Here we go again…another serious book. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is classified as a classic. I’m not sure why I wanted to read Anna Karenina, but I did, so much so that it was on my wish list for Secret Santa last year (thanks again, Jilly). No idea what possessed me to want to read a classic novel from 1877…maybe I should have watched the movie first. Well this one was a doozy. Not only was it physically heavy and a lot to constantly carry around (963 pages), but full of characters and plot lines written in a very matter of fact, formal, dry way. I can honestly say Anna Karenina was the most challenging book I’ve ever read because every step of the way I was fighting to continue. I would only recommend this book if you were trying to read through the classics. The next book I read will be more enjoyable, I promise.
Goodreads Synopsis
Acclaimed by many as the world’s greatest novel, Anna Karenina provides a vast panorama of contemporary life in Russia and of humanity in general. In it Tolstoy uses his intense imaginative insight to create some of the most memorable characters in all of literature. Anna is a sophisticated woman who abandons her empty existence as the wife of Karenin and turns to Count Vronsky to fulfil her passionate nature – with tragic consequences. Levin is a reflection of Tolstoy himself, often expressing the author’s own views and convictions. Throughout, Tolstoy points no moral, merely inviting us not to judge but to watch.
*Note the novel is translated from Russian and each version is claimed to have a different tone/voice.
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