Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) | Leo Tolstoy | Human emotions and relationships -- a literary...

Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) | Leo Tolstoy | An affair to remember! (...and much more)

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Anna Karenina (Opr...

	Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) Leo Tolstoy Penguin Classics, 2004 - 864 pages average customer review:based on 171 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Human emotions and relationships -- a literary masterpiece!

It took me several months to read all 817 pages of this amazing novel which was published in segments between 1873 and 1877 in a Russian periodical. Every time I picked it up it transported me to a time and a place and a way of life that is long since gone. That it not what makes this novel great, however. What makes it great is the human relationships and emotions which are just as real today as they were in that long ago time. Here we see life and death and love and jealousy and ambition. Here we meet people who were developed so deeply and thoroughly that I did more than just understand them - I felt I was really inside of them, sharing their lives and their feelings.

I reacted with horror to the social conditions of the time that forced one of the characters into a tragic decision. I was moved my emotion by a death scene which brought all the nuances of a fading life for the person dying as well as his loved ones. I was filled with joy at a happy marriage between two people who were kept apart for a while because of pride. I learned about life in the Russian countryside and the details a landowner must deal with in dealing with the newly freed serfs and the land - and in one scene even felt that I was present during the seasonal mowing. I learned about the social restrictions on even the most aristocratic women and emerging discussions about womens' education. And, even though I would have personally liked a few more details of what went on behind bedroom doors, I bow to the conventions of the times, and used my imagination.

Anna Karenina is a married woman who dares to have a romance outside her marriage with Count Vronsky leading to tragedy. Levin is a rich countryside landowner who is at first rejected by the love of his life, Kitty. These are the main characters but they intersect with dozens of others. They are all aristocrats and all have privileged lives. And they are all very real people who are easy to identify with. This novel is a masterpiece and well worth the time and effort to read. It touches nerves in the way that only great writing can do.

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An affair to remember! (...and much more)

This is world-class literature and a story, albeit an older one, which teaches us much about life. I would HIGHLY recommend this book as a gift to any young adult. Yes, it is lengthy but here Tolstoy has yielded us one of the finest tales ever written.

Anna Karenina is pure female Homo sapiens. She is both good and bad (it's not really a spoiler to note that she falls prey to drugs -- morphine), but most of all, human. When I first began reading this terrific story I anticipated that I would eventually be disappointed by having guessed at what was about to happen -- I BELIEVED that Tolstoy was going to tell me about a sweet girl whom was about to have bad things happen to her and, thus, the great author was going to barter for my sympathies for her. Well no such thing! Instead, Anna Karenina could well be living in the 21st Century given her impulsive proclivities and leading a lifestyle which attends little on injurious consequences, (which we seem to see a lot of these days!). Sometimes I admired her and sometimes I wanted to strangle her, but as I read on I could not see where Tolstoy was really heading with her until the very end.

THE STORY: Anna Karenina falls in love with a dashing, handsome, young Russian military officer -- the problem is that she's married to a stogy (rich and influential) old nobleman and the two have a young son. This old curmudgeon (sometimes a wimpy fool and sometimes an aggressive scoundrel) clings to very religious and moralistic ethics and as Anna's affair evolves, the old man is launched into a distasteful and unpleasant roller coaster ride of emotion.

There are a number of great sub-plots but the chief one concerns a young landowner, the reformist Levin, who is passionate about two things: 1. changing the archaic Russian agricultural system (a very important issue in that period of Russian culture!), and, 2. marrying an early sweetheart. The difficulty with his second agenda is that this gal is in love with Anna's young lover, and not with Levin!

Maybe some folks will get to like Levin as they read on but by the end of the book I really despised him -- other readers might see Levin in a more positive light which is much of the beauty of this book. This work can inspire varying character alliances (as well as the reverse) for readers, the latter of whom have all experienced a diversity of real-life episodes (either directly or vicariously) which they will no doubt relate and append to the happenings within this fascinating book. Tolstoy's ability to create a mental symbiosis between particular characters in his stories and his readers was astounding.

One of the principal characters (I won't name him) will ultimately surprise the reader with both his perseverance as well as with his positive morality. Religion, and perhaps some hipocrisy, is a large feature of "Anna Karenina" and it is rendered in a fashion which clearly manifests some present-day circumstances and applications.

But, most of all, beyond the moral lessons, "Anna Karenina" is just a great and readable story. It's a lot like reading "A Mummer's Tale" (Anatole France) or "The Great Gatsby" (F. Scott Fitzgerald) -- the moral lessons are present but do not in any way interfere with the story's development.

It's difficult to say enough good about this book. Larissa Volokhonsky is a wonderful and competent translator. She and her husband, Richard Pevear, only recently published their terrific translation of Tolstoy's "War and Peace," the Mother of all Russian literature. As to "Anna Karenina," buy it and read it -- you will savor it. It's a poster example of classic Russian literature at its best.

