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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
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.
আমার জীবনীশক্তি অর্ধেক নিঃশেষ করে দিয়েছে এই বই। এই প্রথম একটা চরিত্রের কারণে কোনো বই শেষ করাটা এত্তো টায়ারিং হয়ে গিয়েছিলো যে আমি মনে মনে চিন্তা করছিলাম "আর জীবনেও বই পড়বো না আমি। শিক্ষা হয়ে গেছে। আমার জীবনের এরাউন্ড ১৪০০ তম বই, এটাই শেষ। আয়্যাম ডান। আর বইয়ের চেহারা দেখতে চাই না।"
এখন শেষ করে নিয়ে হুদ্দাই চোখ ফেটে কান্না পাচ্ছে, মানে হুদ্দাই। ঠিক কোন ঘটনাটা বা চরিত্রটার জন্য সেটাও জানি না, কিন্তু কতোক্ষণ চোখের পানিতে ভাসলে ভালো লাগবে মনে হচ্ছে। এটা শেষ করে বেঁচে যাবো ভেবেছিলাম, এখন দেখি মন চাইছে আরো অনেকদিন ধরে পড়তাম সেটাই ভালো হতো। বই পড়ে স্ট্রেসে থাকা কি দিন দিন আমার গিল্টি প্লেজার হয়ে যাচ্ছে কি না কে জানে।
ইমোজিতে প্রকাশ করতে গেলে বই শেষ করে আমার অনুভূতিঃ
এখন শেষ করে নিয়ে হুদ্দাই চোখ ফেটে কান্না পাচ্ছে, মানে হুদ্দাই। ঠিক কোন ঘটনাটা বা চরিত্রটার জন্য সেটাও জানি না, কিন্তু কতোক্ষণ চোখের পানিতে ভাসলে ভালো লাগবে মনে হচ্ছে। এটা শেষ করে বেঁচে যাবো ভেবেছিলাম, এখন দেখি মন চাইছে আরো অনেকদিন ধরে পড়তাম সেটাই ভালো হতো। বই পড়ে স্ট্রেসে থাকা কি দিন দিন আমার গিল্টি প্লেজার হয়ে যাচ্ছে কি না কে জানে।
ইমোজিতে প্রকাশ করতে গেলে বই শেষ করে আমার অনুভূতিঃ
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
This was a rich and complex story. I did not know much about history in Russia or the Russian social system before reading this so I did find it hard to relate to or understand portions of it but overall I did really like the story lines. The characters were so richly developed and believable. I found myself really disliking Anna and Vronsky. I found them both to be selfish. But I really enjoyed Kitty and Levin and their story. I think Levin was my favorite character. I loved his internal wrestle over the meaning of life and that by the end of the story he finds a kind of faith that changes everything for him in the way he sees life while at the same time recognizing that he will still struggle and have flaws and will not be perfect. I could in ways relate to that and found it to be such a believable character and story line. It was sooo long though!!
For the title being ”Anna Karenina”, Anna Karenina is surprisingly little in this book. Which is unfortunate, because she was an icon. A mentally ill icon.
Thank God I read this over the span of one month instead of trying to read it in like five days. Although it did kind of put me in a book slump.
I really enjoyed it, although some of the political and philosophical talks bored me a bit. Probably profound and interesting at the time, but I didn’t really care. Perhaps if I knew more about Russia during the 19th century I’d find the politics more interesting.
Also,watching Levin going through an existential crisis for almost 800 pages only for him to find the meaning of life in God. Disappointing 😔
Thank God I read this over the span of one month instead of trying to read it in like five days. Although it did kind of put me in a book slump.
I really enjoyed it, although some of the political and philosophical talks bored me a bit. Probably profound and interesting at the time, but I didn’t really care. Perhaps if I knew more about Russia during the 19th century I’d find the politics more interesting.
Also,
challenging
dark
emotional
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
First book to make me hardcore cry
I kind of have mixed feeling about this book. I absolutely loved the first half the other half was at times boring for me. I quite expected extreme details of incidents in the book looking at the bulkiness of the book but at times i wanted to just skip the parts.
As per the characters, no question on Tolstoy's beautiful detailed presentation of each character through out the book. While i adored Anna so much the ending just blew me out..... I can't decide if i love Anna or dislike her.
I do not agree with people saying Karenin as a villain in the story but i also did not like how he stood on the way of Anna's happiness.
The 800 pages book failed to give me an explanation on many scenarios like
1. Why Anna became so paranoid at the end of story. Was she mentally troubled?
2. She loved Vronsky but why couldn't she adore little Annie the way she adored Sereza?
As per the characters, no question on Tolstoy's beautiful detailed presentation of each character through out the book. While i adored Anna so much the ending just blew me out..... I can't decide if i love Anna or dislike her.
I do not agree with people saying Karenin as a villain in the story but i also did not like how he stood on the way of Anna's happiness.
The 800 pages book failed to give me an explanation on many scenarios like
1. Why Anna became so paranoid at the end of story. Was she mentally troubled?
2. She loved Vronsky but why couldn't she adore little Annie the way she adored Sereza?
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes