"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." "He understood not only that she was close to him, but that he no longer knew where she ended and he began." *** The greatest undertaking of my literary career thus far! Also my first venture into Russian literature. The size of the book intimidated me—this is why I put off reading Tolstoy’s works for so long. But then I thought during summer break, ‘if not now, when?’ Safe to say that I do not regret my decision. Tolstoy tackles significant themes in his book—social class, women’s subjugation, politics, religion, the meaning of life… the list goes on. But of course, the central theme is love. While it is a given that Anna is a fallen woman due to her affair, readers won't get a sense that she is being condemned by the author. Tolstoy presents her situation plainly as it is—leaving it to readers to decide whose side they want to be on. It is remarkable how he humanizes all his characters so well: from the passionate and jealous Anna, the seemingly stoic and ‘magnanimous’ Alexei Alexandrovich, to the unbelieving yet compassionate Levin. Not one of them is perfect, yet readers can't help but sympathize for their respective plights. Regardless of the fact that they belong to Russian high society—at the end of the day, they are all human who cannot help but give in to their emotions. Tolstoy’s depiction of jealousy, in particular, is one of the best I've come across in writing. If there is one thing to look forward to in this novel, it would be the characters’ internal monologues (especially Anna's toward the end!). Tolstoy fleshed them out so well that it is impossible not to feel an affinity for them all.

dont know how to rate this!!!! it was a ride - took me almost 6 months to finish. at times i loved it at others it was meh (im guilty of skimming the stuff about the horses and the races lol). i also didn’t have the energy/will until the end to really engage deeply with the moral political philosophical and religious debates Tolstoy explores in this novel, so i should probably reread for that sake. but mainly i wish i had read this when i was 17 and madly in love for the first time

4.5/5 Wow. What an epic story. A chef's kiss to the romance, tragedy, and social commentary about the dying aristocratic culture in Russia paving the way towards modernization through changing labour laws in the advent of the rise of capitalism and industrial revolution. I also really enjoyed the themes surrounding marriage, relationships, and Tolstoy's empathic way of writing well-thought-out female characters as proven by their perspectives and streams of consciousness. Could it be shorter? Sure. However, I think there's a lot to unpack on the day-to-day lives of these characters, their constant internal debates with themselves, and their conversations with others. Everyone in this book is flawed; Tolstoy leaves no stone unturned when it comes their hypocritical actions and words (especially Anna *sigh*). I adored reading about the characters and analyzing them while also learning about the current Russian society at that time (I may have Google'd certain things for further context). To be honest, I can read about Levin's farming and agricultural pursuits any day. It was interesting to compare and contrast Levin and Kitty's relationship with that of Anna and Vronsky. It really speaks to how important communication is (both verbal and physical). I praise Tolstoy for his strong criticism on the unfair laws surrounding divorce at that time and how it affected a woman's place in society—which impacted Anna in the end and one of the factors that led to her downfall. Many of Tolstoy's thoughts and values are reflected in this book. One being Levin's spiritual journey and another regarding whether or not Russia should adapt the rising Western views on democracy, liberalism, social change, and technological innovations. Certain opinions in this book don't necessarily fully align with my current beliefs and values, but it is definitely interesting to understand them as it can give insight and further context to our actions and beliefs today. P.S. Highly recommend reading this with the audiobook narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal Favourite quotes: “All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.” "Kitty, in a spasm of emotion, realizes that she lives by her heart and that she can’t deceive those around her. Although she seems to blame Varenka at first, Kitty is actually only speaking about herself. Her father’s cynical view of her friends at the spa has made Kitty realize she must lead her own life, not imitate another’s, and that not everyone will love her. " “One must do one of the two things: either admit that the existing order of society is just, and then stick up for one’s rights in it; or acknowledge that you are enjoying unjust privileges, as I do, and then enjoy them and be satisfied.” “I don’t want to prove anything; I merely want to live, to do no one harm but myself. I have the right to do that, haven’t I?”

What a freaking masterpiece. Anna Karenina is basically 838 pages of brilliance. This took me a whole month (or more) to finish but I loved slowly savoring every page. I will always be in awe of how this novel was able to explore the human condition in so many aspects: religion, politics, love, life, and at the very end an intricate detail of philosophical consciousness by Levin (who is btw, my favorite character). Also, I’d like to share one of my favorite lines, out of so many, from the book: “Sometimes she did not know what she feared, what she desired: whether she feared or desired what had been or what would be, and precisely what she desired, she did not know.”

3.5 stars

I’m between 3 1/2 - 4 stars. Beautiful story, wonderful details but just so long.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

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?

Oh those Russians!!!

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

** 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.