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A review by eleanorisbusyreading
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
5.0
5 stars. Please note that right now I’m a sixteen year old female, so while my knowledge around the novel is limited, I am an English student and have an immense passion for literature. Admittedly, Anna Karenina being the first classic I’ve read outside of school was not necessarily a wise idea. It took me over a year to finish, since starting in February of 2022 and finishing it in June of 2023. I read other books alongside it. I listened to the audiobook while painting for hours. I read and annotated the hell out of it. But truly, Tolstoy’s novel is a masterpiece in its own rite. From his masterful use of internal monologues, which completely consumed me until I could feel what each character was feeling, and his vivid descriptions of Russian rural life in comparison to that of high society, his writing style itself is phenomenal and breathtaking.
Going into the novel, I was initially intrigued by the image of “Anna Karenina” - the doomed, tragic woman - the cautionary tale of an affair. However, while Tolstoy paints a perfect portrait of Anna in all her beauty and flaws, she seems undeniably imperfect too, and very human in that regard. Her relationship with Vronsky seemed to change as Tolstoy fell in love with his protagonist, but ultimately couldn’t stray from the fate of the novel. Levin is widely known as a mouthpiece for Tolstoy’s views, in character, philosophy, politics, and religion - but also love. While Anna and Vronsky’s romance seems to be an extremely toxic and poisonous kind of love, stemmed from passion, Levin and Kitty’s is a direct comparison throughout the novel, and a consistently refreshing break from the tumultuous dramas and devastation of Anna’s story. Despite being the titular character, reflecting her position at the centre of the novel, I would argue that Anna is not recognised within the novel’s world as important at all. She is only introduced well into the first hundred pages, and the focus shifts between her and Levin, as well as brief glimpses into the lives of everyone around them. The parallels of Anna and Levin’s lives, so obviously different, and only intertwining at certain points, seems to me reflective of Tolstoy’s own nature with the characters and story he’s crafted, as he himself underwent a journey throughout the novel, much like Levin, and seemed to quite fall in love with his protagonist, although that was perhaps not the intention. What strikes me most about this novel is how, presenting this web of connection between the lives of so many intertwined, Anna Karenina leaves her mark on so few, and in the end, the world seems perfectly fine to move on without her. Tolstoy explores selfish nature with Anna, passion, and death, the intricate relationship between the three. But I’m not quite sure if he came to any conclusions in the end, or if only I as a reader, was allowed to come to my own.
This book has filled spaces in a year of my life, and it is certainly a book I will never forget. As I said, my many annotations and tabs will come in handy when I skim through it every now and then to remember some of the beautiful, tragic moments that Tolstoy created. And for anyone with the patience, I truly recommend.
Going into the novel, I was initially intrigued by the image of “Anna Karenina” - the doomed, tragic woman - the cautionary tale of an affair. However, while Tolstoy paints a perfect portrait of Anna in all her beauty and flaws, she seems undeniably imperfect too, and very human in that regard. Her relationship with Vronsky seemed to change as Tolstoy fell in love with his protagonist, but ultimately couldn’t stray from the fate of the novel. Levin is widely known as a mouthpiece for Tolstoy’s views, in character, philosophy, politics, and religion - but also love. While Anna and Vronsky’s romance seems to be an extremely toxic and poisonous kind of love, stemmed from passion, Levin and Kitty’s is a direct comparison throughout the novel, and a consistently refreshing break from the tumultuous dramas and devastation of Anna’s story. Despite being the titular character, reflecting her position at the centre of the novel, I would argue that Anna is not recognised within the novel’s world as important at all. She is only introduced well into the first hundred pages, and the focus shifts between her and Levin, as well as brief glimpses into the lives of everyone around them. The parallels of Anna and Levin’s lives, so obviously different, and only intertwining at certain points, seems to me reflective of Tolstoy’s own nature with the characters and story he’s crafted, as he himself underwent a journey throughout the novel, much like Levin, and seemed to quite fall in love with his protagonist, although that was perhaps not the intention. What strikes me most about this novel is how, presenting this web of connection between the lives of so many intertwined, Anna Karenina leaves her mark on so few, and in the end, the world seems perfectly fine to move on without her. Tolstoy explores selfish nature with Anna, passion, and death, the intricate relationship between the three. But I’m not quite sure if he came to any conclusions in the end, or if only I as a reader, was allowed to come to my own.
This book has filled spaces in a year of my life, and it is certainly a book I will never forget. As I said, my many annotations and tabs will come in handy when I skim through it every now and then to remember some of the beautiful, tragic moments that Tolstoy created. And for anyone with the patience, I truly recommend.