Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
sad
slow-paced
medium-paced
Tolstoy gives not only the best opening line in all of literature, but beautiful prose shaping and showing every day life of the Russian aristocrats of old. Also. Kitty and Kostya deserve a place next to Darcy and Lizzie as romance royalty! The chalk scene is hands down the most romantic scene in literature. An absolute must read for everyone who loves romance and drama.
The protagonist is hard to relate to/ sympathize with. I didn't make it 1/3 of the way through.
I did it, guys! My first classic of 2018 is read, and it's a major one.
I have to say, reading this as an adult is a VERY different experience from what it was like reading it for school in my mid teens. It's still not my favorite classic, but I appreciate it so much more now. I was also way more interested in the secondary storyline (Kitty and Levin) over the main one (Anna and Vronsky), as well as found myself sympathizing with Anna's husband. While on my first read, which clearly happened too early for me, I found Levin's chapters boring and his philosophical debates way too drawn out, this time around I actually thought most of them were fascinating. Meanwhile, Anna herself was easily the least sympathetic character for me.
There still were some pacing issues, and some sections could have easily been edited down, but overall this iconic classic is very much a must-read!
I have to say, reading this as an adult is a VERY different experience from what it was like reading it for school in my mid teens. It's still not my favorite classic, but I appreciate it so much more now. I was also way more interested in the secondary storyline (Kitty and Levin) over the main one (Anna and Vronsky), as well as found myself sympathizing with Anna's husband. While on my first read, which clearly happened too early for me, I found Levin's chapters boring and his philosophical debates way too drawn out, this time around I actually thought most of them were fascinating. Meanwhile, Anna herself was easily the least sympathetic character for me.
There still were some pacing issues, and some sections could have easily been edited down, but overall this iconic classic is very much a must-read!
While this book is painfully long, the plot is great. My least favorite part of the book was the ending, but only because I thought it went on for a chapter longer than necessary. Tolstoy's works are insightful, though, since he was actually a member of the Russian nobility, giving him an interesting perspective to look at the lives of Russian nobles. Overall, this is a great book, but it'll take time to read.
slow-paced
I won't lie. I can't finish this book because I heard how it ends!
Tolstoy has to be the wordiest author I have ever read. You can picture every event in the book but it is at the cost of pages and pages of description. Literature majors will scorn me when I admit that it sometimes got old!
Tolstoy has to be the wordiest author I have ever read. You can picture every event in the book but it is at the cost of pages and pages of description. Literature majors will scorn me when I admit that it sometimes got old!
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes