From the Bookshelf of Reading the Classics…

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy,

Louise Maude (Translator)

Start date: August 1, 2012

Finish date: September 30, 2012

Discussion: Past Group Reads

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Past Group Reads

* Washington Square - Reading Schedule
By Brian , co-moderator · 3 posts · 28 views

last updated May 08, 2021 11:27AM

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What Members Thought

Jun 13, 2012 Mturney1010 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-books, historical-fiction

The good: For the most part, I loved this book. Tolstoy has a gift for observation and truth. I loved the love triangle between Anna, Karinin, and Vronsky. I thought it was very honest. Tolstoy obviously didn't believe in the old adage, "love conquers all." I loved the relationship between Levin and Kitty. In fact, I loved Kitty a lot more than I liked Anna because I felt she was less selfish and more relatable. The fact that Anna would virtually give up her son for her lover didn’t sit well wit The good: For the most part, I loved this book. Tolstoy has a gift for observation and truth. I loved the love triangle between Anna, Karinin, and Vronsky. I thought it was very honest. Tolstoy obviously didn't believe in the old adage, "love conquers all." I loved the relationship between Levin and Kitty. In fact, I loved Kitty a lot more than I liked Anna because I felt she was less selfish and more relatable. The fact that Anna would virtually give up her son for her lover didn’t sit well with me. I felt constantly bad for Dolly and as much as I loved Stiva, I hated him as well. Tolstoy created very real situations and characters without showing us people through rose colored goggles as so many other authors do.
The bad: There is a reason it took me more than 8 months to read this book and that reason is not because it's about a thousand pages. I felt like Tolstoy has the tenancy to drone without moving the plot along. I am not one who really cares about Russian agriculture enough to enjoy a hundred pages of it. I don’t care how flowery the language is. The whole story could have been told beautifully in 500 or less pages. In all honesty, had the book not been so redeeming and beautiful at its best, I probably would have given it 3 stars. In fact, I'm giving the core story a solid five but would minus two stars for being long winded. Perhaps if I hadn't JUST read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (despite its length I don't think it suffered from the same problems that Anna does) I would have enjoyed the book more, but alas I read it right on the heels of the most brilliant book I’ve ever read.
I loved feeling like I was back in Russia. I love Russian people and culture so much, and I felt transported to the time and place, as parts of Russia feels like it never moved forward from Tolstoy’s time. Reading Karenina gave me a feeling of nostalgia that was very lovely.
Also, Levin...you seriously need to stop being such a wimp half the time. I love you, but you seriously need an attitude adjustment.
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Apr 11, 2008 Andrea Kemper rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

***Spoiler Alert*** In the character of Anna, Tolstoy creates a woman who is perhaps most unhappily destined for tragedy. Anna falls in love with Count Vronsky, only to find that her passions are uncontrollable. She might have continued the relationship in secret, but she defies the "rules," and is forced to pay the ultimate price... She loses all contact with her son; and she is shunned from proper society.
What is interesting to me is that the story for "Anna Karenina" apparently came out of a ...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Brian rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Tedious, plotless and boring. A thousand pages of drivel.

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Oct 09, 2012 Ryan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

I was surprised by this classic Tolstoy "love" story. Surprised that the title character is not really the main character or even the focal point of the novel. Surprised by my vehement dislike of the title character (her actions, personality, apathy) and her whole storyline. And yet surprised that this epic of Victorian Russia was so moving with awesome characters and caricatures that still resonate with a modern sensibility. Glad I tackled what I thought would be a daunting epic and turned out ...more

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