Scan barcode
A review by bookishbarnowl
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
3.0
**3.5 stars**
There is no doubt that this is a masterpiece of a novel. I've rated 3.5 stars because at his very best, Tolstoy's writing is enthralling and worthy of 5 stars but there were parts that I found difficult to get through. As for the best parts, he captures the human condition so well in his characters, addressing pain, emotion, hardship and what we'd refer to now as depression/mental illness (probably would have been referred to as melancholy or something similar back then). There were parts of the text that made me gasp. For all that Tolstoy goes off on one sometimes, he is good at injecting moments of drama.
It was really interesting to read an account of Russian society prior the Russian Revolution. Whilst it was a number of years before the Bolsheviks rose up, there are mentions of communism. It clearly was something bubbling under the surface.
As to why I haven't rated it higher, there were big chunks that I found dry and hard going to read, parts related to agriculture and a political election, for example. The parts about sowing the land could actually be interesting but there were times where I drifted off. Whilst I'm sure each part has a purpose, Tolstoy has a tendency to go off on one when making a philosophical point and sometimes finer details are described that I had no inclination to read about.
I read the Constance Garrett translation and I do wonder if I had read a different translation, if I would have got more enjoyment from the text. I learnt half way through reading that the Pevear and Volokonsky translation supposedly the best.
The novel has made a great impression on me and was very memorable in parts and for that I'd definitely recommend reading it. 5 stars at its best and 2 stars at its worst. However, the parts I enjoyed outweighed the parts I didn't joy and hence I've settled on a 3.5 star rating.
There is no doubt that this is a masterpiece of a novel. I've rated 3.5 stars because at his very best, Tolstoy's writing is enthralling and worthy of 5 stars but there were parts that I found difficult to get through. As for the best parts, he captures the human condition so well in his characters, addressing pain, emotion, hardship and what we'd refer to now as depression/mental illness (probably would have been referred to as melancholy or something similar back then). There were parts of the text that made me gasp. For all that Tolstoy goes off on one sometimes, he is good at injecting moments of drama.
It was really interesting to read an account of Russian society prior the Russian Revolution. Whilst it was a number of years before the Bolsheviks rose up, there are mentions of communism. It clearly was something bubbling under the surface.
As to why I haven't rated it higher, there were big chunks that I found dry and hard going to read, parts related to agriculture and a political election, for example. The parts about sowing the land could actually be interesting but there were times where I drifted off. Whilst I'm sure each part has a purpose, Tolstoy has a tendency to go off on one when making a philosophical point and sometimes finer details are described that I had no inclination to read about.
I read the Constance Garrett translation and I do wonder if I had read a different translation, if I would have got more enjoyment from the text. I learnt half way through reading that the Pevear and Volokonsky translation supposedly the best.
The novel has made a great impression on me and was very memorable in parts and for that I'd definitely recommend reading it. 5 stars at its best and 2 stars at its worst. However, the parts I enjoyed outweighed the parts I didn't joy and hence I've settled on a 3.5 star rating.