Anna Karenina - contains spoilers

[MissMaryJB]

In Lit class this year we had to read two of Tolstoy's short stories, while being short our very profound and beautifully written and I recommend any of his stories. He has a way of putting words down on a piece of paper. After reading the two stories my class watched one of the older versions of Anna Karenina and after watching the movie I bought the book from Books A Million. I have yet to be able to read it as it is a very large book and very detailed. Tolstoy also wrote the book War and Peace, and I am hoping to one day be able to read that also.

[hedda gabler 46]

when you do get round to reading it MissMary, I guarantee you an enthralling read!! yes it is very detailed and definitely long,but Tolstoy covers all the themes incorporated in the novel .So if you read the book it's not only about Anna Karenina and Vronsky but also about premises of philosophy,class relations,pre revolutionary tensions between the social classes, religious zeal and religious discrimination, relationships between men,brothers,wives and husbands and all amalgamated into one absorbing unputdownable whole. War and Peace is different as it deals with the problems of a lot more than Natasha and Pierre's love story but deals with the dominant global problem from a Russian perspective,which was of course at that time Napoleon Bonaparte and his tendency to conquer everything in sight...and so so much more...the writing is certainly copious but the way Tolstoy manages such a huge amount of material and varying themes and brings them together is just masterly.Wonderful Wonderful author and I believe he had a great following for his philosophy and ideas etc.

[Lin2412]

I read the book before the news of the movie came out, but I haven't finished it yet. Although I've been really been hooked-truly page turner. Though it looks normal, I liked how the way Anna and Vronsky lightly met the first time.

-- 05 Jun 2014, 00:07 --

I read the book before the news of the movie came out, but I haven't finished it yet. Although I've been really been hooked-truly page turner. Though it looks normal, I liked how the way Anna and Vronsky lightly met the first time.

[PashaRu]

I enjoyed Anna Karenina very much. The backdrop against which it is written (19th century Russia) is rich and interesting. The principle characters are well written and developed. Coincidentally - or maybe not - I read this book when I lived in Russia, and read most of it on the Moscow subway. I bought it at a great bookstore in the city center named Библия глобус (Biblia Globus). Ah, fond memories.

[hedda gabler 46]

I started reading this book last week and so far I'm really enjoying it. I wasn't expecting it to be so easy to get into and that its narrative would have this flow. However, I still don't know how I feel about Anna ... I'm not sure I like her, at least for now ...

I think your observation is very insightful...Anna is like Marmite ,either you love her or you hate her.She's self absorbed,attention seeking, and if you think about it quite pretentious .just another bored housewife with too much time on her hands...but she has to pay a heavy price for her grand passion...while Vronsky's being a man gets him off the hook every time.However what makes Anna such a great heroine is her capacity to provoke reactions from the readers and that surely was Tolstoy's purpose...

[smspreally]

I just started reading this last night. My mom and sister, who are both avid readers, have suggested it to me several times. So, I finally took the plunge. I am only on chapter 6, so we will see.

[mebowers]

I read this book for the first time when I was 21 years old. It had been sitting in my bookcase for well over a year and I kept finding other things to do, shorter books to read, and overall less daunting things to read. However, after picking it up, starting it over three times, I actually got into it. As the story continued, I fell in love with the way things and thoughts were described and how character's interacted with one another. After about five months, I finished reading it and it moved to the top of my favorite books list!

[florajavier]

I love how Anna's death is foreshadowed. First it strikes us, as it does Anna, as shocking and horrific. But then it feels inevitable when she commits suicide, even when it is more heartbreaking. I guess, especially from our modern perspective, Anna's life just becomes hopelessly miserable, that there seems to be no other recourse but to end it. So what begins as unthinkable becomes inescapable, as we see how dark things have turned for her.

[joe_paul17]

i too found war and peace more captivating than Anna. But that again could be that the ending in Anna is heart wrenching whereas in War and Peace Tolstoy painted one of hope.
But have to say Anna Karenina is an emotional story that truly tugs at you!
I remember reading another version where they had translated to english but had certain phrases and sentences still in Russian, with the translation at the bottom given in english (you know like footnotes)
That was a more intriguing read, I think it was a penguin edition but older edition.

