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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I got this book in audio and I was not impressed by the narrator and do believe I lost a lot of the story because of it.
Scritto benissimo, storia avvincente, in particolare quella di Anna-Vronskij. È incredibile come Tolstoj sia stato in grado di descrivere i sentimenti di Anna Karenina in una maniera così genuina, simili a quelli che molte noi donne proviamo anche oggigiorno. La società di quel tempo (bigotta e ipocrita) non poteva comprendere una donna come Anna e lei per questo non poteva viverci. Non ho apprezzato altrettanto la storia di Levin, molte parti erano molto noiose, soprattutto le parti della caccia e quelle politiche, ma SOPRATTUTTO la parte finale della sua riconversione al cristianesimo: io posso pure capire che si riconverta ma 100 pagine in cui si descrive il suo rapporto con dio e perché il senso della vita sia il bene e dio etc avrei preferito di no.
meaning of marriage, the meaning of life, the meaning of democracy, agriculture, having kids, religion... Tolstoy did it all.
I want to re-read this, but a different translation next time. Heartfelt, complex and meditative. However, at times I found some characters (particularly Anna and Vronsky) felt eye-rollingly self-serious. I hope this is not the case in my next reading.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's hard to know where to begin to describe a plot that covers as much ground as this. There are seven main characters, four of which are more important than the rest, and their stories interweave but also contrast well against each other. The main hero of the tale is Levin, who is supposedly based on Tolstoy himself. Levin is a good man, hardworking and thoughtful, and he has long been love with Kitty, the sweet, innocent sister-in-law of Levin's great friend, Stepan. But poor Levin is to have his heart broken when he realises that Kitty is in love with a dashing soldier, also a friend of Stepan's, Vronsky.
Kitty, however, doesn't stand a chance when Vronsky meets Stepan's sister, Anna. Though Anna is married, she and Vronsky are irresistibly drawn to each other and begin an affair that will ruin lives and change their own positions in society.
Anna Karenina is so much more than a tragic love story, though. Tolstoy also uses the book to expound many of his own socialist politics. Levin is a man who thinks a great deal about the peasants who work his land and how unfair it is that they should live in abject poverty while he enjoys the fruits of their labours. He also thinks deeply about subjects such as religion, education and women's rights, giving the reader a marvellous insight into what life was really like in Russia at the time. He tries to change things and is always striving to improve his own character and make life better for those around him.
Many people might be bored by some of the long descriptions in Anna Karenina. For instance, there is a long passage about mowing a field, another about shooting game, and a third about how local elections were conducted. I rather enjoyed these interludes, but found I did need to reset my reading clock to Tolstoy time. My usual bull-at-a-gate approach of reading very quickly to get on to the next thing wouldn't work here. This is a novel that needs to be savoured and enjoyed, and I even found myself reading some of the more striking passages aloud to get the most out of them.
Tolstoy's characters are beautifully crafted and so life-like it feels as though they must have neen real. We follow them over a period of some years, and in that time they change and evolve in a natural way. Anna, in particular is barely recognisable by the end of the novel, and we follow in horrified fascination as her cool, serene and charming personality twists and is spoiled by a love that's just too intense. There can be no finer novel for illustrating how even the most passionate love that burns so brightly can change and turn sour, and what that does to the people involved.
Even while at work or doing other things, a part of my brain has been living in 19th century Russia since I started Anna Karenina, and it's going to be quite a wrench to come back to the real world again. Reading this has made me want to try some of the other classics like War and Peace, Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.
Kitty, however, doesn't stand a chance when Vronsky meets Stepan's sister, Anna. Though Anna is married, she and Vronsky are irresistibly drawn to each other and begin an affair that will ruin lives and change their own positions in society.
Anna Karenina is so much more than a tragic love story, though. Tolstoy also uses the book to expound many of his own socialist politics. Levin is a man who thinks a great deal about the peasants who work his land and how unfair it is that they should live in abject poverty while he enjoys the fruits of their labours. He also thinks deeply about subjects such as religion, education and women's rights, giving the reader a marvellous insight into what life was really like in Russia at the time. He tries to change things and is always striving to improve his own character and make life better for those around him.
Many people might be bored by some of the long descriptions in Anna Karenina. For instance, there is a long passage about mowing a field, another about shooting game, and a third about how local elections were conducted. I rather enjoyed these interludes, but found I did need to reset my reading clock to Tolstoy time. My usual bull-at-a-gate approach of reading very quickly to get on to the next thing wouldn't work here. This is a novel that needs to be savoured and enjoyed, and I even found myself reading some of the more striking passages aloud to get the most out of them.
Tolstoy's characters are beautifully crafted and so life-like it feels as though they must have neen real. We follow them over a period of some years, and in that time they change and evolve in a natural way. Anna, in particular is barely recognisable by the end of the novel, and we follow in horrified fascination as her cool, serene and charming personality twists and is spoiled by a love that's just too intense. There can be no finer novel for illustrating how even the most passionate love that burns so brightly can change and turn sour, and what that does to the people involved.
Even while at work or doing other things, a part of my brain has been living in 19th century Russia since I started Anna Karenina, and it's going to be quite a wrench to come back to the real world again. Reading this has made me want to try some of the other classics like War and Peace, Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.