Leo Tolstoy

One of the greatest novels ever written, Anna Karenina is the story of a beautiful woman whose passionate love for a handsome officer sweeps aside all other ties. This major translation conveys Tolstoy's precision of meaning and emotional accuracy in an English version that is highly readable and stylistically faithful.

Anna Karenina

Kay so Queso

‘No, I won't tell her,’ he thought, as she walked on ahead of him. ‘It's a secret that’s necessary and important for me alone and inexpressible in words.’

In infinite time, in the infinity of matter, in infinite space, a bubble-organism separates itself, and that bubble holds out for a while and then bursts, and that bubble is – me.

The ending contemplations of this book are so darn good.

He could not admit that he had known the truth then and was now mistaken, because as soon as he began to think calmly about it, the whole thing fell to pieces; nor could he admit that he had been mistaken then, because he cherished his state of soul of that time, and by admitting that it had been due to weakness he would have profaned those moments.

‘What was he looking for in me? Not love so much as the satisfaction of his vanity.’

And death presented itself to her clearly and vividly as the only way to restore the love for her in his heart, to punish him and to be victorious the struggle that the evil spirit lodged in her heart was waging with him.

Darya Alexandrovna found it strange to hear how calmly in the right he was, there at his own table. She remembered Levin, who thought the opposite, being just as resolute in his opinions at his own table.

His educators complained that he did not want to learn, yet his soul was overflowing with a thirst for knowledge.

He understood not only that she was close to him, but that he no longer knew where she ended and he began.

“We won't be friends, you know that yourself. And whether we will be the happiest or the unhappiest of people — is in your power.”

Iris van der zanden

It is dreadful that one cannot tear out the past by the roots.

renni

" [...] não consigo imaginar uma situação em que a vida não seja um tormento, todos nós fomos criados para atormentar a nós mesmos, todos sabemos disso e todos estamos sempre inventando maneiras de nos enganar. Mas, e quando a pessoa vê a verdade, o que há de fazer?"

Anna read and understood, but it was unpleasant to read, that is to say, to follow the reflection of other people's lives. She was too eager to live herself.

Lev N. Tolstoj

Roman

里森

Ins Hotel Angleterre oder in die Eremitage? Das ist mir gleich. »Na, dann ins Angleterre, sagte Stepan Arkadjitsch; er wählte dieses Restaurant, weil er dort größere Schulden hatte als in der Eremitage. Aus diesem Grund hielt er es für unpassend, dieses Hotel zu meiden.

Er duzte sich mit allen, mit denen er Champagner getrunken hatte, und allen, Champagner trank er mit allen und jedem. 

Stepan Arkadjitsch war nun schon länger als zwei Jahre Direktor ciner Verwaltungsbehörde in Moskau und hatte sich in dieser Zeit die Liebe und Achtung seiner Kollegen, Untergebenen und Vorgesetzten und aller, die mit ihm zu tun hatten, crworben. Die Haupteigenschaften von Stepan Arkadjitsch, die ihm diese allgemeine Achtung in seiner Behörde gewonnen hatten, waren erstens seine außerordent- liche Nachsicht, die auf dem Bewußtsein seiner eigenen Mängel beruhte, zweitens seine durchaus liberale Gesin- nung, nicht die, von der er in den Zeitungen las, sondern eine andere, die ihm im Blut steckte und bewirkte, daß er alle Menschen ohne Rücksicht auf Stand und Beruf völlig gleich und unparteisch behandelte, drittens und das war die Hauptsache seine vollständige Gleichgültigkeit der Sache gegenüber, mit der er sich beschäftigte, so daß er sich nie hinreißen ließ und keine Fchler machte.

TRANSLATED BY LOUISE AND AYLMER MAUDE Anna is a beautiful, intelligent woman whose passionate affair with the dashing Count Vronsky leads her to ruin. But her story is also about a search for meaning, and by twinning it with that of Levin, an awkward idealist whose happy marriage and domestic trials form the backdrop for a similar quest, Tolstoy creates a rich and complex masterpiece that has captured the imagination of readers for decades. The Vintage Classic Russians Series- Published for the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution, these are must-have, beautifully designed editions of six epic masterpieces that have survived controversy, censorship and suppression to influence decades of thought and artistic expression.