[DickDatchery]

I love Anna Karenina, War and Peace, and much of Tolstoy's short fiction. I think my favorite thing about him is how well he brings his characters to life. You understand the main characters down to their very core, and he kindles an affection for them rivalled only by Dickens in my opinion. And since he is Russian, you know you will get a healthy dose of soul-searching and pondering of the meaning of life!

[thsavage2]

I think Anna Karenina is one of those books you read so you can say you've read it. I read it in high school English, otherwise I probably never would have finished it. I did like the character of Anna and how she navigates life during her affair. I think the book is a good one for studying double standards, but there's a lot else there. It just isn't much that I found very interesting. I think part of that may have been because my teacher didn't focus much on the context, I think a bit more knowledge about Russian and the issues involved would have made reading it better. This book could have been half as long and still would have had too many words. I remember we read a letter Tolstoy wrote, and even he just wanted to be finished with writing it, which I think is revealing and I don't feel too bad about thinking it could have used an editor to cut some things out. I remember reading about Levin thinking about his peasants for pages and pages and how annoying I found Kitty. The ballroom scene is great, though.

[Airam Velarde]

Anna Karenina is a book that I've always had on my shelf, but never read until the movie adaptation was announced. I think it is a great book and I really love how it gives us two different perspectives of both Russian society and love, as seen from Anna and Levin's point of view. Anna, even though she went against the rules of society by having an affair, was still very much affected by what society thought of her. She is seen to have always been influenced and controlled by it, unlike Levin. Levin, I think, lives more for himself than for other people. He is seen going out in the fields to work even though he's the master, he also refuses the French influences of that time. I think the movie did a great job depicting this particular subject. I love how in the movie everyone is an actor inside a theater and they are all being rushed around, it really shows you how everyone was really acting like somebody they are not. Levin, however, is the only one to leave the theater and go out into the fields, because he's the only one who is himself. He also has a more pure love in contrast with Anna's more obsessive one. In this manner, Levin and Anna's stories contrast each other well and give you a better understanding of the the overall subject of the book. Which is why I was very disappointed that in the movie, Levin is treated like a side character, so in the end most of his story was omitted. Overall I really enjoyed both the book and the movie, although there are a few places in the movie where I feel the story could have been better told.

[hedda gabler 46]

Anna Karenina is a book that I've always had on my shelf, but never read until the movie adaptation was announced. I think it is a great book and I really love how it gives us two different perspectives of both Russian society and love, as seen from Anna and Levin's point of view. Anna, even though she went against the rules of society by having an affair, was still very much affected by what society thought of her. She is seen to have always been influenced and controlled by it, unlike Levin. Levin, I think, lives more for himself than for other people. He is seen going out in the fields to work even though he's the master, he also refuses the French influences of that time. I think the movie did a great job depicting this particular subject. I love how in the movie everyone is an actor inside a theater and they are all being rushed around, it really shows you how everyone was really acting like somebody they are not.

Levin, however, is the only one to leave the theater and go out into the fields, because he's the only one who is himself. He also has a more pure love in contrast with Anna's more obsessive one. In this manner, Levin and Anna's stories contrast each other well and give you a better understanding of the the overall subject of the book. Which is why I was very disappointed that in the movie, Levin is treated like a side character, so in the end most of his story was omitted.

Overall I really enjoyed both the book and the movie, although there are a few places in the movie where I feel the story could have been better told.

Velarde23,I fully agree with you abou the unfair demotion of Levin's character as his story ,feelings and philosophy are a central trope of the novel.However check the BBC drama series of AK on YouTube and IMHO its a presentation that fully explores all the themes and tropes of the novel.Its and oldie but a goldie

[GabiV]

I am a lover of russian literature, and I believe that Anna Karenina is one of the easiest novels to read to start your adventure with russian classics. I don't know about the movie, but the book is very feminine and the plot is up to date. Men can learn from this book something about passionate women. "Anna Karenina" will be suitable also for teenagers, but those who are more into books that their ipads

[Redlegs]

I had mixed feelings about Anna Karenina. Overall, I really enjoyed Tolstoy's writing and the way he captured the life and times of mid 19th century Russia.

The book is full truly great characters and I particularly enjoyed Levin, who is said to be representative of Tolstoy himself and his lovely wife, Kitty.

However, it was Anna herself about whom I was most conflicted. Should I feel sorry for the degradation of a woman that was clearly losing her mind, or should I just be annoyed at how stupid and self-absorbed she was. Unfortunately, as I was reading the book, my opinion drifted more to the latter.