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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Funny and enchanting the whole way through, great as an audiobook, and memorable; somewhat non-plussed with the final section.
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
listen... the only time i will say i was born in the wrong generation is in the context of the publication of this book. i think if i were in russia reading this in smaller pieces as its being published, i would've ranked it higher. as it so happens, this was 817 pages and after a certain point i was getting tired. i didnt want to put it down bc i knew id never pick it up again
that being said, the story is incredible and so many characters are given such depth i understand why this book has had the lasting impact that it has glad to have this be my first taste of russian lit now ill had some MUCH SMALLER books to the tbr
that being said, the story is incredible and so many characters are given such depth i understand why this book has had the lasting impact that it has glad to have this be my first taste of russian lit now ill had some MUCH SMALLER books to the tbr
ANNA KARENINA is a book about the consequences of infidelity and the search for happiness. Well, that is the most basic way to put it, but if you want to go deeper, one can say that Anna Karenina is about the struggles of lust, passion, true love, confusion, and then the search for happiness, which is all throughout the novel but most predominant towards the end. Now hold on! This is the beginning of the review, why not go a bit in-depth first?
Right. The first thing I'll discuss about Anna Karenina is its pros, which include its descriptive storytelling, larger-than-life characters, and realistic depictions of human emotion. Tolstoy did a stellar job portraying the lives of these aristocratic characters no matter the amount of action going on in the book. Tolstoy depicted Anna's obsession with Vronsky impeccably, Alexei Alexandrovich's constant disbelief in his wife and prudence accurately, and Levin's constant search for meaning and faith as realistically as possible. This is one of Tolstoy's weaknesses, however, which I'll get into later. Let's now discuss the storytelling, another con that I'll talk about, but for now lets talk about how amazing Tolstoy is with the pen at the right time. There'll be scenes where you can immerse yourself in and think of yourself there in the book with the characters enjoying the serenity of nature and admiring the humble lives of the muzhiks, or the bustling snowy train-stations where we see a lot of the stories action. This is a key detail in writing stories that many authors seem to struggle with, and though Tolstoy did a fantastic job illustrating the settings of the novel, there were times where his skill became excessive and a bit too rich.
This leads to me to the cons of the novel, which I know most will disagree with me on, but this is simply my opinion and these are things that I think slowed down the pacing a bit too much and plateaued my enjoying of this book at certain times. Let's start with the scenes of Levin farming; these I could not stand. I can understand a paragraph or too describing the scenery of Levin's farm, but chapter-long descriptions of minute things like the farming machines and mushrooming I believe could've been left out without anybody really noticing. Another sequence of scenes I thought dragged on for too long were the various political parties where characters talk about things that don't relate to the story, plot, or character development at all, except give little insight into the characters beliefs, like Alexei Alexandrovich's political statements regarding minorities. Did we really have to know this?
Besides from the cons, the novel, once again, does a fantastic job of describing the relations of all these sneaky and shoddy characters as well as their relationships, legitimate or illegitimate, and how they'll either strive or crumble. Tolstoy teaches us that the pursuit of lust will lead us down the road of obsession and vain desire, while striving for the good and humility in life will ultimately lead to eternal happiness and inner peace. Tolstoy was a master of character arcs and character studies, with the relationship between Karenina and Vronsky being one of the most enthralling and immersive relations I've read in literature thus far, and will definitely prevent me from trying to to do any funny business with my spouses in the future.
To sum it up, this book might not be for you if you're not a fan of pointless and overwritten worldbuilding and are easily agitated by easy-to-hate characters, but you should at least give it a shot if you're interested in literally some of the most accurate portrayals of emotions in fiction you'll ever read.
Right. The first thing I'll discuss about Anna Karenina is its pros, which include its descriptive storytelling, larger-than-life characters, and realistic depictions of human emotion. Tolstoy did a stellar job portraying the lives of these aristocratic characters no matter the amount of action going on in the book. Tolstoy depicted Anna's obsession with Vronsky impeccably, Alexei Alexandrovich's constant disbelief in his wife and prudence accurately, and Levin's constant search for meaning and faith as realistically as possible. This is one of Tolstoy's weaknesses, however, which I'll get into later. Let's now discuss the storytelling, another con that I'll talk about, but for now lets talk about how amazing Tolstoy is with the pen at the right time. There'll be scenes where you can immerse yourself in and think of yourself there in the book with the characters enjoying the serenity of nature and admiring the humble lives of the muzhiks, or the bustling snowy train-stations where we see a lot of the stories action. This is a key detail in writing stories that many authors seem to struggle with, and though Tolstoy did a fantastic job illustrating the settings of the novel, there were times where his skill became excessive and a bit too rich.
