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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
3.6/5 stars, full review to come! There are some bomb quotes in this book but does that make up for my lack of satisfaction with the plot?
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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There is a really dramatic story hidden in this book, but it is hard to find through all of the tangents, political commentary, and philosophical musings. With that in mind the story itself, a tragedy set amongst the upper class of pre-revolutionary Russian society, gets four and a half stars. It is gripping in the plot and illustrative of the people and places of St. Petersburg, Moscow and the surrounding areas. There are even a few travels abroad that were nice little getaways for the readers as they were for the characters in the novel. The political commentary while it may have been important during the time, seems tangential to the story and the author seems to force it into the mouths of the characters, sometimes to the point that it does not always ring true to the personalities portrayed elsewhere in the story. At best these commentaries are worth one and a half stars. The philosophical musings seemed a bit more real, but were really repetitive and quite often tedious to read through, causing myself to curse at him to get back to the story. They touched on religion, the meaning of life, interpersonal relationships and class struggle and would have been more suited for another of his works. These musings on their own might be worth four stars in the right context but shoved into this passionate portrayal of family and romance seemed out of place and only worth two stars here. Which brings us to my conglomerate rating of three stars. I read this for entertainment and for a book club and not for an investigation of history, literature, or Tolstoy, for which it may have deserved the better rating that many give it.
-The translation in this Kindle version was awesome, especially in the footnotes, which when clicked on explained much that probably would have been meaningless or otherwise confusing.
-The translation in this Kindle version was awesome, especially in the footnotes, which when clicked on explained much that probably would have been meaningless or otherwise confusing.
NOV 2022: Everything I said before still stands I just hate this book now. It is completely devoid of genuine passion and feeling. Emily Bronte could have done it better
NOV 2020: I have so many (possibly unpopular) thoughts on this.
Not that I didn’t enjoy it because it was definitely 4 stars BUT Anna is no tragic heroine in my eyes. I don’t know if it was Tolstoy’s intention but the general consensus I’m getting is that we’re supposed to feel bad for Anna but she’s flawed in ways that don’t arouse my sympathies. Anna is also just one huge mess in all areas and this because so clear in her final chapters. Throughout the book she's thoughtless and selfish in her treatment of others but especially her children. The things she does and thinks in regards to her own children really lowered her in my eyes. She was already kinda dumb and delusional which was annoying but I don't think it was possible for me to like when I take those things into consideration. And I do recognize that Karenin is part of Anna's problem but that only becomes more obvious towards the end of the book.
There is a blurb of Nabokov calling Anna Karenina one of the greatest love stories of all time and its just like a hard no from me dawg. I say this for many reasons buy mainly because I don’t think that the romance is very developed in the book and I think that’s intentional. I don't see, in my reading, love as major part of Anna Karenin. You can argue its there but I don't think this is a story about love, at least in the case of Anna. There is something in my that wishes this had been better developed. I think that would have made Vronsky a more interesting character.
NOV 2020: I have so many (possibly unpopular) thoughts on this.
Not that I didn’t enjoy it because it was definitely 4 stars BUT Anna is no tragic heroine in my eyes. I don’t know if it was Tolstoy’s intention but the general consensus I’m getting is that we’re supposed to feel bad for Anna but she’s flawed in ways that don’t arouse my sympathies. Anna is also just one huge mess in all areas and this because so clear in her final chapters. Throughout the book she's thoughtless and selfish in her treatment of others but especially her children. The things she does and thinks in regards to her own children really lowered her in my eyes. She was already kinda dumb and delusional which was annoying but I don't think it was possible for me to like when I take those things into consideration. And I do recognize that Karenin is part of Anna's problem but that only becomes more obvious towards the end of the book.
There is a blurb of Nabokov calling Anna Karenina one of the greatest love stories of all time and its just like a hard no from me dawg. I say this for many reasons buy mainly because I don’t think that the romance is very developed in the book and I think that’s intentional. I don't see, in my reading, love as major part of Anna Karenin. You can argue its there but I don't think this is a story about love, at least in the case of Anna. There is something in my that wishes this had been better developed. I think that would have made Vronsky a more interesting character.
adventurous
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
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to stop reading it so many times but I had to see it through. Although Tolstoy succeeds at bringing his characters to life, at times the book became extremely dull and repetitive. However, he writes beautifully which is why I was able to finish it.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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