Anna Karenina in The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

Dec 31, 2016 robin Brinson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love this book and highly recommend it. Almost everyone has heard of Anna Karenina, but don’t be content with only knowing the cliff notes, it is a must read. Whether you love it or hate it, it is worth your time for there is a much larger conversation in which to participate.

Anna is much more complex than my preconceived ideas of her. I was captivated by her story and I loved her, flaws and all. At times she is strong and courageous, at others she is weak and insufferable, but she is always I love this book and highly recommend it. Almost everyone has heard of Anna Karenina, but don’t be content with only knowing the cliff notes, it is a must read. Whether you love it or hate it, it is worth your time for there is a much larger conversation in which to participate.

Anna is much more complex than my preconceived ideas of her. I was captivated by her story and I loved her, flaws and all. At times she is strong and courageous, at others she is weak and insufferable, but she is always sincere. The tragedy of her life and choices are riveting and her ultimate unraveling into desolation, despair and madness is heart wrenching. This doomed love story of the beautiful and tormented Anna is only one part of the vast landscape in Tolstoy's novel.

Although, His tome is named for her she is by no means the most important piece. There are so many characters and layers to peel away and savor. Even the minor characters are nuanced and real. I found the massive contradictory grey areas of life portrayed by Tolstoy through his characters’ inner thoughts stirring. They are deeply flawed, funny, beautiful, brilliant, shallow, thoughtful and often times lost. There are no characters to vilify, they are too multifaceted for that. You may hate them one moment, yet they redeem themselves the next. Influenced and reacting to society and the political times the characters sucked me in with their passion and complexity.

Tolstoy is a master of prose and the intensity of emotion pours off the page while still remaining anchored in realism and historical events. He transports us to the center of the action, to their balls, countryside homes, dinners and train stations. There is movement and life going on in such a real way, I found it magical. Tolstoy allows us to connect with the characters on such a deep and tangible level, I even found myself engrossed in the mundane activities, such as the long mowing scenes.

The reader empathizes with the characters on an intimate level as they struggle, change their minds, contradict themselves. We gain access to their fears and insecurities through their inner monologues. We understand why, when we see them make assumptions and judgments about others based solely off of small physical expressions and tone of voice. We witness their fickleness first hand. We watch how something so important and meaningful one moment loses its appeal the next, or the character fails to hold onto the ideas they so desperately desire. While allowing us those rich bonding experiences with all the tumult of their interior lives, the story still remains coherent for the reader.

Anna Karenina is a dynamic emotionally intense psychological opus about love, ideas, and the inner struggles most of us face. For me, it was a stunning immersive experience. His characters made me take a breath and bring a new perspective to my own mind. ...more

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Feb 02, 2017 Tiffany rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics

This is definitely one of my all time favorite classics. I much more relate to Levin than to Anna. I found her more sad and tragic than anything else. Of course, her life was very much a sign of the times. Overall feeling, really glad to be done with it and moving on to something else.

“If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.”
“Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed. ”
“I've always loved you, and when you love someone, you love the wh ...more

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