Reviews

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

smms_674's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

vibrant_peace's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

cami19's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

littlefou's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

After getting together, both couples were super jealous and paranoid, shit heads

bulldog_guy's review against another edition

2.0

Was interesting to have a view of Russian pre-Soviet era thinking on many topics like politics, social, class and religion.
Great for that. Story of the people themselves was a bit boring to me and I had a hard time identifying with any of the characters.
I realize I am in the minority on my view of this story. I am glad that I listened to the audio book. I would have had a difficult time to finish this if I had to read it.

lauraabbs's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

juulisbad's review against another edition

5.0

Okay ladies and gents, this was amazing. It wasn't in anything what I usually read and since it's a classic of about a thousand pages and a really really small font, I was afraid of not ever going to finish this book. But those fears came to me before I even started reading it but after the first hundred pages it was pretty clear that I would fall in love with this book. It amazes me how Tolstoi was managing it to introduce all of these different character with those rather "complicated" names and it never once got confusing as to who is who or where the plot is heading right now. How often did it already happen to me that I came to a place in a book where my brain just went off and I couldn't follow the story anymore? Often enough but not a single time in THIS ONE. I can barely believe it myself. Anna Karenina is so much more than just Anna Karenina, it follows the lifes and thoughts of a bunch of russians elite and shows us that their lifes aren't that different from the ones we ourself are living today. I have the deepest respect for Tolstoi and how he could catch all that life and realism and put them into words. I liked how every single character was so real, they all had their unique character traits, made mistakes and made them better. I especially enjoyed the last 150 pages of this book

Spoiler

showing how Anna was slowly going "insane" from jealousy and started seeing things totally different from what the really were and her dead was really heart-wrenching even though I already knew she was going to die. It's interesting that I liked this book so much allthough I have already seen the movie and knew about the main things that would happen (of course it would never be possible to put every single awesome piece of literature that book holds in itself into a movie). Ljewin finding god was also one of the most beautiful things I have ever read, especially as an atheist it touched me and made me think about my beliefs

I remember how in the beginning I couldn't understand how Anna would choose Alexei Wronski over Alexei Alexandrowitch but I soon realized that this was not the point of the novel and deeply unimportant. I could probably write a whole new book as a review but I won't cause I have to study. This shall be enough!

nikola_zelic's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.75

monamelona's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Mich hat ein Bauchgefühl zu Anna Karenina gezogen, als ich im Buchladen war, um eigentlich etwas anderes zu besorgen. Irgendetwas hat mich zu ihr gerufen, und es hat mich nicht losgelassen, bevor ich die letzte Seite gelesen hatte. Ich war von Anfang an im Bann des Buchs. Die Art, wie Tolstoi Menschen und Gesellschaften in all ihrer Feinheit erkennt und beschreibt, wie nah einem diese Menschen werden, die oberflächlich so gar nichts mit einem selbst zu tun haben. Man sollte meinen ein 1300-seitiges Buch fiele einem schwer, zumal es in einer anderen Zeit geschrieben wurde. Doch es fällt leicht, und es ist wirklich ein Meisterwerk in all seinen Details. Ich wünschte ich könnte nur eine Seite so schreiben, wie die schlechteste in diesem Buch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Minor: Racism

sofiiaromeo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75