Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

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, weighing in at over 800 pages it is quite daunting but if you've only seen the films you really have missed out. The novel is a masterpiece of literature and covers characters and themes far beyond the reach ...  Read the complete review

"Anna Karenina" is one of those books that everyone who wants to be well-read has to try at some point, and I had thought that point for me would be a long way off, as I have so many other books I want to read urgently. But one of my tutors for the second term of my Masters degree wanted us to read the first ten chapters for a class, and he was so passionate about the novel, I decided to give at go, and after those ten chapters I was hooked and I decided to finish it. "Anna Karenina" has two main storylines, although the fortunes of several characters are interwoven. The first follows Anna Karenina, and the second the characters Kitty and ...  Read the complete review

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 shown through the sharply contrasting characters of Anna and Levin. 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 ...  Read the complete review

I was apprehensive about reading this book. I have no idea why but I was. I'd had this book on my shelves for 5 years and a friend said they had a copy - why didn't we read it together. So we did. It helped knowing someone was reading it with me, however I didn't need it as support in the end but I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions. This book is marvellous and I can't believe I have left it so long to read it. I would even consider reading it again at some point and I would love to watch a film version of it. It was marvellous! I think the length was what initially put me off, plus it's a 'classic' and aren't they meant to be boring and not much fun? Not ...  Read the complete review

This book was advertised as the russian version of 'pride and prejudice' which is why I bought it, but trust me; it isn't. Don't get me wrong, it is a period piece centred around some sisters but that is where the similarity ended in my opinion. Anna Karenina spends most of her time wondering whether or not to commit suicide because she is such an horrible person and has ruined many people's lives - frankly I had to agree with her opinion of herself and found it very hard to relate to her and sympathise with her. I did however like the other side of the story; 'Alex' is running a farming estate with an idealistic communist view and it is working. This is juxtaposed with ...  Read the complete review