I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: Anna KareninaAuthor: Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude (translator), Alymer Maude (translator)
Published: 1877
Language: English (translated from Russian)
Pages: 963
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
In this epic novel, we follow high society in 19th century Russia and we follow Anna Karenina, a married woman who has an intense affair that shocks Russian society, Levin who is a farmer at heart but pines over a woman who has turned him down and the married Oblonsky's whose relationship is ravaged by the husband's infidelities.
Review:
This book was amazing, I loved it.
I was a little apprehensive to read this because I've previously read War & Peace and although that was a magnificent book, it was also a real battle to get through. Anna Karenina though, was much easier to get through; surprisingly readable with incredibly interesting characters that I loved getting to know. I loved getting into their heads and seeing the situations they get themselves in from all different perspectives, and how this person sees that person's expression and interprets it, very often wrongly. You get to come on these emotional journeys with these people and you can't help but feel like you know them.
I really enjoyed the writing in this and found the descriptions of the people and the setting to be vivid and interesting. A lot of the descriptions in this, especially the ones about nature, are incredibly romantic. There are some parts that are a little slow, but what can you really expect from a 900+ page classic.
This is an epic book filled with contrast; we see farm life and city life, love in all kinds of different forms, old Russia and new Russia, happiness and heartbreak. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they might enjoy it; don't be afraid of this, it's not at all difficult to read, all you need is a little patience due to its sheer size.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
