Title: Anna Karenina
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Published in: 1877
Summary: Anna Karenina has two plots that run side by side throughout the novel: the story of Anna and the story of Levin. Levin’s story is an expression of Tolstoy’s pastoral nature and a reaffirmation of the novelist’s vision of the simple life. The beauty of the seasons and the pragmatic work of harvesting absorb Levin. Levin’s relationship to the land and life is contrasted with Anna’s enigmatic and destructive passions. Anna’s appearance in the novel represents a rift in the tranquil world which allows physical passion and irrationality to prevail.
Favorite Character(s): Princess Darya “Dolly” Alexandrovna Oblonsky, Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky, Princess Ekaterina “Kitty” Alexandrovna Shcherbatsky, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina
Least Favorite Character(s): Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, Countess Lidia Ivanovna
What I Liked (Spoilers): Although I disliked both of Anna’s suitors, I enjoyed the tumultuous relationship that she had with Vronsky and the conflict that she experienced with her husband as a consequence of her affair. I enjoyed any scenes that included Anna or either of the Scherbatsky sisters. For me, the most memorables scenes are when Anna sneaks into her old home to visit her son when Levin and Kitty become engaged, when Kitty develops a relationship with Nikolai, when Kitty gives birth to her son, and obviously at the end when Anna throws herself under the moving train. Anna’s gradual self-destruction and depression also moved me greatly, since I was able to relate to some of her thought patterns and behavior.
What I disliked (Spoilers): There were many scenes with Levin that bored me to death, even though I enjoyed him as a character for the most part. I enjoyed the scenes that regarded his relationship with his brother and Kitty, but I could not stand all the scenes about the happenings on the farm. I also felt that certain passages were there for absolutely no reason and contributed nothing to the plot or the characters’ development. The scenes with Alexei Karenin after Anna leaves with Vronsky angered me, but I think that’s mostly because I had such a strong dislike for the character. It also saddened me whenever Anna realized that she did not truly love her daughter, and yearned for her beloved son. Also, although I loved Kitty as a character, her juvenile infatuation with Vronsky that caused her to accept Levin’s genuine proposal almost made me throw the book across the room in frustration.
My favorite moment (Major Spoilers): I mentioned a bunch of them in the “What I liked” section, but my favorite part of the whole book is the last couple chapters of Anna’s life. Her paranoia regarding Vronsky’s love of her and her constant self-depricating thoughts cause her lead herself to her death, and at the last moment she panics and wishes that she could take back her jump. It was gut-wrenching to read the last paragraph of that chapter when she realizes at the last moment that she wants to live, and as she feels the train crush her she begs the universes for forgiveness for her actions.
Lasting Impressions: I plan to read War&Peace, but not for awhile. Anna Karenina was an excellent novel, but it took me a very long time to read because of its length. I enjoy Tolstoy’s writing, but I’m going to stick to shorter books for now (I am currently reading Catch-22 by Joseph Heller).
Rating: 9/10
I’ve always wanted to read Tolstoys, but at the same time his books are a bit daunting. But it’s nice to know that there are people out there reading his books
I’ve been meaning to read this book for a very long time. The length is kind of scary, lol. Now that I’ve read your opinion, I’ll be sure to finally give it a go.
Yeah, the length of it was one of the reasons for why it took me so long to pick it up off my shelf! It took me a very long time to get through it ( I actually took a break and read another book, haha), but it was definitely worth it.
I’m not going to read what you wrote as I’ve had this book on my to do read list for a long time and I don’t want to know what happens.
But knowing that you gave it such a high score might actually push me to read it sooner now!
I’m glad! There are some parts that aren’t that great, but by the time I finished it I was quite pleased with it as a whole. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did once you get around to reading it!
[...] Some of them, like Jane Eyre, prove to be rather disappointing, while others, such as 1984 or Anna Karenina live up to their hype. Thankfully, Rebecca belongs to the latter [...]
why is the length of the novel important? havent you read short but terrible stoires? it doesnt matter if it is long or short, when you feel like being with the characters or being one of the characters:)