Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Review Introduction
Leo Tolstoy is a familiar name to me, as I'm sure it is to most people. I own two or three of his books and have seen his name on online libraries where many of his works are readily available to peruse at no cost. That being so, and given ... Read review
Advantages: Introduction to a Masterful Writer! Disadvantages: A Long Review!
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Review Introduction
===============
Leo Tolstoy is a familiar name to me, as I'm sure it is to most people. I own two or three of his books and have seen his name on online libraries where many of his works are readily available to peruse at no cost. That being so, and given I'm an avid reader, you'd think I'd have read at least one of his works before now but for some reason or another, most ... ...book I am here reviewing, Anna Karenina. The book was some four years in the making, Tolstoy beginning it in 1873 and concluding it in 1877 and is thought to reflect some of the character of Tolstoy in his relationship with his wife, Sophia Behr, whom he married in 1862. Initially it was being presented serially in a Russian periodical - Russian Messenger - but, following an alleged dispute between Tolstoy and the periodicals editor, this broke down ... more
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Review Introduction =============== Leo Tolstoy is a familiar name to me, as I'm sure it is to most people. I own two or three of his books and have seen his name on online libraries where many of his works are readily available to peruse at no cost. That being so, and given I'm an avid reader, you'd think I'd have read at least one of his works before now but for some reason or another, most probably because of the length of his books, I haven't. Well, not until I picked up this book for next to nothing in my local charity shop. Now not only can I say that I've read Tolstoy but can also say I know something about his life after doing the background preparation work for this review. It's a pleasure to share with you the fruits of my labour in the form of my review. Enjoy.
Author/Book Background =================== Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy lived from 1828 to 1910. His parents died in his early youth so his relatives raised him, but his life soon degenerated into debauchery, drinking and gambling, forcing him to sell of part of his inheritance. He began writing in 1852 whilst serving in the Army and by his death was such a prolific author that his collected works span some 90 volumes. The two that are the most well known, certainly in Western society are the encyclopaedic War and Peace and the book I am here reviewing, Anna Karenina. The book was some four years in the making, Tolstoy beginning it in 1873 and concluding it in 1877 and is thought to reflect some of the character of Tolstoy in his relationship with his wife, Sophia Behr, whom he married in 1862. Initially it was being presented serially in a Russian periodical - Russian Messenger - but, following an alleged dispute between Tolstoy and the periodicals editor, this broke down and its first complete presentation was in book form.
My Edition Details ============== The copy I have is a 784 page hardback copy of compact text that was published in 1977 by the Book Club Association in arrangement with Wm. Heinemann Ltd, the people responsible for the first published Russian edition in 1901. It is a translation from the Russian into English by Constance Garnett [1861-1946], a female pioneer of translation work of Russian authors including, Dostoyevsky, Chekhov and others and cost me the princely sum of £1.10. The book has a very appealing front cover, depicting a flowing river with a rising or setting sun just above a row of trees. The back cover has three photo stills of which I now know [from reading the inside back flap] to be actress Nicola Pagett [Upstairs Downstairs], Actor Eric Porter, [The Day of the Jackal] and Actor Stuart Wilson [Enemy of the State]. They respectively played Anna, Karenina and Vronsky in the BBC TV production of the book. [Review Picture two shows the cover].
Synopsis
= Anna Karenina is a tragic, but beautiful love story. Anna is a warm, passionate woman in a cold, sterile marriage to Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin. Resigned to her lot, and devoting her time to her son, the boat is steady.
Then, sent to aid her brother in his own crisis of love she meets Count Alexey Kirillovitch Vronsky, a rather unscrupulous and for that day dishonourable man, but well exercised in concealing that nature beneath a veneer of respectability, charm and position. The attraction between them is immediate, but denied. The boat begins to gently sway.
Vronsky is a potential suitor; at least in most people's minds, to Kitty Shtcherbatsky - the sister in law of Anna's brother. Kitty is young and 'in love' with Vronsky but is also pursued by another, Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin, a man who has left the mainstream of society for a more rural lifestyle. The odds for winning Kitty's hand seem stacked in favour of Vronsky, but will that remain the case now Vronsky has met Anna? The boat begins to sway.
