Anna Karenina (Signet Classics)

Spoiler Alert!: In this summary/review I try to give a description of some of the characters in the novel and some topics you will find in it as well. There might be more information than you want to know, although I try to keep it as vague as possible. However, do stop reading here if you want to start the book with a blank slate, which I highly recommend you do.Anna Karenina has been regarded for a long time as one of the --if not THE--greatest novel of all time. While there are many classical novels I have yet to read, this book has set a very high standard. I have to admit it took me a while to finish reading this novel but every time I picked up the book I was immensely captivated by the development of plot, and the evolution of each of its characters. You'll see the changes that the Anna Karenina goes through in which you as the reader are a bit unsure if she is the heroine or the villain. If anything, I think she transitions from one to the other. But, by using the word villain, I don't mean it in its natural definition, because I don't believe her intentions were borne out of malice but more out of desperation with her situation and due to a deteriorating condition.Then there is the other protagonist of the novel in intellectual Levin. The man is so conflicted with questions about his purpose in life, not just society, but in general. He has questions regarding religion, the education system in 19th century Russia, the role of peasants, the working class, and the nobility. Throughout the entire novel you see his character trying to find answers or at least an understanding to the important topics that roamed his mind. There is the juxtaposition between Anna Karenina and Levin but there are also similarities between them, especially when it comes to love and doing what they consider is fair and right in their own way.It is a great novel to read and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. There may be times when you put the book down for an indefinite amount of time like I did, but when you pick it up again, and once you finished it, you'll be glad you read it.

Leo Tolstoy -- the King of the Cats. No translation touches this one, by the late great David Magarshack. The more recent ones are skimmed milk next to his. This is the translation to read, and this is the only way to obtain it in the USA. The single blurb on this mass-market paperback -- a gorgeous way to read Tolstoy -- is by Fyodor Dostoevsky. That tells you all you need to know

Arrived on time, but cover is bent, pages are separated and warped as if exposed to excessive moisture and some pages are folded back. Will not be returning because book is still readable and has no bad smell, but am disappointed in the condition considering this is a "new" book.

Yes, it is 940 pages. The best way to read this is in clusters of 3-4 chapters so you can absorb the character's development over time. Reading the text closely, and slowly enables the reader to feel like a club member of Vronsky and Oblonsky, or picture yourself in the fields with Levin. Or, try to be free, like Anna.

Anna Karenina. She was an amazing woman. But no less amazing than the other characters in the novel. Tolstoy was a brilliant man and writer. He knows how to blend plot and thought like few others. After reading his novels, I am convinced that he was a keen observer of human nature and interactions. I believe he must have spent hours reflecting on why people act in the way they do. And the result, clear and penetrating novels on the human experience.I highly recommend this novel. I feel enriched for having read something so well written. Just the way that Tolstoy mixes words leaves me with a feeling of awe. This novel is much more direct than War and Peace. He left his characters out of his writing in War and Peace, while he digressed about other topics. In this novel, digression sometimes happens in his dealings with Levin, but not as frequently as in War and Peace. The novel is great, the plot is fantastic. I see similarities to War and Peace everywhere. Natasha and Kitty. Levin and Nikolay. Tolstoy's dislike of the medical profession.

One of the best classics. Learning about culture, gender roles (rights) and LOVE in Tolstoy era.

It’s a classic what’s not to love about scandalous love and affairs in the early 1800’s!

Timeless classic with that has application in everyone's life. I have read and reread this one many times. I recommend it to anyone to learn to enjoy the classics!

Livro excelente. Recomendo. Fácil leitura.

Amazing book ever written....The book was written 146 years ago but it illuminates the depiction of contemporary time, even after 150 years it will show the same.

やさしい英語でわかりやすく、日本語の翻訳より気分的にロシアの雰囲気を味わえた。

This is a great book. Came in time and in great conditions.

no doubt about the novel..but paper quality is poor.