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Now Anna Karenina is all done and I liked it very much. I liked how Tolstoy took his time telling the story. I liked how the characters seemed like real people. I liked how there were bad decisions and good decisions and struggles and triumphs. I liked how all the characters had their flaws but no one was wholly bad or even completely good. The book was like a mirror being held up to life. The pages flew by and not once was I bored or had any desire to skim or skip ahead.
In my post about the first half of the book I said I didn’t feel sorry for Anna and I finished the book not feeling sorry for her. My coworker who finds Anna’s affair with Vronsky and her death so tragic thinks the story is sooo romantic and I am completely heartless. I feel compassion towards Anna most certainly. She was married young to a man 20 years older whom she didn’t love. She showered on her young son all the love and affection she could not feel towards her husband. Her husband, Alexey, is not a bad man. He was manipulated into marrying Anna by Anna’s aunt without being particularly in love with her. He is a well-to-do bureaucrat through and through in his professional and personal life. He lacks imagination but he is not unkind or ungenerous just stodgy.
So Anna meets and falls in love with the young and dashing Vronsky who is everything her husband is not. She gets pregnant, tells her husband everything, he forgives her, even offers a divorce. But Anna refuses the divorce because she would have to give up her son. Eventually she gives up her son anyway but by that time her husband has been hurt do badly by her that he refuses a divorce.
Vronsky loves Anna but Anna is so worried he is going to throw her over and move on to another woman that she starts pushing him away and then blaming him for not loving her enough. She even creates entire scenarios and conversations in her head:
All the most cruel words that a brutal man could say, he said to her in her imagination, and she could not forgive him for them, as though he had actually said them.
Anna’s ultimate punishment for Vronsky is to throw herself under a train. Anna pretty much brings on her own troubles and then makes them worse and worse.
But really the book isn’t about Anna, or rather, not just about Anna. Sure, it’s named after her, but I think that might be because she is the example of what not to do. We have two other couples held up for comparison. Stepan, Anna’s brother, and Dolly. Stepan is a most congenial man who overspends his income, forces his wife to sell off part of her property to pay his bills, and he chases after most anything in a skirt. The book opens pretty much with Dolly getting confirmation of her husband’s philandering ways. She is going to leave Stepan but Anna convinces her to stay. Dolly does for awhile, but then she eventually can’t take it anymore and she does leave him, finishing the book a much happier woman. No one dies, but it is obvious how Tolstoy feels about adultery.
The book, I think, is really about Levin who finally gets to marry his beloved Kitty. They are happy but they have arguments. Levin wants to put Kitty up on a pedestal but Kitty refuses and remains firmly planted on the ground. Levin, bless him, is a man with so much integrity and honesty that when he was engaged to marry Kitty and told he had to go to confession and get a license and profess his belief in God he was afraid he would not be able to get married because he could not lie and say he believed in something that he had so much doubt about. He is always on the brink of an existential crisis but he is never stuck in the same place, it is something different each time that takes him to the edge. And finally he has an epiphany and naively thinks that everything will suddenly be different and of course it isn’t. How I loved him for thinking that!
But finally Levin comes to understand
‘I shall go on in the same way, losing my temper with Ivan the coachman, falling into angry discussions, expressing my opinions tactlessly; there will be still the same wall between the holy of holies of my soul and other people, even my wife; I shall still go on scolding her for my own terror, and being remorseful for it; I shall still be as unable to understand with my reason why I pray, and I shall still go on praying; but my life now, my whole life apart from anything that can happen to me, every minute of it is no more meaningless, as it was before, but it has the positive meaning of goodness, which I have the power to put into it.’
The thing about Levin is he never gives up his search for meaning, never gives up trying to understand his purpose, never gives up trying to know himself and see as clearly as possible. Anna in contrast refuses to see the truth about anything and purposely obscures the truth for fear of what she might discover. Stepan doesn’t even bother searching.