I desire to say more, but to do so would encroach too much into the pleasure of any who pick up the book to read. Needless to say, that the boat gets taken into some very stormy waters where it is in danger of being capsized as the author takes us on an intense and yes, intimate journey into the complexities of human relationships and that very powerful, often destructive emotion that we call, 'love'.
Will Anna be successful in her attempts to aid her brother in his love crisis? Can she deny the attraction between herself and Vronsky and thereby protect her own marriage and indeed the heart of her friend Kitty? If Anna cannot deny the attraction with Vronsky where will it lead? Who will win the heart of Kitty? Will Anna's husband get to know of the attraction between his wife and Vronsky and, if so, how will he respond to it? What tragedy or indeed tragedies will these people and those around them experience and will love triumph through all their situations to a happy ending or does the author have something different in mind?
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, which character will you most identify with in the book? Indeed, will you find yourself within its pages?
Book Analysis =========== Pros
I am not a fan of romance novels, indeed have never intentionally purchased or read a romance novel. Yet, this book, despite its voluminous length, captivated me. Each character is masterfully brought to life by the author and the interaction between them is intense. Unlike many books, and movies, where you get to know and identify with one or two characters, I could identify with all of the characters in this book, this, despite the fact that it most definitely is centered around Anna Karenin. It is only now that I can appreciate why Tolstoy is such a highly respected author and why his works have been the subject of intense scrutiny and adaptations into film and television.
Cons
The length of this novel might well be too much for some people, especially any of an impatient demeanour. Each character is detailed extensively, each situation covered fully.
Archaism's - Words are used in a different manner that as used today. As an example of this an affair is called an "intrigue" - an archaic term for, 'a secret love affair'. On many occasions I had to refer to a dictionary and online resources to get beneath a word.
Foreignisms - As far as I am aware these are restricted to words and phrases in French, so if you are familiar with French that won't be a problem. As one who isn't I had to note them down and attempt to get to their translation. I suppose this isn't necessary as you could simply skip past them but I would suggest that to do so would detract from your comprehension of the storyline.
Names - It can cause a kind of stuttery effect in reading when confronted with Russian names and places that can't casually be spoken in the mind. This does get easier as the book goes on as, when you are familiar with the characters their full names aren't generally pronounced and, where they are, your subconscious tends to have a pronunciations established for them.
Overall Conclusion I've listed above what I see could be the pros and cons for a reader but to be perfectly honest I ended up viewing all the cons, excepting only the names, as pros. They added to the romanticism of the novel and also to an understanding of it. Having to get beneath this term and that word or to translate some French phrase really did get me thinking I was back in that time, with those people. Of course, this won't happen if you don't do the work to get underneath those archaism, unfamiliar words and foreign phrases so I guess it comes down to how much work you're prepared to put into a novel.
For me, I put in the work and I was well rewarded with a fantastic read. If that's not what books are supposed to achieve then I don't know what there purpose is! I highly recommend this book to everyone but with a reminder that work will need to be put into it and time given over to reading one's way through it. I would not recommend working on any other book or project whilst reading this novel.
Price and Availability ================ Anna Karenina is available to read online at various locations:
Not sure I'd recommend reading it this way but that's up to you. I would note that the second URL gives away the ending of the book in its summary so if you don't want to see that don't read the summary.
Ebay: Available from £0.99 Amazon: Available from £0.70
It is also available in other formats, i.e. DVD, Video.
Advantages: Beautiful writing, enthralling characters, excellent story Disadvantages: Name confusion!
