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brooke_oconnor's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
just when u think nothing else can happen BAM. like damn a lot happens. makes me totally want to read the real anna karinena. but also i enjoy this water downed version that’s super digestible. wanting to be “teen hip” gets very cringy keep in mind
siobhancollierauthor's review against another edition
1.0
I did it. I DNFed at page 13.
Look, I love modern retellings of classics - I watched Clueless the other night and remembered it was a 90’s version of Emma by Jane Austen. 10 Thing I Hate About You is a great version of The Tempest. Two books I’ve read this year - Take A Chance On Me by Beth Garrod and My Type On Paper by Chloe Seager- have had a solid go at retelling Mamma Mia! And they both worked it. Done well, a modern retelling is a great way of reintroducing a classic into a setting that is familiar for readers.
But this is almost like a copy/paste of Tolstoy. I read it, I fucking LOVED it. I was excited for something modern that had similar themes, but this is way too close to the source material. Those examples above worked because they stuck close to the themes of the story, the basic outline, and the character attributes that made the originals so well rounded. They didn’t have chapters that could verbatim be lifted from the original and highlight/replace names, locations, modern appliances etc.
And the storytelling is so dry. While that works for classic writers like Dumas, Melville (still haven’t forgiven Melville for 43 surplus chapters of whale information in Moby Dick), Tolstoy, the Brontes etc etc because their settings had to be accessible in a much bigger world, in today’s writing it is a major infodump. Consider the character I just read about, Dustin. He was introduced as a friend of Steven, who was in a fight scene with his girlfriend, and then for the entirety of chapter two it’s how Dustin and Steven know each other. It’s dense and dry and it’s a major tell-don’t-show which is a huge rule break for me.
And I have this much to say and this much negativity from 10 pages. TEN PAGES. Maybe it gets better, but I doubt it. And I’m sad, because I love my high society American high school books (Kate Brian’s Privileged series, American Royals) and this book should have had all my 5 star marks just on premise alone. Ugh, I’m so disappointed!
Look, I love modern retellings of classics - I watched Clueless the other night and remembered it was a 90’s version of Emma by Jane Austen. 10 Thing I Hate About You is a great version of The Tempest. Two books I’ve read this year - Take A Chance On Me by Beth Garrod and My Type On Paper by Chloe Seager- have had a solid go at retelling Mamma Mia! And they both worked it. Done well, a modern retelling is a great way of reintroducing a classic into a setting that is familiar for readers.
But this is almost like a copy/paste of Tolstoy. I read it, I fucking LOVED it. I was excited for something modern that had similar themes, but this is way too close to the source material. Those examples above worked because they stuck close to the themes of the story, the basic outline, and the character attributes that made the originals so well rounded. They didn’t have chapters that could verbatim be lifted from the original and highlight/replace names, locations, modern appliances etc.
And the storytelling is so dry. While that works for classic writers like Dumas, Melville (still haven’t forgiven Melville for 43 surplus chapters of whale information in Moby Dick), Tolstoy, the Brontes etc etc because their settings had to be accessible in a much bigger world, in today’s writing it is a major infodump. Consider the character I just read about, Dustin. He was introduced as a friend of Steven, who was in a fight scene with his girlfriend, and then for the entirety of chapter two it’s how Dustin and Steven know each other. It’s dense and dry and it’s a major tell-don’t-show which is a huge rule break for me.
And I have this much to say and this much negativity from 10 pages. TEN PAGES. Maybe it gets better, but I doubt it. And I’m sad, because I love my high society American high school books (Kate Brian’s Privileged series, American Royals) and this book should have had all my 5 star marks just on premise alone. Ugh, I’m so disappointed!
glabeson's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this, more than I expected to, not being its target audience. I hadn't really thought about how well a classic like Anna Karenina could translate into a young adult novel until they discussed it on Novel Pairings podcast, but I agree that perhaps no other time in modern life is social stratification so prominent than high school (which probably speaks to too much insularity in adult life). This is amplified even more so by following the social lives of the 1%er teens in New York --it was like Gossip Girl meets Anna Karenina. I loved the clever ways Lee modernized some of the original plot points and also find it disappointing that the criticisms of social norms of the 1870s are still timely today.
zellreads's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of dramatic 1% drama that just feels contrived and unrealistic. Super over the top, no one's reactions make sense, and the characters all lack depth. I like a lot of YA so I know it isn't an audience issue, this just didn't work for me. And the whole teenagers having really over the top sex thing didn't work for me.
readingwithathena's review against another edition
3.0
As a pretentious high schooler, Anna Karenina was one of my favorite books. I loved the drama, the romance, the entire sweeping saga. Despite my love for the original, I've never been able to re-read it: all the things I love about it make it a heavy book to get through. Though this book crossed my radar earlier in the year, I didn't jump for joy because I doubted I'd enjoy an Anna Karenina retelling as much as I loved the original. But I'm willing to admit that I was wrong; this retelling was a rollercoaster. It captured the essence of the original with added modern flourishes.
If you're familiar with Anna Karenina, the plot of Anna K is relatively predictable. Anna K. is a wealthy teenager confined in rigid New York society. She's dated Alexander W. for three years, and their relationship has the formality of a much older society couple. Everything changes when she meets Alexia "Count" Vronsky at the train station. This novel follows familiar highs and lows and ends with a similar tragedy.
This book was impossible to put down. The writing had the essence of Tolstoy without being too heavy or overbearing. The reason this book is four stars instead of five is that I found the first half stronger than the second, and the pop culture references/slang felt contrived ("virgitarian" and "carniwhore" were used multiple times, and I'm still cringing). However, it is still a worthwhile and entertaining read, one that cheered me up during these difficult times.
If you're familiar with Anna Karenina, the plot of Anna K is relatively predictable. Anna K. is a wealthy teenager confined in rigid New York society. She's dated Alexander W. for three years, and their relationship has the formality of a much older society couple. Everything changes when she meets Alexia "Count" Vronsky at the train station. This novel follows familiar highs and lows and ends with a similar tragedy.
This book was impossible to put down. The writing had the essence of Tolstoy without being too heavy or overbearing. The reason this book is four stars instead of five is that I found the first half stronger than the second, and the pop culture references/slang felt contrived ("virgitarian" and "carniwhore" were used multiple times, and I'm still cringing). However, it is still a worthwhile and entertaining read, one that cheered me up during these difficult times.
monopolyllama's review
4.0
Even 146 years later in modern day New York, the underlying themes of this Tolstoy story is richly salient. I’m taking a star off for all the cheesy modern day pop culture references - it felt like they were there in an attempt to convince TikTok teenagers that reading can be fun - I think book would have been find without quite so many of them.
This book was really easy to breeze through, especially if you are familiar with the original novel (or have watched one of the film adaptations). I enjoyed it as a nice holiday weekend read.
This book was really easy to breeze through, especially if you are familiar with the original novel (or have watched one of the film adaptations). I enjoyed it as a nice holiday weekend read.
poachingeggs's review against another edition
1.0
the kind of book that would put you in a reading slump; very disappointed :(( i would’ve dnf-ed it, had i not already set up a page for it in my book bullet journal ://
booksrachelreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was gossip girl. Lots of drama and glam with some commentary on deeper issues