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thedandybrambler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Gun violence
reginahafner_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, and War
mariasrv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In an attempt to examine my own Russian-ness and form an opinion on Tolstoy as an adult (I studied his books in high school), I recently finished reading War and Peace and decided to tackle Anna Karenina next.
On a personal level, I enjoyed Anna Karenina a lot more than I did War and Peace. Anna Karenina is a lot more contained, the plot is more linear, the structure of the book was great, and the characters cohesive. I loved Tolstoy's language, factual but poetic, and I found his psychologism mesmerizing.
I think Tolstoy's insight into the human nature, together with his tenderness towards life and mastery as a writer, worked amazingly in this book. Of course, Tolstoy was examining the question of what makes a happy family through his own lense, which at this point is deeply outdated, both on a personal level (sometimes he comes off as a ranting grandpa) and on a societal level. But if you try to squint a bit, so to say, at some of the details, the bigger picture is beautiful and still relevant.
Anna's plot line is a disturbing and poignant examination of a life being ruined because of feeling unloved, getting caught in passion, misunderstandings, and societal limitations.
Contrary to many other reviewers, I deeply sympathized with Levin. He is, of course, a bit of a self-insert, with accordingly Tolstovian views and values, but, unlikely basically everyone else in the novel, his primary driving force is sincerity, and Tolstoy doesn't shy away from acknowledging that sincerity is not without its faults. As Levin says in the end,
Graphic: Animal death and Suicide
Minor: Child death and War
thewrongalice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Xenophobia and War
madsness's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, and War
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
bookish_bry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The foreshadowing was done great. I especially liked how
It did drag in some places, though really what can you expect from a book of this length, and while I understood the strategy behind the last part
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief and Classism
Minor: Sexism, Antisemitism, and War
Most of this book revolves around adultery and suicidal thoughts and actions.katybradley888's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Violence and War
kateships's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story is beautifully done, tragic, romantic, complicated.
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide
Minor: War
b_shiara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This books was insufferable. No need to say anything else, just INSUFFERABLE
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War
pejahanako's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Racism and War