Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Ana Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

62 reviews

mirrorofneptune's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

2.75

Parts with Anna: 4/5
Parts with Levin: 1.5/5

This is an objectively well-written, thoughtful, and complex novel and I do understand both the timelessness and the hype. I also know that there’s something to be said for the literary merit of books with large casts where each character plays a role in communicating the themes of the story. That being said: I cannot stand Levin. He’s a shameless self-insert and I resent that he contributed to the plot. On a less biased note I didn’t find the storyline with him as compelling as the storyline with Anna– I know from a literary analysis perspective his relationship is meant to parallel Anna’s, but that doesn’t mean I liked reading about it. For a book titled Anna Karenina it felt like the Levin show a lot of the time…

All that aside, this book was a genuinely poignant sketch of complicated emotions, societal hypocrisy, and moral shades of gray. I am glad I read it, even though it was challenging at times. Some interesting pacing decisions were made but there’s a plethora of haunting quotes and scenes to make up for that. 

In conclusion: God bless Sophia Tolstoy, I’m so sorry your husband probably plagiarized your diaries to write this, but the parts it looked like he lifted verbatim were some of the best 🙏🏻

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Mental illness

Minor: Infidelity

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

Moderate: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: War and Racism

shawdo's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Moderate: Infidelity

skinshela's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

4.25

Beautifully written story about Russian nobility in the 19th century, specifically the lives of Anna Karenina and Konstantin Levin as foils of each other. Tolstoy conveys  strong themes of morality, life and death, class, gender and love. From a modern Western context, many of the conflicts in the story can seem quite unnecessary but with an open mind the characters; their feelings and reactions to the events throughout the book is quite touching. I really recommend this for sure!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Classism, Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexism, War, and Racism

celery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Terminal illness, Grief, Misogyny, Child death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Toxic friendship, War, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Medical content, Racial slurs, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Self harm, Sexism, and Violence

aude's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Suicide, Death, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Child death

Minor: Racial slurs, Classism, and War

exbecks's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide

aristarcodisamo's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Grief, Death, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Addiction, War, and Alcoholism

seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Infidelity, Classism, Violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content and Pregnancy

adelekittey's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Infidelity, and Death