Anna Karenina

English language

Published July 10, 2014

ISBN:
978-0-19-923208-6
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4 stars (50 reviews)

Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness. While previous versions have softened the robust, and sometimes shocking, quality of Tolstoy's writing, Pevear and Volokhonsky have produced a translation true to his powerful voice. This award-winning team's authoritative edition also includes an illuminating introduction and explanatory notes. Beautiful, vigorous, and eminently readable, this Anna Karenina will be the definitive text for generations to come.

86 editions

Review of 'Anna Karenina' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

"Anna Karenina" non è esente da difetti. Ci sono alcune parti di scarso interesse per il lettore moderno, a volte anche piuttosto lunghe: in particolare quelle relative alle gestione dei latifondi o l'amministrazione della Russia zarista. Si tratta di temi che erano a cuore per Tolstoj, ma che non sono sopravvissuti al secolo e mezzo da allora. E poi, anche se lo sguardo dell'autore è di pietà e non di condanna, tutta la storia di Anna come peccatrice e "donna perduta" agli occhi odierni appare eccessiva.
Ma pazienza. Anna Karenina, nonostante il titolo pensi si focalizzi su una persona, è un romanzo corale in cui Tolstoj dimostra una vertiginosa abilità nel mettersi nella testa dei suoi personaggi, a volte anche nello stesso capitolo: è una tecnica che i corsi di scrittura dicono di evitare a tutti i costi, "a meno di non essere estremamente bravi". Ecco, Tolstoj lo è. E …

Review of 'Anna Karenina' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Having read so many Russian novels recently must be making this easier, because I believe this one was the easiest read yet. I'm getting used to the style, so I don't have to keep stopping to think through what the author is trying to say. That's kinda nice.

I'm not sure what I think about the book as a whole. The characters were relatable, and I enjoyed most scenes, but I usually didn't like the ways Tolstoy would resolve issues in the plot. They felt too harsh and sudden without enough meaning dredged out of them first. Still, I don't know how I'd have done it better, so I won't complain about that too much.

Other than that, I'm glad I read it. It's probably not one I'll reread again anytime soon, but that's more because of the length than the content.

Review of 'Anna Karenina' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Anna Karenina is the tragic story of the socialite’s marriage to Karenin and her affair with the wealthy Count Vronsky. The novel begins in the midst of their families break up due to her brother’s constant womanising; a situation that preferences her own situation throughout the novel. Running in parallel to this story of Konstantin Levin, a humble country landowner that wishes to marry Kitty, who is Anna’s sister in-law. Anna Karenina is a pinnacle piece of realist literature, exploring a wide range of family issues.

At over 800 pages, Anna Karenina can be a daunting novel to pick up; the large cast of characters does not make it any easier. I look at this classic novel as an exploration into melodrama that just about every family experiences. Born in 1828, Lev (Leo) Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born into a large and wealthy Russian landowning family, and has often been suggested …

Review of 'Anna Karenina' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Tolstoy has got to be the only author I have read that constantly lets you know that you are at his mercy when you take up one of his books. If he wants to kill somebody off then he will and you are left helpless watching events unfold knowing that shouting at the book is not going to help. Normally in a book a character will almost die or if they do I am not the bothered by it. I had the same feeling of helplessness when reading war and peace.

I loved everything about this book, from discussions on Politics and Princesses gossiping, to Levin mowing a meadow. Levin took about 30 pages to do the whole meadow but I was there the whole time, jealous that it wasn't me.

As for the characters you have Anna and Vronsky who I did not like, not sure if that is …

Review of 'Anna Karenina' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Finally finished! Maybe I need to read some commentary and analysis on this book, but I found it tedious. It's points didn't seem original to me, although perhaps Tolstoy WAS the first man to recognize the difference in how society treats men and women when they cheat on their spouses. It ended on an oddly "spiritual, but not religious" note that seemed like a random addendum rather than a conclusion to this rambling tale.

Glad I read it, but wish it had been a better experience!

Review of 'Anna Karenina' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Here is a book of lingering power that resonates well its reality to its readers. Now I finally understood why they speak of Tolstoy as the "Master of Prose", for he is nothing less than a maestro of the discipline. But let not the majestic storytelling cloud the meaning behind the work and the message that the story portrays. It's about life. Anna Karenina is a living and moving portrait of life.

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