I could go on an on about Anna Karenina, it is such a rich, beautiful book. I enjoyed it so very much and have no idea why I waited so long to get around to reading it. If you haven’t read it yet and find yourself hesitating because it is so long or you think it might be difficult reading or for whatever reason, cast all your hesitation aside and dive in. Really. The book reads faster than you might think, it isn’t hard going, and the story is compelling and pulls your right along. After I finished the last page I felt as though the story had not ended, that the characters kept on living their lives. They were that real. Now I’m not going to go jumping into War and Peace, but I will read it soon I think, maybe next year. I want to see if the magic that was in Anna Karenina was a one-time thing or if Tolstoy really was a genius. I’m willing to bet he was a genius.
Thanks goes out to Arti for being the one who finally got me to read this!
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Thanks to you Stefanie for willing to read along with me so I would even start this. I wouldn’t have done it myself. You’ve wrapped this up well, and spot on about the book being not about Anna only. I’ve enjoyed Levin’s story, glad to see him finally succeed in courting Kitty but also in finding meaning at the end. And, I’m with you in terms of my sentiments towards Anna… one more in the heartless club. π Would you see the movie? It will be released tomorrow on limited screens. I look forward to sharing our thoughts on it.
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Arti, so it was a win for both of us π I’ll see the movie but not until it comes out on DVD. Bookman will want to see it too and he can’t sit in a theater for 2+ hours without getting supremely uncomfortable.
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Wow. I really enjoyed this review. Everyone has had such insightful things to say.
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Care, thanks! with a book like Anna K there is lots to talk about it!
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A delight to read your appreciation.
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Richard, thanks!
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Good for you! I agree, the book is anything but a romance, and it really is more about Levin than Anna. The same kind of redirection happens in War and Peace (you’ll see when you get there). I agree that Tolstoy took a dim view of adultery (who doesn’t?) but I think he over-romanticizes motherhood (Dolly) and punishes Anna for choosing Vronsky over her boy, when she was really put in an impossible position.
I was a little disappointed that Levin’s agricultural reforms came to nothing. Tolstoy seemed to think that the serfs were better off as they were and incapable of living as free citizens. If they were in a degraded and ignorant state, wasn’t that really the fault of the nobles who owned them?
I’m sure you’ll like War and Peace. I think it’s even more readable than Anna Karenina, though I read an older translation of AK which may make a difference. I want to read the Pevear and Volokhonsky version of Anna Karenina soon.
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Sylvia, I read the Constance Garnett translation of Anna and I thought it was pretty good. I agree, it is too bad Levin’s agricultural reforms came to nothing. I’m not sure how Tolstoy felt about the peasants. I mean, he has various viewpoints about them including that they should be educated and there is the peasant family that owned their own farm and were quite successful that Levin for awhile tried to figure out how to replicate it but it seems once he married Kitty he forgot all about trying to improve things. I agree too that Tolstoy over-romanticizes motherhood. but then he’s a man so he would π
Your remarks on War and Peace have me intrigued!
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I haven’t read this before, Stefanie, but I’m encouraged by what you say about the depth and complexity of its characters because I just started War and Peace. Seems many people prefer AK to that one for one reason or another.
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Richard, it really is a rich book and I feel as though I have only scratched the surface. I hope you enjoy War and Peace. I am looking forward to tackling it next year!
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I read both Anna Karenina and Gone With The Wind during the Christmas break of my junior year of college…Anna first. Each probably took me a week…each were approximately the same size. And ever since then I can never think of one without the other. Nevertheless, I loved them both. There are so many ways to compare them. They are the perfect count/counter point. My advice: Read GWTW right away, if you haven’t already read it. And keep Anna in mind as you do. Quite remarkable.
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Grad, What a pair to have linked in your mind! I read GWTW years ago and can see how reading it at the same time as Anna K would hook the two together. I wonder h ow you say “twiddley-dee!” in Russian π
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Every time I try to read Anna Karenina, I find myself so frustrated with Anna that I end up putting the book down in disgust even though I like other characters (Levin in particular). You have given me hope that one day I’ll be able to get through it, even though I know I’ll never like or approve of Anna and the way she manufactures drama for herself. I love War and Peace so hope you enjoy that even more than AK!
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A great review Stefanie. Anna Karenina is one of those famous books that sometimes never get read and I haven’t read AK but very much encouraged to do so with your review. I think there is a fear lurking that a novel can’t possibly live up to the hype. The novel doesn’t always – but usually does. I remember the thrill of reading George Eliot’s Middlemarch, being gripped by the Dorothea/Casaubon part and being narked by the focus shifting to Lydgate/Vinceys- and being just as gripped and sensing that this book is fantastic! Long novels when they work are so fine!
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Ian, thanks! Yes, one almost doesn’t want to read it for fear it won’t live up to all the hype, but in this case, I believe it does. I was expecting a really different book since the people I know who have read it just talk about Anna. Anna’s fate is a tragedy but the book is not a tragic romance all about her. It’s been ages since I read Middlemarch and I would like to read it again since when I did read it it was in a rush for a class at college. Maybe I will add it to my reading list for next year!
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Claire, oh Anna i a very frustrating character but don’t let her derail (no pun intended) the book for you! She is, I think, the foil for Levin and Kitty. The book even ends with Levin, so if you like him, hang in there! Now I am really looking forward to War and Peace!
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Hi Claire, there’s a book you might be interested in, which explains why Anna is such a drama queen. Based on Sonya Tolstoy’s own diaries and correspondence, it’s called War and Peace and Sonya by Judith Armstrong and it’s a fictionalised version of Sonya Tolstoy’s view of her marriage to The Great Man. (You can see the review on my blog at http://wp.me/phTIP-3J0)
In the movie The Last Station Sonya was depicted as the nagging wife that Tolstoy had to get away from, and because *he* had the pen in his hand, and used it to depict ‘difficult’, ‘irrational’ women, it’s hard to escape the impression that he based these drama queen women on his own wife. Sonya Tolstoy’s diaries show that she knew he was doing this, and that Kitty is the ‘ideal woman’ that he wanted to be married to.
I love Tolstoy and I’ve read War and Peace, Anna Karenina (twice), Resurrection and some of his short stories like The Kreutser Sonata and The Death of Ivan Illyich, but like most authors he based his characters on people he knew and the picture he paints of his wife is not a nice one.
Judith Armstrong’s book gives us the reverse of the coin and shows just how much Sonya Tolstoy helped him in his writing, transcribing his terrible handwriting (I’ve seen it myself when I went to Tolstoy’s house outside Moscow) and editing his work.
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Lisa, poor Sonya. Some of the anecdotes I’ve heard about Tolstoy I wouldn’t blame the poor woman if she really were a nagging and difficult wife! The Armstrong book sounds great. I will add it to my list and give it a read once I’ve read a bit more of Tolstoy.
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What captures my appreciation for AK is that I can compare the characteristics of each character with a real person in my little world. Also, each character possesses dimension. I can become frustrated with Stepanβs ways and yet love him. I can scorn Anna and express sympathy. Was I the only reader who talked to Levin aloud (itβs okayβdonβt worry, etc.)?
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Vanessa, yes, it is kind of eery how you can say you know people like that, isn’t it? I felt the same way too. And, yes, in spite of frustrations with various characters I couldn’t not like them. Stepan was a horrible man yet he was also so very likeable. Oh now, I talked to Levin and Anna both!
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I’ve said this before (probably to the point of utter boredom for any poor soul within earshot), but I read Anna Karenina and Gone With The Wind back-to-back and have compared Anna and Scarlett in my head ever since. I respect Scarlett (although I don’t always like her), but I do not respect not Anna. I loved reading both and should probably re-visit them, especially since this wonderful post has sparked renewed interest.
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Yes, you have it! The book is really about Levin and his ultimate conversion, and not about Anna really at all (except, as you note, as kind of foil – someone who is not mutable or capable of that kind of spiritual/social/emotional conversion). I loved it too, but like you, I haven’t moved on to War and Peace (mostly because I can’t figure out which translation to read – there are so many new ones to decide between!).
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Sarah, it is hard to choose translations, isn’t it, especially when there are so many good ones! I have the I think I have the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation on my shelf but it is not conducive to leaving the house, so I suspect when it comes to it, I will end up reading whatever the translation Project Gutenberg has for my Kindle.
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I started reading this a couple of years ago, but I kept reading ahead of the discussion group I was supposed to be in, and ultimately I stopped reading it because, ironically, I was enjoying it too much and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop once I started. I think I’ll put it on the list for next year. I loved what I’d read so far…
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wherethereisjoy, oh yes, give it another whirl when you can read at your own pace. It really is a marvelous book and if you liked what you have already read you will only like the rest of it more π
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Lovely review! Will you go and see the movie when it’s out? (Or get it on DVD of course, which is always my preference!)
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Litlove, thanks! I will see the movie when it comes out on DVD. I much prefer DVDs and so does Bookman since no one complains if we hit pause to get up for a little break π
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Don’t you love Levin, who as you say, “never gives up”?! He’s my great favorite. And, this time around through the book I’ve thought a lot about the relationships that Tolstoy holds up for comparison. One can’t say that Stiva and Dolly’s is any better than Anna and Vronsky’s; Dolly just puts up with Stiva’s unfaithfulness. It’s only right that Levin and Kitty make it work.
So sorry I didn’t add a link to your beautiful post on mine; off to correct that! XO
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Bellezza, yes, Levin is wonderful. I don’t think I’ve come across a character quite like him before. I did feel sorry for Dolly. Even though Stiva is such a congenial person I wouldn’t want to be his wife!
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Yours is the second review of this one that I’ve read today. I must say that your review, as well as the other, has convinced me that I must read this one. I’ve had a lovely version of the novel on my shelf for about 5 years now but have not gotten around to reading it. I need to set a goal to have it read before 2013 is over.
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boarding, beleive me, I know about having the book on the shelf and not getting around to reading it! I hope you do get it, it reads faster than you expected and is so very enjoyable.
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I loved this, too, though I think I am still a little more sympathetic toward Anna (or more forgiving?) than most readers seem to be. Not sure why that is, but I thought she was given a raw deal in many ways–anyway–it’s a nod to Tolstoy that he can write such rich characters that make readers really think about them and their situations. I’m impressed by how quickly you read this–it is very easy going really, but it still took me the better part of a year (!) if I recall to get through it. I’m not sure if I prefer W&P over Anna K or the reverse–loved them both and would definitely like to reread both–maybe starting with W&P. Now will you take a little break or dive into another long story?
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Danielle, I agree, Anna did get a raw deal in many ways and it doesn’t seem right to say she should have just accepted her lot. Her choices made things much worse and throwing herself under a train just for spite is a bit extreme but I suppose she couldn’t see another way out. I had the book on my Kindle so I read it M-F which made it zoom right along. I think there will be a bit of a break before I leap into another long story, but then, one never knows what whim might suddenly strike!
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I read this in my early teens and was captivated by it even though I probably understood only a fraction of it. Still the memory has lasted so you’ve prompted me to re-read this next year. You said it wasn’t a difficult read – how did you fare with the way Russian names keep changing? That was a challenge for me when I read War and Peace – I couldn’t keep the characters straight in my head at all.
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kheenand, Oh, those Russian names! They were confusing at first but Tolstoy repeated them quite a lot so eventually they all came straight. When I get to War and Peace next year I have no idea how I will do with the names. Keeping a cast list might be an option! I hope you enjoy your reread of Anna!
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That’s exactly what I did in the end – my copy had a very useful list at the beginning showing the variations of each character’s name. I made a copy and used it as a bookmark so I didn’t have to keep turning back to the front.
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I did that too, with index cards. Ended up with about 5 of them. π
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What a terrific review of my favorite book, ever. And I very much agree with you, that is mostly about Levin. And I think that final summation that you cited, I think it’s my favorite, and most memorable ending to a book I have ever read.
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Ooops. That IT is mostly about Levin.
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Cipriano, thanks! So Anna beats out all of Saramgo’s books to land in the top spot? π I do so like that closing of Levin’s too, it perfectly encapsulates his character and all the things he went through and is ever so true for all of us.
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Hi, I enjoy reading your reviews and your blog. In a blatant attempt at self-aggrandizement, here is a link to my review of Anna Karenina. http://notesfromzembla.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/anna-karenina/
Also, how do you get the cool link to other blogs and your twitter/goodreads account on the left hand side?
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Enjoyed the book as well. It was so interesting to discover the russian life at the time, the first ideas of revolution. It love the wedding proposal by Levin. And yes, it is more about them, Levin and Kitty, about more approachable people than Anna. And her fate in the book I think proves it.
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