This leads to me to the cons of the novel, which I know most will disagree with me on, but this is simply my opinion and these are things that I think slowed down the pacing a bit too much and plateaued my enjoying of this book at certain times. Let's start with the scenes of Levin farming; these I could not stand. I can understand a paragraph or too describing the scenery of Levin's farm, but chapter-long descriptions of minute things like the farming machines and mushrooming I believe could've been left out without anybody really noticing. Another sequence of scenes I thought dragged on for too long were the various political parties where characters talk about things that don't relate to the story, plot, or character development at all, except give little insight into the characters beliefs, like Alexei Alexandrovich's political statements regarding minorities. Did we really have to know this?
Besides from the cons, the novel, once again, does a fantastic job of describing the relations of all these sneaky and shoddy characters as well as their relationships, legitimate or illegitimate, and how they'll either strive or crumble. Tolstoy teaches us that the pursuit of lust will lead us down the road of obsession and vain desire, while striving for the good and humility in life will ultimately lead to eternal happiness and inner peace. Tolstoy was a master of character arcs and character studies, with the relationship between Karenina and Vronsky being one of the most enthralling and immersive relations I've read in literature thus far, and will definitely prevent me from trying to to do any funny business with my spouses in the future.
To sum it up, this book might not be for you if you're not a fan of pointless and overwritten worldbuilding and are easily agitated by easy-to-hate characters, but you should at least give it a shot if you're interested in literally some of the most accurate portrayals of emotions in fiction you'll ever read.
Anna Karenina is considered one of the greatest works of literature and I can comprehend why this fascinating work of fiction is so beloved and celebrated around the globe. Beautiful writing, realistic and emotionally relatable characters, a dramatic plot and a wonderfully fascinating setting, Anna Karenina has it all from a literary perspective.
One of the main flaws of this novel is its name. While Anna is one of the main characters and does hold a lot of significance, the story does not completely centre around her and there are other leading characters, thus the name is somewhat misleading. However, this slight issue is not enough to tarnish a reader's enjoyment, it only provides a slightly false impression to the potential reader.
This novel's language and writing are brilliant and beautiful in all its descriptions and dialogue. The edition I read had no evident translation faults, contrary to Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment which, despite being well-written, was flawed in its translation. This may be due to the popularity of Anna Karenina worldwide and Tolstoy’s fame in general, or perhaps this is just luck in the face of the edition and translator.
The characters of this novel are full of emotions and like real people are extremely flawed and aware of their flaws. The reactions and expressions of all characters felt very realistic which improves the relatablity of the characters to their audience. Despite the number of characters who are explored in depth, each is well-written, different, and does not lack in personality. While some audience members may prefer one over another, they have all the potential of real people. There are many characters that have great significance to the book but I will only discuss a few in further detail.
Anna is a very intriguing character from the beginning of the novel and her expressions, beliefs, emotions and actions draw the reader in, making it very easy to like her. Although her actions are not relatable to everyone, she is still loveable, even when participating in questionable actions. Tolstoy has consciously made her loveable to us in a similar way as she is to the people around her in the novel. She is so beautiful and charming she can seduce anyone, everyone believes she is splendid but her insecurities and constant need for love and reassurance are her downfall.
Count Vronsky on the other hand came across to me as very unlikeable in the beginning, and while this may be intentional, I found it hard to like him as a character for a great deal of the novel. Tolstoy may have done this in order to heighten the love of Anna in his audience so that readers may find themselves excusing her actions and conflicting over whether her actions or Vronsky’s are more morally correct at certain points of the novel. In time the audience may come to pity and almost love Vronsky for his gallant efforts to love and be loved by Anna, and the end of the novel evokes pity for him.
My favourite character was Konstantin Levin, he is well-meaning from the beginning and for me the most relatable. He represents those who wish to do what is right but cannot settle on what that is and despite loving many people, despise social interactions and formalities. Levin is hard-working and although he is laughed at, he is not afraid to get his hands dirty. I think Levin is intentionally a very loveable character and so is Kitty, whom he deeply loves. They are both flawed and the audience can witness their flaws separately and together and how they impact their bond, yet despite their flaws they are stronger together and continue to be well-meaning people.
