From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

Start date: January 1, 2021

Finish date: March 31, 2021

Discussion: Anna Karenina - Jan-March 2021

Why we're reading this: January to March 2021 Completist Big Read Seelction
[close] January to March 2021 Completist Big Read Seelction

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Anna Karenina - Jan-March 2021

Anna Karenina - Part 3 and 4
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 3 posts · 11 views

last updated Mar 02, 2021 05:18AM

Anna Karenina - General Discussion
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 27 posts · 32 views

last updated Feb 18, 2021 06:05PM

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What Members Thought

Mar 09, 2021 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, audible, completist-book-club, historical-fiction, 2021, classic

Another classic in the books!

I have to say, Anna Karenina is the most spoiled book I have ever encountered. I was not surprised by the ending because I have seen dozens of books, movies, etc. where the climax of this book is discussed with reckless abandon. If this book has not been spoiled for you yet, and if your luck is anything like mine, read it soon!

Russian names:

Have you read any Russian authors before? If so, you know that not only are names repeated over and over, they are also often sa Another classic in the books!

I have to say, Anna Karenina is the most spoiled book I have ever encountered. I was not surprised by the ending because I have seen dozens of books, movies, etc. where the climax of this book is discussed with reckless abandon. If this book has not been spoiled for you yet, and if your luck is anything like mine, read it soon!

Russian names:

Have you read any Russian authors before? If so, you know that not only are names repeated over and over, they are also often said in totality and they have several variations – some of which are nothing like each other. Because of this, if you try this one, get ready for lots of names and possible confusion over which character is being discussed. But, don’t worry! In general, the key players are easy to follow.

Russian politics and labor:

While this large tome has lots of story, it also has a lot of discussion on Russian politics and the labor climate at the time it was written. This could prove to be either interesting for you or boring depending on what you are looking for in a book. I did not mind it much; it did not end up being my favorite part of the book, but I do think it added a lot to the atmosphere and setting.

The role of Women:

Overall, I was left with the impression that during the time this was written, women were treated very unfairly in Russia (and, I am sure, all around the world). No matter what happened or who was at fault, a woman paid the price. I know this still goes on today with women being considered “sluts” if they sleep around, but men are considered “studs”. Shows that in some respects we have not advanced very much as a society! If a story based on unequal treatment based on gender interests you, this is a good one to read and analyze.

Overall impression:

I enjoyed this book a lot. I have seen many fawn over it as some of the greatest literature ever. I don’t feel like I was quite that enamored with it, but it was an enjoyable, easy to read, follow, and appreciate. I am very glad I took the time to read this classic and if you are looking to take on a big, famous book, this one would not be a bad choice. ...more

198 likes · Like · see review

Jul 16, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, classics, russian-19th-c, read-in-french, novels

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina:"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Tolstoy draws us into the tragedy by looking down in disdain at boring, happy families (the Brady family always comes to my mind) and sells his book by deciding that unhappy families provide more variety and thus entertainment, however tragic. From the start, we know that things will end badly, so later when we are introduced to Anna and Vronsky, we are more fascinated by the details on how ...more

84 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2017 Brooklyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, classics, book-club-books, film, great-books-groupreads-completist

Beautiful translation - long and sometimes challenging (but what else to expect of Tolstoy) - yet so many memorable scenes and the characters arcs of Levin and Anna remarkable. Joyous and tragic - lots of philosophy and Russian politics and spirituality and sociological depictions of society. It was no wonder the Revolution was around the corner. A must read but have a good chunk of time set aside and not to be rushed through.

10 likes · Like · see review

Aug 12, 2018 Eigen_Land rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 22, 2014 Courtney rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, read-classics, monster-reads, 2015-classics-challenge, made-into-movies-or-tv

Hated Anna. Loved Levin and Kitty. It took me 2 years to finish this dumb book. I enjoyed the beginning but towards the middle I was no longer interested. At least I can say I read it.

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