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A review by savvyrosereads
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
One of the quintessential classics of Russian Literature, Anna Karenina is a sweeping and tragic story of love, infidelity, religion, philosophy, and family set in 1870s Russia.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel, but it definitely struggles from pacing issues in certain parts—while I generally dislike abridged works, there are entire sections here that could be trimmed or cut without impacting the overall story or enjoyability of the book. Fortunately, I read this one as a February buddy read with one of my best friends, who also has a true gift for scheduling reads—without that structure I’m not sure I would have made it through, and it certainly would have taken me much longer!
That said, the good parts of this book are GREAT, and there are plenty of them! Like any good classic, there is plenty of fodder for deep literary analysis (and it’s very worthy of that) but it is also quite readable and enjoyable just as a casual read, particularly in this translation (pro tip, if you read any Russian work that Pevear/Volokhonsky have translated, PLEASE read their translation—it is invariably unmatched). I’m very glad I took the time to read this one!
Recommended for anyone, but especially those who like: Russian literature; classic novels; long books.
CW: Suicide/suicidal thoughts
One of the quintessential classics of Russian Literature, Anna Karenina is a sweeping and tragic story of love, infidelity, religion, philosophy, and family set in 1870s Russia.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel, but it definitely struggles from pacing issues in certain parts—while I generally dislike abridged works, there are entire sections here that could be trimmed or cut without impacting the overall story or enjoyability of the book. Fortunately, I read this one as a February buddy read with one of my best friends, who also has a true gift for scheduling reads—without that structure I’m not sure I would have made it through, and it certainly would have taken me much longer!
That said, the good parts of this book are GREAT, and there are plenty of them! Like any good classic, there is plenty of fodder for deep literary analysis (and it’s very worthy of that) but it is also quite readable and enjoyable just as a casual read, particularly in this translation (pro tip, if you read any Russian work that Pevear/Volokhonsky have translated, PLEASE read their translation—it is invariably unmatched). I’m very glad I took the time to read this one!
Recommended for anyone, but especially those who like: Russian literature; classic novels; long books.
CW: Suicide/suicidal thoughts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts