Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club)

This is an extremely long-winded book and I would urge anyone wanting to read it, to rather read an abridged version. The author takes numerous side trips which have nothing whatsoever to do with the story. Numerous dull and irrelevant discussions about local politics, farming methods etc take up endless pages and add nothing to the story. One gets the impression that Tolstoy was paid by the page and did all he could to drag things out.

This is one of the great books. It works so well on so many levels. It is great realist fiction but it also paved the way for the modern psychological novel. The writing is masterful as Tolstoy alters the tone of the novel to reflect the thinking and actions of different characters. There are also recurring ideas and motifs, such as the infidelity of Stiva echoed on a much more serious level by his sister Anna, and the railway themes of arrivals and departures, beginnings and endings on their most metaphoric levels.

The 2 main protagonists are Anna Karenina, and Konstantin Levin, whose thoughts and actions mirror those of Tolstoy himself. Both are looking for love, but the loves are unique in aspect. What Anna seeks is emotional enrichment..a passion which is sorely missing in her marriage to Karenin but also unfortunately, can't be sustained in her affair with Vronsky. Levin seeks a love that will anchor his life, give it meaning and purpose. Levin seeks the truth and while he rejects society's hypocrisy, learns to adapt and function with it as he discovers a deeper meaning to his existence. Anna can't face the truth, and is victimized by that hypocrisy. She ultimately finds her existence to be empty and meaningless. The war that was waged within her, between morality and passion, between hope and despair, between the forces of light and darkness, eventually becomes too much to bear on her own.

ANNA KARENINA is the literary equivalent of a great tragic opera. There is also much more to this novel. Much of Tolstoy's philosophy can be found here. His thoughts on Russian class structure, culture, religion, sociology , politics, and agronomy can be found in this novel. To get further insight into that thinking I suggest reading Tolsoy's Confession, which was written shortly after the publication of this work.

Coming into reading Anna Karenina, I had already read most of Tolstoy's short works as well as War and Peace, so I was pretty sure of what I was getting into. I found that this novel, like all his other works, contains absolute genius. Tolstoy's insight into the mind of both men and women is astounding, and much can be learned from him. Tolstoy does a masterful job in making his readers sympathize with his characters, and the reader becomes very involved and very concerned about the character's lives.

There were parts, however, that I just struggled getting through because the plot was suspended for extended periods of time. Many hold this novel in high regard, but in my own opinion, it is the lesser of Tolstoy's two great works. I have joked with my friends that Anna Karenina is like War and Peace without the war, but it is worth the read nonetheless.

I am in two book clubs and I read books when it's NOT book club time. Out of all the wonderful books out there, our book club picked this. Absolutely the biggest waste of time! It wasn't the size that scared me, but it was so "dry". No feeling, no emotions what so ever! So boring, it would put me to sleep. From the very beginning, I felt like it was a very shallow & blah-blah-blah book.....There wasn't a character that I really cared about, except Anna Karenina. ONLY because that is what the title of the book is! The best love-affair ever written, no way! It might have been a scandelous book back in the day, but a total bore. And Levin talking and talking about farming, politics & his religious believes - it was so ridiculous. What got me was Tolstoy would write what the characters are thinking. But when he put in the book what Levin's dog was thinking, I just about threw the book away! Tolstoy NEVER could express emotions in his way of writting on any of these characters. Someone tell me what the big deal is.

This new translation of Anna Karenina is amazing! I have tried to read the other versions twice but found it difficult. I am thrilled about this new translation. Don't let the 800 pages daunt you. Tolstoy is a master of understanding human emotions and psychology. He portrays these characters so vividly, with such nuances that one is wrapped up in the story. A sensitive, refined person will appreciate this book and the story will leave an deep impression of Russia in Tolstoy's day.