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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Well. That's done. It wasn't bad and it wasn't great. At times I was enthralled and others I glazed over. And in a times such as these, reading a novel so occupied with religion and politics certainly lacks appeal.
Still don't like the character much, but having read this book 30 years after the first time, I have a little more understanding about why she acts the way she does.
Do like Tolstoy, though he is a little bit too wordy.
Do like Tolstoy, though he is a little bit too wordy.
I'm happy that I was able to read this book in its entirety. However, this is one of the most long-winded books I have ever read! Tolstoy gets a little preachy with his views of Russian government and farming. I don't understand why he called it "Anna Karenina". Most of the book seems to be centered on Levin, not Anna. The notes at the end of the book were very helpful. I'm glad that I read it, but I will probably never read it again.
Anna Karenina is one of humanity's greatest literary masterpieces. It is a story about stories, depicting the life of each of its unique and varied characters in an astonishingly critical and truthful way. We are confronted with the many demons that tear at the soul of people who share one thing in common: a need to be understood.
Tolstoy is unique in his storytelling, taking us through chapter after chapter in his utterly mesmerizing writing. This is a narrative focused on its characters, and they are the ones that guide us through a tantalizing glimpse into the life of Russian Aristocracy in the late 19th century.
Tolstoy is unique in his storytelling, taking us through chapter after chapter in his utterly mesmerizing writing. This is a narrative focused on its characters, and they are the ones that guide us through a tantalizing glimpse into the life of Russian Aristocracy in the late 19th century.
Got confused with all the characters and probably need to reread to understand and appreciate properly
This has always intrigued me, and I finally got it read. It is so much more than the plight of a married woman who caries on an affair with a dashing young soldier. It's Tolstoy's treaty on finding one's place in life and finding the meaning in life set in Czarist Russia on the threshold of the Revolution.
Originally, Tolstoy thought about naming it something like, "The Story of Two Marriages" because it is. While reading it I couldn't help but think that Levin had to represent Tolstoy philosophically, and it does.
Most surprising? Gandhi learned of nonviolence protest from Tolstoy!! and it begins with part 8 . . .
Originally, Tolstoy thought about naming it something like, "The Story of Two Marriages" because it is. While reading it I couldn't help but think that Levin had to represent Tolstoy philosophically, and it does.
Most surprising? Gandhi learned of nonviolence protest from Tolstoy!! and it begins with part 8 . . .
Too Long Didn't Read summary: It's worth the read if you're willing to put in the effort.
This one took a bit of effort to get through. That's not to say that it's a bad book by any means but Tolstoy's style (realist fiction) requires that you apply yourself with utmost concentration in digesting it. It's not the sort of book you pick up on a whim. Going from one end of the literary spectrum to the other, I read a reference to Tolstoy in the Y: The Last Man comic (yes, a comic) that said that reading Tolstoy is like an investment where you have to commit to reading at least a couple of hundred pages in order to get the pay off and I think that's pretty accurate.
Nothing especially exciting happens in the novel but I think that's the point. It simply details the lives and struggles of "ordinary" Russian aristocrats in the 1870s. The book is probably longer than it needs to be but if you're willing to plow through some of the overly detailed stuff then there's quite a good story there.
What interested me far more than the story however was the setting and the eye opening description of Russian life in the 1870's. I found myself fascinated by how well the Russian aristocracy was able to live simply by feeding off of the work of the peasants below them. With the exception of Levin, I don't think any of the characters did a hard day's work in the entire novel. I was struck by how similar the Russian aristocracy seemed to be to the British aristocracy and I'm curious about why the Russian aristocracy ended up meeting the fate that they did and not that of their British counterparts. I'm looking forward to reading some history of pre-revolution Russia now!
If you're into that aristocratic stuff like Pride and Prejudice or the television show Downtown Abbey then you'll probably enjoy this.
This one took a bit of effort to get through. That's not to say that it's a bad book by any means but Tolstoy's style (realist fiction) requires that you apply yourself with utmost concentration in digesting it. It's not the sort of book you pick up on a whim. Going from one end of the literary spectrum to the other, I read a reference to Tolstoy in the Y: The Last Man comic (yes, a comic) that said that reading Tolstoy is like an investment where you have to commit to reading at least a couple of hundred pages in order to get the pay off and I think that's pretty accurate.
Nothing especially exciting happens in the novel but I think that's the point. It simply details the lives and struggles of "ordinary" Russian aristocrats in the 1870s. The book is probably longer than it needs to be but if you're willing to plow through some of the overly detailed stuff then there's quite a good story there.
What interested me far more than the story however was the setting and the eye opening description of Russian life in the 1870's. I found myself fascinated by how well the Russian aristocracy was able to live simply by feeding off of the work of the peasants below them. With the exception of Levin, I don't think any of the characters did a hard day's work in the entire novel. I was struck by how similar the Russian aristocracy seemed to be to the British aristocracy and I'm curious about why the Russian aristocracy ended up meeting the fate that they did and not that of their British counterparts. I'm looking forward to reading some history of pre-revolution Russia now!
If you're into that aristocratic stuff like Pride and Prejudice or the television show Downtown Abbey then you'll probably enjoy this.
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No one can write realistic characters as well as Tolstoy. Their thoughts, desires, qualms, fears, for both male and female characters, is distilled in every detail that even though they are aristocratic I cannot help but relate and be interested in their lives.
Like many of the classics, a bit overwrought at times, but amazing how well it captures the human condition -- love, jealousy, angst. You know, the usual stuff.
Still, while I tend to enjoy the classics, this one not so much; too long (descriptions and investigations into Russian farming techniques didn't help matters) and lacked verve.
Still, while I tend to enjoy the classics, this one not so much; too long (descriptions and investigations into Russian farming techniques didn't help matters) and lacked verve.
This is my year of reading Russian novels. Anna Karenina is very long but doesn't feel long because it's so good (as long as you know enough about nineteenth century Russia to be able to figure out what is going on and why everybody has so many different names). I loved it the first time I read it — I think I was in my late teens — and I loved it just as much this time.