A review by sarasreading
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

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

3.5

I finished Anna Karenina! Or should I say Konstantin Levin? It really felt like he was the main character. Then I went to Goodreads and read the blurb, "Levin is a reflection of Tolstoy himself, often expressing the author's own views and convictions." Levin is a Mary Sue lol! Everything makes so much sense now. He was a much more compelling character to me, and he's in so much more of the book. 

It's strange, because while I never felt much emotion while reading this, I was rarely, if ever, bored. It held my interest through the entire thing. That's saying something for a book this long with a relatively simple plot and almost no forward momentum. It was also very easy to understand, aside from several characters going by multiple names. 

I think if you like classics and aren't intimidated by how thick this is, give it a go.

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