Karla 

"Y los demás se se empeñan en enseñarnos a vivir. No tienen idea de lo que es la felicidad, ignoran que fuera de este amor no existe ni ventura ni desventura, porque no existe ni siquiera vida".

Constance Garnett

""The novel's first words threaten to dissolve all "happy families" into a sea of uninteresting sameness, while unhappy families are unique, intriguing, even romantic. But if the opening line is a universal truth, it is also a challenge Tolstoy sets himself: to shine light on the damnable tragedy that gives unhappiness its luster, and commend the unsung glories of an ordinary life." -From Sean Johnson's Introduction. Anna Karenina is the wife of a prestigious official, a devoted mother, and one of the handsomest ladies in the high society of St. Petersburg, Russia. She seems to have it all, but when she meets the dashingly handsome Count Vronsky, she makes fateful choices that will bring misery to everyone around her. This novel is brought to vivid life by the classic translation of Constance Garnett. This Canon Classic is an exciting drama that shows us both the consequences of human sin and what true love looks like when the flames of passion die"--

Dany

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

horu

He looked at her as a man looks at a faded flower he has gathered, with difficulty recognizing in it the beauty for which he picked and ruined it. And in spite of this he felt that then, when his love was stronger, he could, if he had greatly wished it, have torn that love out of his heart; but now, when as at that moment it seemed to him he felt no love for her, he knew that what bound him to her could not be broken.

“I cared for him, and he cared for me; but his mother did not wish it, and he married another girl. He’s living now not far from us, and I see him sometimes. You didn’t think I had a love story too,” she said, and there was a faint gleam in her handsome face of that fire which Kitty felt must once have glowed all over her.

“I didn’t think so? Why, if I were a man, I could never care for anyone else after knowing you. Only I can’t understand how he could, to please his mother, forget you and make you unhappy; he had no heart.”

“I’ll come when you get married,” said Varenka.

“Well, then, I shall be married simply for that. Mind now, remember your promise,” said Kitty.

He prescribed more physical exercise as far as possible, and as far as possible less mental strain, and above all no worry—in other words, just what was as much out of Alexey Alexandrovitch’s power as abstaining from breathing.

dana

“i didn’t know you were going. what are you coming for?” she said, letting fall the hand with which she has grasped the door post. and irrepressible delight and eagerness shone in her face. 

“what am i coming for?” he repeated, looking straight into her eyes. “you know that i have come to be where you are,” he said; “i cant help it.”

no one but she herself understood her position; no one knew that she had just refused the man whom perhaps she loved, and refused him because she had put her faith in another.

“have you been here long?” she said? giving him her hand. “thank you,” she added, as he picked up the handkerchief that had fallen out of her muff.

“i? i’ve not long… yesterday… i mean today… i arrived,” answered levin, in his emotion not at once understanding her question. 

elizabeth mclaren

There's probably nothing I can say about this novel that hasn't already been said. It's way too long, and I learned way too much about farming methods and art criticism and horse racing and the inner workings of Alexei Karenin's mind. I still loved it. I won't try to explain why it's so good, but I will explain a few reasons why I liked it so much.

Like Austen in Pride and Prejudice, Tolstoy explores the politics of love and family. If a book does this, it automatically piques my interest.

Like Wharton in The Age of Innocence, Tolstoy paints a decadent, detailed portrait (heh) of the society surrounding the lovers and families. (Joe Wright's 2012 film adaptation of Anna Karenina felt especially near to Wharton's work in its rather explicit focus on the novel's motif of social performance.) 