The plot of this novel is very fascinating, while it moves slower than many contemporary novels, and thus may be difficult for some readers, not accustomed to classical literature, to read, it is packed with drama. The pace is reflective of the time and aids in drawing the reader into Tolstoy’s world. I adore reading classics that are set in the time they are written as they teleport the reader into the period and provide an interesting and different perspective. The characters feel as though they are brought straight from 19th-century Russia and aid in establishing the world.
Tolstoy is attempting to comment on many discussions and issues of the time through his work and while some are still relevant to the current world and audience, some are less so. Anna and Vronsky’s relationship is doomed from the start as their love is clearly born of negative emotions and has no solid foundation. Levin struggles with his faith and in the last chapter resolves his issues and uncovers his own identity in ways he has not previously considered. Whether Tolstoy’s implications are relevant or not, the world and story are brilliant and I am sure any classic reader would greatly enjoy this piece.
One of the main flaws of this novel is its name. While Anna is one of the main characters and does hold a lot of significance, the story does not completely centre around her and there are other leading characters, thus the name is somewhat misleading. However, this slight issue is not enough to tarnish a reader's enjoyment, it only provides a slightly false impression to the potential reader.
This novel's language and writing are brilliant and beautiful in all its descriptions and dialogue. The edition I read had no evident translation faults, contrary to Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment which, despite being well-written, was flawed in its translation. This may be due to the popularity of Anna Karenina worldwide and Tolstoy’s fame in general, or perhaps this is just luck in the face of the edition and translator.
The characters of this novel are full of emotions and like real people are extremely flawed and aware of their flaws. The reactions and expressions of all characters felt very realistic which improves the relatablity of the characters to their audience. Despite the number of characters who are explored in depth, each is well-written, different, and does not lack in personality. While some audience members may prefer one over another, they have all the potential of real people. There are many characters that have great significance to the book but I will only discuss a few in further detail.
Anna is a very intriguing character from the beginning of the novel and her expressions, beliefs, emotions and actions draw the reader in, making it very easy to like her. Although her actions are not relatable to everyone, she is still loveable, even when participating in questionable actions. Tolstoy has consciously made her loveable to us in a similar way as she is to the people around her in the novel. She is so beautiful and charming she can seduce anyone, everyone believes she is splendid but her insecurities and constant need for love and reassurance are her downfall.
Count Vronsky on the other hand came across to me as very unlikeable in the beginning, and while this may be intentional, I found it hard to like him as a character for a great deal of the novel. Tolstoy may have done this in order to heighten the love of Anna in his audience so that readers may find themselves excusing her actions and conflicting over whether her actions or Vronsky’s are more morally correct at certain points of the novel. In time the audience may come to pity and almost love Vronsky for his gallant efforts to love and be loved by Anna, and the end of the novel evokes pity for him.
My favourite character was Konstantin Levin, he is well-meaning from the beginning and for me the most relatable. He represents those who wish to do what is right but cannot settle on what that is and despite loving many people, despise social interactions and formalities. Levin is hard-working and although he is laughed at, he is not afraid to get his hands dirty. I think Levin is intentionally a very loveable character and so is Kitty, whom he deeply loves. They are both flawed and the audience can witness their flaws separately and together and how they impact their bond, yet despite their flaws they are stronger together and continue to be well-meaning people.
The plot of this novel is very fascinating, while it moves slower than many contemporary novels, and thus may be difficult for some readers, not accustomed to classical literature, to read, it is packed with drama. The pace is reflective of the time and aids in drawing the reader into Tolstoy’s world. I adore reading classics that are set in the time they are written as they teleport the reader into the period and provide an interesting and different perspective. The characters feel as though they are brought straight from 19th-century Russia and aid in establishing the world.
Tolstoy is attempting to comment on many discussions and issues of the time through his work and while some are still relevant to the current world and audience, some are less so. Anna and Vronsky’s relationship is doomed from the start as their love is clearly born of negative emotions and has no solid foundation. Levin struggles with his faith and in the last chapter resolves his issues and uncovers his own identity in ways he has not previously considered. Whether Tolstoy’s implications are relevant or not, the world and story are brilliant and I am sure any classic reader would greatly enjoy this piece.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
BRILLIANT BOOK and omg after months of semi reading and ditching it for lighter books and coming back to it I’ve finally made it and as a book I’ve started cuz it’s what I’ve heard most English majors cite as their favorite book and I was like I mean I gots to read it now it was so worth and made even MORE worth by reading the literary criticism out there and this is why I love reading famous books bc of the criticism available