition

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

4.5

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Infidelity

Moderate: Pregnancy

karenaerts's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Islamophobia