Like Cormac McCarthy in All the Pretty Horses, Tolstoy doesn't shy away from heavy use of symbols (including, notably, horses and the natural world) to foreshadow and to elucidate characters' attitudes toward each other and the expectations placed upon them. (This comparison might seem like a big stretch because I'm constantly looking for reasons to bring up McCarthy, but it's truly not a stretch at all.)

Lastly, Levin. I liked Levin.

Steffi'sBookShelve

Echt een goed boek om te lezen, het boek leest heel vlot. 
Een echt tijdloos verhaal over meerdere liefdes perikelen en dit vormt dan ook de basis voor een innemend verhaal die je door het boek jagen. Het is ook een boek dat heel vlot leest en dat vind ik toch belangrijk. Er zitten ook meerdere verhaallijnen in en dit vind ik echt heel interessant.

Very slow-paced, very preach-y, didn't like the characters,  lots of description about politics,  farming, and hunting that dragged on. I was tempted to DNF, but slogged through it all.

Ronda Isaacson

Truly a wonderful book. What can I say about it that hasn’t already been said?

Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness. Rosamund Bartlett's new translation conveys Tolstoy's precision of meaning and emotional accuracy in an English version that is highly readable and stylistically faithful.

It was quite dense and slow sometimes, it's a book to read only when you're chill. But it was really emotional and beautiful.

LIMEKI 

a novel in eight parts

Ned Summers 

A book written to pass time, so unfortunately not perfect for during the term when I hardly have enough time to start with (hence it taking 7 months to read). However, though I can't describe why since any description of the contents sounds quite boring, I loved it whenever I picked it up. Glad to have read it.

Kendall McClain

BEAUTIFUL!!! I love everyone but Levin. The beginning and the end is truly the epitome of literature, but the middle lost me a bit. Nonetheless I love Tolstoy and Kitty and Anna so dearly this book is awesome and amazing and I’m going write an essay on it soon yay!

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”
--------------------
A heart-breaking tale that touches the very essence of human desire and fear: What if what you have always wanted doesn't bring you the happiness you imagined? What happens once that happiness isn't enough any longer?
Tolstoy has once again written masterfully and with striking force, conveying such raw emotions about betrayal, passion, self-doubt, selfishness, hypocrisy, and jealousy, that has given me emotional whiplash throughout the story. Full of characters that I loved to hate (yes, I said it, and I'm not even sorry), I have never been so frustrated and entertained while reading a classic.
Come for the scandalous 18th century Russian aristocracy. Stay for the opinions on the Russian land reform and the emotional roller coaster.

A beautiful, passionate Russian woman escapes the restrictions and boredom of her marriage through a love affair with a charming soldier

jack

hard to overstate how amazing this is. it’s easy to forget that more than about people, life, faith, and love, this is about russia. captures perfectly how the most human events in life feel. i could read levin’s portions forever

hileahrious

Too long for what it’s worth, yet still enjoyable. Somehow it remains gripping throughout, probably because Tolstoy’s style is unlike anything I’ve read before. Despite the ridiculous drama of the characters and lengthy descriptions, I never really lost interest. It’s hard to explain, but I guess that’s part of what makes it considered one of the greatest novels ever written?

Francesca

Laura Mauler

Loved everything except the last chapter. He absolutely could have left the last part off and left us a masterpiece.

Lev Nikolaevic Tolstoj

“Qual è il vero peccato di Anna, quello che non si può perdonare e che la fa consegnare alla vendetta divina? È la sua prorompente vitalità, che cogliamo in lei fin dal primo momento, da quando è appena scesa dal treno di Pietroburgo, il suo bisogno d’amore, che è anche inevitabilmente repressa sensualità; è questo il suo vero, imperdonabile peccato. Una scoperta allusione alla sotterranea presenza nel suo inconscio della propria colpevolezza è il sogno, minaccioso come un incubo che ritorna spesso nel sonno o nelle veglie angosciose, del vecchio contadino che rovista in un sacco borbottando, con l’erre moscia, certe sconnesse parole in francese: Il faut le battre le fer, le broyer, le pétrir [...]. Il ferro che il vecchio contadino vuole battere, frantumare, lavorare, cioè distruggere, è la stessa vitalità, il desiderio sessuale, l’amore colpevole e scandaloso di Anna; e così essa lo sente e lo intende come la colpa che la condanna[...]. Ed è quel vecchio a farle improvvisamente comprendere cosa deve fare: distruggere quella vitalità, e cioè distruggere se stessa per espiare la sua colpa.” Dalla Postfazione di Gianlorenzo Pacini

