From the Bookshelf of Mineola Library's 2012 FALL Reading Challenge…

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy,

David Magarshack (Translator)

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Mar 31, 2013 Suzanne Moore rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ashe-spring-challenge, books-to-movies

Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is one of the most decomposable books I have ever read. There are so many aspects of existence analyzed in the lives of the primary characters. Oblonsky, Dolly, Kitty, Anna, Karenina, Vronsky, and Lenin live separately as well as in reflections of each other with their complicated relationships in a wide variety of scenes.

Right away I began sympathizing with Dolly in her stale marriage, as Oblonsky's flippancy towards his commitment to her is revealed. How he expected hi Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is one of the most decomposable books I have ever read. There are so many aspects of existence analyzed in the lives of the primary characters. Oblonsky, Dolly, Kitty, Anna, Karenina, Vronsky, and Lenin live separately as well as in reflections of each other with their complicated relationships in a wide variety of scenes.

Right away I began sympathizing with Dolly in her stale marriage, as Oblonsky's flippancy towards his commitment to her is revealed. How he expected his sister Anna to soothe his wife's spirit and restore her faith in him is a mystery to me. Considering the time period could be one option, but in the modern world unfaithful lovers still exist. It doesn't matter what social class a cheater comes from. Just look at the political arena and compare it with Jerry Springer's audience. Emotionally revenge varies from mental to physical abuse once a discretion is exposed.

When Kitty is faced with her own personal relationship choice she is blinded by Vronsky's charisma and turns Lenin's proposal down. There's something about a man in uniform! Vronsky is such a player and abandons his attention to Kitty when he becomes mesmerized by Anna. At first Anna's intentions seem quite holy, but it seems that Vronsky's flattery turns her morals due to a lack of love in her own marriage. Karenina, Anna's much older husband,takes her for granted and often leaves her alone while tending to the affairs of his business. This leaves a door open for elicit rendezvous between Vronsky and Anna, although in the beginning she does her best to resist temptations. Poor Kitty realizing her dream of becoming Vronsky's wife has faded nearly dies of starvation and depression.

This significantly summarized chain of events is only the beginning of Tolstoy's tragic drama. It is true that the entire story isn't tragic, but Tolstoy crafts the essence of each one's inner struggles so that a reader can imagine what it feels like to live inside the heads of everyone in just about every scene and still wonder what sort of results their actions will reveal. Vronsky's selfishness, Anna's jealousy, Lenin's spiritual inquires, Oblonsky's complacence, Dolly's anxiety, Karenina's rigidness, and Kitty's naivety are traits that progressively evolve into redeemable qualities for some and for others spiral deeper into negativity.

Anna, the central character, who seems the strongest in the beginning begins to unravel when she temporarily leaves behind her son while in pursuit of a new life with Vronsky. An unplanned pregnancy contributes to her decision to leave Karenina, who refuses a divorce for appearance's sake. The whole relationship triangle is complex, and loyalty to her children manifests into extreme guilt over the situation she finds herself in.

I may be in danger of spoiling the story by giving too much information in this review. A full summary would be pages long. The essential goal is to write a 'teaser' in hopes that others might find this introduction intriguing enough to read this book themselves and at the same time serve as a reminder to myself about how awesome this novel is. With all the books I want to read I rarely take time to re-read a book, but this one goes on my list of favorites and quite possibly will be picked up again someday! ...more

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Oct 03, 2009 Wanda Baldridge added it

May 25, 2011 Sharon rated it liked it

Sep 13, 2011 Lynn marked it as fiction-later

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