Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
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Book Reviews of Anna Karenina
Book Review: A classic of all times
Summary: 5 Stars
Regarding the one hundred year mark of Tolstoy birthdate these days, one specialized book critic said that all questions about life can be found in Ana Karenina, and I am not sure if all but you can find some posible answers to many of them which go raging on the mind of Levin, not the main character but the most engrossing of the novel
Do not be mislead by the title, the novel is not centered in Ana's character she is just another element playing in one of several stories revolving around the socialites of the Conservative Russian Society of Ana's time where the personal feelings weigh daily in the balance and to the tiniest detail against social standing, and where gossip is rampant.
For me Levin, a friend of Ana's brother Oblonski, is the most interesting character, because in my opinión he is Tolstoy himself participating in the plot, agnostic, apolitic, hardworking countryisde life lover, he plays the desperate farmer businessman eager to find a wife and get married to fill the emptiness of his single life while at the same time Ana cheats on his husband to get rid of the emptiness of her marriage. What a stark contrast !. As I said Levin (Tolstoy) is wondering about the meaning of life particularly on the ending chapters, I can quote "The law of loving others could not be discovered by reason, it is unreasonable". Terrific !!
Book Review: A book that has had a significant impact on me
Summary: 5 Stars
Anna Karenina just may be the single greatest book of the 19th- century. How do I even begin to describe what an impact this book has had on me? It chronicles the story of Anna, a married woman who has a torrid, doomed affair with Count Vronsky- of Anna's shame, her extra-marital pregnancy, and of all the bad things that could occur in a relationship such as this one. It is an affair that will eventually lead to her death, a scene which is mentioned over and over again in the annals of literature.
On the flip side are Kitty and Levin, a couple who has an extremely successful, happy marriage. My favorite scene in the book is when Levin and Kitty get married. In the Russian Orthodox Church, after the benediction has been said, both partners have to step on a mat to show who will be the dominant force in the relationship. Here, Kitty and Levin step on the mat at the same time, symbolizing the equality in their relationship.
It is a novel of extremes, of love and of passion. Even though its a long novel, I highly reccomend this book as a classic of Russian literature. For months after I first read it, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters; Tolstoy's words are rich in meaning and deserve a lot of time and attention paid to them. But the effort is worth it in the end. Kudos to Oprah for making this book the latest addition to her Book Club.
Book Review: took me 8 months, but I'm slow
Summary: 5 Stars
The sort of book that could change your life. Maybe you'll renew your love for your brother. Or maybe tell that jackass at the party to stop hitting on your girlfriend. Or maybe realize that your wife does love you best.
Anyways, no matter what kind of reader you are, and no matter how your tastes run, you can't go wrong here. If you have half a brain, you'll be stimulated. It begins with a guy sleeping on his couch because his wife caught him cheating. Friends with everybody, he appears throughout the book as a charming oaf. Then there's his hot, milf sister, her lame husband, her new boyfriend, and their descent into hell. Then there's the lovably self-conscious oddball hero who has to take some serious time out after getting rejected in love, but who eventually not only gets the girl but discovers the meaning of life.
There are meditations on death, ambition, and marriage that are as accessible and illuminating as anything written today. Do not begrudge the book its chapter-long description of Levin mowing the grass, as it is one of my favorite passages. He's getting over the girl; you cannot help but feel new purpose pry through you too as he swings his scythe.
Don't read this because it is a classic. Read it because you want to be entertained, intrigued, provoked, moved.
Book Review: A wonderful journey of Levin.
Summary: 5 Stars
My opinion is very biased. I don't care about Anna, even I feel sorry for her and I know she is the prima donna, and oh yes there is a lot of to say about her and about the society etc. What I really care is Levin, who, in my opinion, is the TRUE protagonist of this book.
In a sense Tolstoy wrote himself in Levin, a man who was always struggling for identifying and appreciating himself, for seeking reconciliation between the (erudite, rotten and hypocritical) noble and (uneducated but sincere) ordinary people, for finding an appropriate and a correct position of himself, and for searching the meaning of life. The journey of Levin is the journey of Tolstoy, and I am happy that at last he got some answer and find the peace.
Just think about this. At the same time Levin despised the high society but he himself benefited a lot from his identity as a member of it. Hmmm, for a man of conscience it cried for deep pondering. This was the starting point of the journey of Levin. He was the conscience of Russia, and hence we know Tolstoy was the conscience of Russia.
The book is such a classic and such a thick book that I never dared to read it. I thank Oprah for her selection that urged me to finish this tome.
Book Review: read it if you love old Russian writers
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another great book that probably works for only certain readers. I love its old Russian feel--the atmosphere, the history, the details are all fantastic. However, the main attraction are its characters. I love the frankness of the situations. Although there is some dramatic glamourization of some aspects, most of the situations appear pretty real. The characters run a large spectrum. We enter the minds and private spaces of a handful, while others serve as a framework for the others. The moral and sentimental conflicts are not just black and white and the subtle details make for a great psychological analysis. I thought that characterizing this book as the "greatest love story every written" is pretty inaccurate.
In short, if you love the old Russian writers, lots of detail, and complicated characters, this book is for you. A caveat: it is very long and you actually need to pay attention to the details. I would recommend reading other reviews on it to decide if it is for you (I know it's a classic, but I have found some classics kind of annoying and reading other's opinions from the Amazon reviews actually helped more than the pretentious magazine reviewers who probably just read the Cliff notes...)