Valeria M

** spoiler alert **
           Devo dire che avevo aspettative molto alte e sono rimasta un po' delusa. Ho trovato alcune parti prolisse e a mio parere non fondamentali per la narrazione. Trovo molto riuscita la descrizione della realtà russa dell'epoca però avrei preferito che ci fosse una descrizione più approfondita di alcuni personaggi per esempio Anna. Nonostante tutto, è un classico che va assolutamente letto.

Easyread Super Large 24pt Edition

I did it. And cried all throughout the last 100 pages i swear.

Klára Kováčiková 

Hannah Yang

There is nothing I can say about Anna Karenina that hasn't already been said, but I am so, so glad I read this book. It is a novel that I think everyone should read in its entirety at least once in their lives. I am especially glad that I did not stop reading after Anna's death, but continued to the ending, which is profoundly hopeful and beautiful-and also touched me personally, as I have for a time felt confused about my own faith.


  I shall still lose my temper with Ivan the coachman, I shall still embark on useless discussions and express my opinions inopportunely; there will still be the same wall between the sanctuary of my inmost soul and other people, even my wife; I shall probably go on scolding her in my anxiety and repenting of it afterwards; 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, independently of anything that can happen to me, every minute of it is no longer meaningless as it was before, but has a positive meaning of goodness with which I have the power to invest it.

Though tragic, Anna Karenina absolutely celebrates humanity at its best and worst. Since reading it I have raved incessantly about how beautifully Tolstoy describes his characters and their emotions. Anna is a remarkable character whose actions most would disapprove of, but whom I could not help adoring. Her undoing is devastating but it is written so incredibly, as we see Anna become increasingly jealous and insecure over time. Every character is a delight to understand, to peek into their thoughts; and what is most commendable is that although the novel deals with many moral questions and complex social situations, and none of the characters is innocent in their behavior, I felt that I could understand all of their motivations and I truly could not hate any of them. 

I was worried going into Anna Karenina that I would not be able to appreciate it or that it would be difficult to read (both due to language and due to my lack of any knowledge of Russian society), since it is an intimidating brick of a book, but that is not the case at all: the book is deliciously readable and I loved becoming wrapped up in Russian high society, political debates (although some ideas were a bit hard for me to follow), and life in the country. The dialogues are delightful, and every scene feels elegant but at the same time intensely real. 

I absolutely loved it. I'll be thinking about Anna Karenina for a long, long time.

A new translation of the classic nineteenth-century Russian novel in which a young woman is destroyed when she attempts to live outside the moral law of her society.

A Novel in Eight Parts

Patricia Nelson

I just finished this book as part of a summer read-together with friends via zoom. We broke the story up into five Zoom chats based on the parts of the book, and it was a great way to work our way through the story. This book has a lot of things to discuss, and fostered great conversations and insights. From my perspective, I'm so glad I read it. It is a story rich in detail and depth, with characters that I enjoyed reading about, even if I didn't always like them very much. This is a book that I will hold on to to read again sometime in the future. There is so much that I likely missed the first time through. For anyone who feels that this book isn't accessible to them, please give it a shot. I read the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky and the writing is so good. The fact that the writing is a translation makes it even more impressive. Be prepared to like this more than you thought you might, and to need to take reading it a little slower than normal. It's a great book.

