I read the easy reader version published by LL-förlaget, retold by Johan Werkmäster. The story of love lost and found didn't interest me, the historical setting just conveyed a time when women were chattel. Nobody in the story was likeable.

I am rating the Cliffs Notes study guide for this story, NOT the original story, which I have not yet read. M.Sturman, the author of this guide, switches between two or even three different names for each of the characters, in a single paragraph! Very confusing. Also, a glaring error on page 29 where she refers to Dostoevsky as the author. Shoddy work, in my opinion.

Usually reading one of these tends to give me just a little more insight into the story, along with some help here and there on some of the more difficult areas. But when it comes to Anna Karenina, this cliffs note version is flat and doesn't really add anything that you couldn't grasp through reading it the first time without any aid. I would believe this shows Tolstoys writing was easier to understand, but I think it's more that their wasn't too much time put forth in compiling this cliff version and no one seemed to care.