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bookwormjimmy 's review for:
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a bit challenging to summarize a book like Anna Karenina, seeing as how there's a wealth of characters, challenging and sometimes contradictory themes, and grand tangents that I didn't entirely understand. But through and through, it's a novel not merely of relationships and love, but of passion as a concept in and of itself. Passion for love, but passion for the meaning of life and the conclusions that various characters come to. Anna Karenina herslef is a pivotal character in the book, but it's easy to argue that she's not the main character. I might even say that she merely acts as a catalyst unto all of the other character. She represents a theme, particularly of female independence in a time when it wasn't common for a woman to do the things that she does. But the big question is if this theme should be interpreted fairly based on what happens to Anna Karenina towards the end of the story.
Anna Karenina is a complicated character and you could have long conversations during big dinner parties (or online book club meetings) discussing her merits, whether she was a heroine or a villainous figure. Perhaps she was both; she was just a person trying to make sense of the life that she was given and suffered for it. Other people suffered for it. I'd be fascinated to see her character towards the end of the novel be transported to the present time, hang out with a psychiatrist, and perhaps get the closure that she so desperately needed. But what a shame with the way her story ended here. And then there was a whole other section!
I both loved and hated the book. It was long and I found it a bit boring at certain sections. But other parts were just so full of emotion and tenderness that it was like I was in the middle of a period piece, I couldn't look away from what was happening. It's a beautiful book that's worth a read, but I have no desire to reread this masterpiece.
Anna Karenina is a complicated character and you could have long conversations during big dinner parties (or online book club meetings) discussing her merits, whether she was a heroine or a villainous figure. Perhaps she was both; she was just a person trying to make sense of the life that she was given and suffered for it. Other people suffered for it. I'd be fascinated to see her character towards the end of the novel be transported to the present time, hang out with a psychiatrist, and perhaps get the closure that she so desperately needed. But what a shame with the way her story ended here. And then there was a whole other section!
I both loved and hated the book. It was long and I found it a bit boring at certain sections. But other parts were just so full of emotion and tenderness that it was like I was in the middle of a period piece, I couldn't look away from what was happening. It's a beautiful book that's worth a read, but I have no desire to reread this masterpiece.