Tolstoy?!!!?

[Insightsintobooks729]

I loved Anna Karenina. I'm currently working through War and Peace.

[CaitlinGonya]

I have war and peace sitting in my TBR footlocker, and it is a very very full footlocker.

[Nikolas Farmakis]

I know Tolstoy, but I have not read any of his books yet.

[Nikolas Farmakis]

I plan to read some of Tolstoy's books in the future, as he is an intriguing author.

[Bigwig1973]

I think the translation might matter, particularly in Russian literature. Apparently, based on what a friend told me, their language is quite different that English - I think English is a lot less theoretic but more unisex, if that makes any sense. As to feeling as if you are a "stock character" in a Tolstoy novel, that is interesting. I'm not sure what it means, exactly. A prototype or a standard of sorts. Not like that's a bad thing. If you were a vodka, what kind of a vodka would you be? Russian Standard is extraordinarily smooth, Stolichnaya is a bit harsher. Ketel One, also not quite so smooth. I'm not a big drinker, I made a bunch of extracts for cooking and Russian Standard is really good for that. If you're like Russian Standard, would you be a walking version of the song "Smooth" by Rob Thomas and Santana? Like a bad drunken sailor rendition, slurring "Throw 'er in the drink!" I don't think Vronsky or Anna appear to completely fit the Russian Standard/Smooth character, although Tolstoy might have been a master of disguise. Tolstoy seemed to me to write as if he were in pain. I hate to think that he was, but that is another reason to write. Men at that time, men all the time, tend to ignore health issues and I hope that was not the case for him. He is a wonderful writer and in some photos he seems very imposing and it was an unfortunate time in Russia with all the changes.

[saracristina1998]

I would love to be able to have a cup of coffee with Tolstoy, and asking about his FOURTEEN CHILDREN. I mean, weren't they in war by that time? didn't they have anything else to do? That really hunts me sometimes.

I recently read Anna Karenina and I really loved it. The way the characters change their behavior with the surroundings really speaks for the fragility of people's minds. I actually did a full review of this book on my Instagram, even though is in Spanish. either way, you're all welcome to visit my profile anytime.

[aby johnson]

War and Peace or Anna Karenina, which should i read first?