Tolstoy: Anna Karenina by anthony thorlby

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

First read it back in my teen years, didn't get much out of it. Re-reading it now, in my early 20s, I was amazed how captivating such a long and notoriously detailed book can be. The parallel of the three families, the development of relationships between the spouses, gives an insightful idea of what love and family life can and cannot be. Yes, a lot has changed in society since the late 19th century, but the core feelings are pretty much the same. I wouldn't want to claim that I understand Anna, but the pride, sensitivity, wisdom, insight and intuition of this woman together with her neurotic inclinations and hysteric outbursts did resonate with my own feelings and got under my skin. Wouldn't recommend reading the book if you are slightly down yourself.

0 0 Reply

xTimLim

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

I'm in love with this book! The characters are described very well- you can really understand their thoughts and emotions. A love Vronsky and Levin. They're both very different but I love them. Of course Anna is also one of my favorite characters. Her personality is very interesting. She is beautiful inside and out.
You know- Tolstoy is genius.

0 0 Reply

sadasianstudent

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

One of the only books I couldn't finish. I've read some pretty boring books that I managed to enjoy in the end but good gravy this book is just ..

I felt literal relief when I finally gave myself permission to give up.
Did I mention it was the second time I tried to read it? Zzzzz

0 0 Reply

Hikari_Daidoji

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

This is a novel about power of woman and thinking of society in Russia in the 19.th century. The novel describes destiny of three families: Anne´s family, her brother´s family and Levin´s family. Every one of those families is diferrent, but with interesting opinion on life.

0 0 Reply

Isaon

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

I decided to read Anna Karenina over my maternity leave, because when else would I have enough time? (This was before I realized that unfortunately maternity leave is not in fact a three-month paid vacation, but more of a full time job seven days a week, plus chronic sleep deprivation and no lunch break.) Anyway, minus the parts with Anna, this was a very good book. Tolstoy really knows his stuff.

0 0 Reply

khorven

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

Reviewing a book like this is difficult because there is the whole historical context to take into consideration. The book is heavy on philosophical and religious rumination (something I am sometimes guilty of). And Tolstoy's style doesn't foll0w a lot of the modern "do's" of good novel writing.

But, when yo get down to it, I think what impressed me most this time I read the novel was the matrix of juxtapositions Tolstoy creates - Dolly versus Anna (on the theme of adultery), Karenin versus Alexandrovich (on bureaucracy), Levin versus Oblonsky (on socially acceptable male conduct), the city versus the country (the natural versus the artificial - and how the characters are react and change in each environment), Levin and Anna (Levin's bouts jealousy and their resolution versus hers). The consistency and depth of the characters is fantastic...even if we have to read about "modern" ideas for Russian farming in between.

0 0 Reply

hamma085

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March 26,2025

Russian literature is not my favorite, so this rating might be biased. I didn't mind the ending (which is not normal for Russian media)-it was actually a nice ending. I mean the end ending, not the part when Anna's role in the story ends.
There are some things to like in this book. I enjoyed Levin's "conversion". I thought Tolstoy's description of the feelings accompanying communion with God was just exquisitely done. There were a lot of good insights into human nature altogether.
I found the juxtaposition of Anna's and Kitty/Levin's stories significant. But overall I couldn't tell what the book was really supposed to be about. I guess I like to walk away with some coherent theme. A lot of it was just like-Uh...OK. And there was a lot of discussion of Russian farming, politics that went on a little long.

0 0 Reply