...I’m delighted to say that Anna Karenina is one of them. Admittedly, I had high expectations – Anna Karenina has often been cited as the best novel ever written – and I’m thrilled that it not only met my expectations, but surpassed them. The ‘hallelujah’ moment came when I was reading a page that described a dog flushing out snipe, from the dog’s point of view, and found myself utterly enthralled with the poetry of it – despite my having no interest ... ...true, defines the theme of Anna Karenina as succinctly as anyone can. Then we are propelled into the world of the Oblonskys, where Dolly has just discovered that her husband, Stepan Arkadyich was having an affair with the former French governess. Dolly, an otherwise-docile woman whose main purpose in life seems to be giving birth to as many children as she can, shows her true strength as she copes with the aftermath of this discovery. Dolly’s role ...
DoubleFantasy11 18.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Advantages: A masterpiece Disadvantages: A very long masterpiece
Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is an incredibly popular story. Well known and loved by many it has survived the passage of time and is as beguiling and popular now as it has ever been.
I say story rather than novel as this has been the subject of many film and TV adaptations, from Greta Garbo in 1935 to Sophie Marceau in 1997 the IMDb website lists no less than 24 different adaptations, from all over the world. How popular the novel itself is is questionable, ... ...compelling.
While Anna has become one of the most famous literary heroines, for much of this book her story is in the shadow of Levin's. In terms of pages and attention we spend far more time with Levin and because he is such an internal character and on such a journey of personal growth we are more emotionally invested in him rather than Anna. Through Levin Tolstoy tackles many of the key social issues facing imperial nineteenth century Russia. ...
brereton66 18.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
...after its principle heroine – Anna Karenin – it chronicles the lives of many characters whose stories are all interwoven with Anna’s. The book gives a fascinating insite into the lives of the wealthy in Russia at the end of the 19th Century. They all idle away their time gossiping about each other and making every effort not to break the vast social constraints of the era. There is a huge gulf between what is acceptable behaviour ... ...are inter-twined.
Synopsis:
==========
Anna is in a passionless marriage and has a son that she loves greatly. She falls for a handsome count and elopes within – a terrible social faux-pas. They are shunned by society although the count retains his male friends. His mother despairs of the match especially when a daughter is born to the couple out of wedlock. The social exclusion Anna faces causes her much misery, especially as she doesn’t ...
EmmaJ 26.03.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Advantages: Beautifully written, complex characters, thought provoking Disadvantages: Time consuming
Anna Karenina is one of Leo Tolstoy’s best known and best loved works. The novel enjoys continued influence in today’s society and although it was written almost two centuries ago, the continued relevance of its central themes makes the book as provocative now as the day it was written. The main theme of the novel seems to be that of happiness. Yet it does not simply deal with the shallow emotion but with human fulfilment of life. This idea is best ... ...The character of Anna has beauty, charm and wealth, yet finds her life to be completely unsatisfying. Her choice to begin an affair with the officer Vronsky is a decision to struggle against this feeling of emptiness. The consequences are heartbreaking with the happiness she so desperately seeks continually eluding her. The path she chooses to add passion to her life is ill-advised and ultimately destructive, yet in many ways understandable. Her ...
Ellen12345678 23.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
In my opinion Anna Karenina is Tolstoy’s greatest novel. Although it is shorter than War and Peace, it still weighs in at a hefty 800+ pages. Don’t, what ever you do, let the size put you off. It is well worth the effort. Put simply this is the sort of book that will change your life.
Anna Karenina is the story of the doomed love of the eponymous heroine, who leaves a stultifying and loveless marriage when she falls helplessly in love with the dashing ... ...social ruin and ultimately, fatal consequences. The main story is complimented by a number of subplots including that of Levin, a character who Tolstoy based on himself and who shares many of his opinions.
The characterisations are dazzling and the writing superb. Although it is long, the plot moves at a nice pace. The sense of impending doom is palpable and at times becomes almost unbearable.This is one of the greatest books ever written. ...
aprose 26.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
![Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina [1997] [Dutch Import]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/83353358.jpg "Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina [1997] [Dutch Import]")
![Anna Karenina - A Musical Drama Based On Leo Tolstoy's Novel' [DVD] [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78243271.jpg "Anna Karenina - A Musical Drama Based On Leo Tolstoy's Novel' [DVD] [2003]")