Andrew John Kinney

Anna Karenina is a great book. I do not give it five stars only because it is not as readable as it could be, because this is a 19th Century novel with a different pace from what we expect today, but it explores basic themes of life, and explores them deeply. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Basically everything that follows is a spoiler, so that said, obviously the story of Anna and Vronsky is meant as a moral example without moralizing. Tolstoy says, here, you may choose to go down this path, but understand the cost, which is catastrophic for Anna and everyone close to her. As for Stiva and Dolly, Stiva is the pleasing, pleasure-loving society darling, who gradually destroys his family with his spending, his absence as a father, and his affairs. His is the story of degradation by a thousand cuts. Levin's brother, Sergei, is the intellectual who cannot commit to real life, and passes up his chance to marry Varenka, even though he feels she would make him happy. Nikolay is the brother who succumbs to addiction.

And finally, Kitty and Levin, whom we get to know the best, are the exemplars of married love. Tolstoy's realism in showing marriage as it is, with petty jealousies and quarrels, is realistic, though it whitewashes what Tolstoy actually experienced in his turbulent marriage. Levin ultimately finds God, or his version of God, but I could not relate to Levin's fear of death, which drove his need for belief. At one point, Levin thinks something like, "I must either find belief and meaning, or else hang myself". His point is, why do we endure all the hardships and pains of life, if there is no greater reason or purpose? Personally, I have never felt that way, so I had a bit of trouble relating to this part. But I agreed with his implicit message that God, if it exists, reveals its existence in the good deeds of people, and I loved Levin's love of the land and the outdoors.

Tolstoy's drawing of character, and revelation of their thoughts is superb and believable. The only part of the book that dragged a bit, for me, was the country idyll of Kitty and Levin just after their marriage. Most parts of the book moved right along and held my interest.

A great classic.

Barbara Williford

Although the title is about Anna Karenina, typically of Tolstoy fashion, he includes the life and stories of others around her including Levin. As the stories jump back and forth we are guided through Anna’s unhappy life and marriage and into a world where she goes against society, living outside the norm, casting away her husband and son for another life she feels she will be happier. We see that life is not always greener on the other side as her life spirals out of control and into a shocking ending to her story.

On the other hand, Levin is on the road to discovering himself and that his perceived expectations are not what he dreamed. Audible was well narrated.

A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, Anna Karenina portrays the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time. Sensual, rebellious Anna falls deeply and passionately in love with the handsome Count Vronsky. When she refuses to conduct the discreet affair that her cold, ambitious husband (and Russian high society) would condone, she is doomed. Set against the tragic love of Anna and Vronsky, the plight of the melancholy nobleman Konstantine Levin unfolds. In doubt about the meaning of life, haunted by thoughts of suicide, Levin's struggles echo Tolstoy's own spiritual crisis. But Anna's inner turmoil mirrors the own emotional imprisonment and mental disintegration of a woman who dares to transgress the strictures of a patriarchal world. In Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy brought to perfection the novel of social realism and created a masterpiece that bared the Russian soul.

Too boring. I'm 390+ pages in and I don't care about any of the characters. They could all be killed and I wouldn't feel a thing, no pain and no joy. Just indifference. There's only a few fun scenes and the rest of it so far has been only mildly interesting. Life is too short to read the classics if reading the classics is this dull. 

Omar Fernandez

Ayesha ahmed

The longest book I have ever read and it was worth every minute. As I expected it to be, it is a masterpiece.

Mythos

Although it's been recommended, it never caught my interest.

Michael Springer

I didn't care a whole hell of a lot about Anna. And, I'm sick of Russian books where the protagonist finds God at the end. Talk about a deus ex machina....

While I appreciate the classic setting and themes, this book ultimately didn't click with me. The detailed descriptions of horses and rural life felt excessive, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Learning about the author's wife and her experiences piqued my curiosity, though. I wonder if her perspective is explored in any of his other works.

Liana

Louise Maude

Originally published: London: Oxford University Press, 1918.

Anja Hansen

Why have I always been led to believe that all russian lit is extremely tough to read?? I had no difficulties with this and enjoyed it immensly. High society drama makes for such good entertainment. 

My only real complaint is my favorite character Levin's change of character in the last 30ish pages

Anna Karenina

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