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Big and beautiful...

Anna Karenina is probably the most detailed work on relationships, families, society, and spirituality ever written... It is detailed to the point of being its own universe - and one that moves with the consistency of a fine tuned machine. One can only approach such a work by abandoning to it completely - allowing it to take you in whatever direction it wills - with the full acceptance that the path you are taking is leading to a full and definitive fruition...

But to speak of the great technical aspects of the novel is not enough.. Somehow it is in the images that Tolstoy creates that allows the novel to really sink in - often promting people to return to it again and again..
The images of the elite societies of Petersburg and Moscow, Levin's estate in the countryside, the dreams of Vronsky and Anna... All the significant moments of the book are presented in a way that enchants the reader.. And while so many literary techinques are used, it is all so natural that it is hardly noticeable - simply great storytelling...

I have read two translations of the novel... the Maudes' translation and now Pevear and Volokhonsky... Both translations were very readable and well written... I cannot say which is better since I do not know Russian and I am no expert on translation... I can say that this translation by p/v is now very highly regarded - and I enjoyed reading it... While the Maude translation seemed more literary, the p/v translation seemed more direct and real to me... So either way you can't lose.. I can only recommend that you pick up one of these versions and enjoy being swept away.

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Lengthy, but worth the long ride

Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is his lengthy novel about marriage, fidelity, love, relationships, and coming to a larger answer of identity and faith, and we see both the main protagonists--Anna and Levin--struggle with this. Jumping into a book of this magnitude and length can be daunting, and not everything included is perfect. There are sections that tend to drag on and are a bit verbose, including the sections on Levin's interest in farming, or Vronsky's passion for the arts. Yet, while this is not a perfect novel (and does have its overdone moments), clearly there are passages that make it praiseworthy. The construction--how Tolstoy is able to tie plots and conflicts together--and his ability at complex characterization make the book praiseworthy. Tolstoy not only gives you the detailed accounts of a tragic and redeeming character, but creates a picture of late 19th century Russia.

Anna and Levin--the two main protagonists--have reversed fates. Anna, bored with her marriage to Karenin, is spellbound when she meets Vronsky, and she carries on a secret and illicit affair. Anna, because of this, begins to face several problems that begin her downward spiral. Women in their society speak negatively of her, and Karenin doesn't approve of her flirtations. Anna must still answer to her husband Karenin, who refuses to grant a divorce despite constant pleas from both Oblonsky and Anna. Anna's relationship with her son begins to drift away, and, she begins to feel her loss of control, including her insecurity about Vronsky being truly in love with her. As she tries to "live" life in happy terms, the problems take over her existence, and an inflicting mental state begins to take hold of Anna, and does not let go. On the other side, Levin seems to be the polar opposite of Anna. After initially being refused love by Kitty, he seems to go on a "spiritual" journey, where he questions his faith and life. He eventually is able to win over Kitty, but still must discover who he is. This is a battle he struggles with the entire novel. While he is also untrusting of society like Anna, and has difficulties set before him (such as the physical decline of his brother, the feeling of isolation without Kitty), he tends to find ways to overcome and resolve difficulties. There is a point in the novel when Levin is out on his farm, reflecting on the ways of life, and isolated from everyone, but he is growing spiritually; at the same time, Anna is carry on what you would think to be an exciting life, having exploits and passionate flings with Vronsky, yet there is an unhappiness, an insecurity that lingers in her soul because she can't have the idyllic life she craves.

Tolstoy's might have been making a point about the importance of keeping marriages and family life working, with Anna as the tragic example. Once Anna carries on an affair, it is as if society shuns her, and the world is "out to get her." The insecurity that seems to creep into Anna's conscious will not let go. Despite her mistakes, you tend to "feel sorry" for Anna because Tolstoy takes you inside her head during her mental suffering:
"Yes, I'm very anxious, and reason was given to escape that; consequently, I have to escape. Why not put out the light when there's nothing more to look at, when looking at all this is horrid? But how? ...It's all falsehood, all lies, all deceit, all evil!" There are times when things with Vronsky seem to be going fine, and yet, she will not allow herself to enjoy it. Although she is having an affair, she certainly suffers for her mistakes, and pays for them. What is the most frustrating aspect of her existence is how little she can do, or will do, to change it.

Some people may condemn Tolstoy's work for being excessively wordy, long-winded, and dated. What simply makes this book a classic is his power of words, his description and ability to make a novel come to life with complex characters. I would recommend reading a few of Tolstoy's short stories before taking on this monster. It is a long book, but, if you get through it, it is worth it!

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War and Peace is better

The book has way too many tangents that contribute nothing to the plot line and only serve to present Tolstoy's philosophy. Don't get me wrong I've read some of Tolstoy's more philosophical writings and they are interesting, but their place is not in the middle of a novel. In short if you have to choose between the 2 fat Tolstoy's I'd go with W&P.

reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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