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Amy Mandelker, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, is the author of Framing Anna Karenina: Tolstoy, the Woman Question, and the Victorian Novel and coeditor of Approaches to Teaching Anna Karenina.
This 832-page inexpensive Barnes & Noble Classic doesn't simply present the text of Tolstoy's world literature masterpiece; it provides endnotes, commentaries, chronologies, and much, much more. (P.S. The Tom Stoppard film starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law film opened in mid-November.)
He took part in the Crimean war and after the defence of Sevastopol wrote The Sevastopol Sketches (1855-6), which established his literary reputation. After leaving the army in 1856 Tolstoy spent some time mixing with the literati in St Petersburg before traveling abroad and then settling at Yasnaya Polyana, where he involved himself in the running of peasant schools and the emancipation of the serfs. His marriage to Sofya Andreyevna Behrs in 1862 marked the beginning of a period of contentment centred around family life; they had thirteen children. Tolstoy managed his vast estates, continued his educational projects, cared for his peasants and wrote both his great novels, War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877).
During the 1870s he underwent a spiritual crisis, the moral and religious ideas that had always dogged him coming to the fore. A Confession (1879–82) marked an outward change in his life and works; he became an extreme rationalist and moralist, and in a series of pamphlets written after 1880 he rejected church and state, indicted the demands of flesh, and denounced private property. His teachings earned him numerous followers in Russia and abroad, and also led finally to his excommunication by the Russian Holy Synod in 1901. In 1910 at the age of eighty-two he fled from home "leaving this worldly life in order to live out my last days in peace and solitude;" he died some days later at the station master's house at Astapovo.
Author biography courtesy of Penguin Books LTD.
ereaderbookworm
Posted Sat Mar 12 00:00:00 EST 2011
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This is a well-formatted edition, so kudos for that, but let's talk translations. This is the same 1901 rendering by Constance Garnett used in most of the e-editions out there. Though familiar (especially for its opening sentence), it is widely criticized for its deficiencies and considered a poor choice among better alternatives. The 1918 Maude translation is far better. It is the one most read in college literature classes. The Norton Critical Edition uses the Maude translation, with some revisions by George Gibian. That edition has not been published for e-readers, but a good NOOK edition of the Maude translation is attached to this review (or search "Anna Karenina Maude"). The 2000 translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky is the one associated with Oprah's Book Club. Oprah selected the novel itself more than a particular translation, but a print edition of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation was featured on her website, so people think of that one as Oprah's pick. The NOOK edition is attached to this review (or search "Anna Karenina Pevear"). It is debatable which translation is better, the Maude or the Peavear and Volokhonsky. The influence of the translator is second only to the author in shaping the text. The quality of the translation is crucial. Online bookstores should require publishers of translated works to list the translator. Publishers, please identify the translator, not just in the book, but on the website product page!
51 out of 53 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2007
I picked up this book when I was browsing in the bookstore for something to entertain me on my long flight overseas. One of my close friends has just recently read the book and highly recommended this classic novel. Although I was a little intimidated by size, I decided to give it a shot. I read nonstop on my 12-hour flight, except to eat. I continued to read it during my vacation and would get so wrapped up in the events that I would have a hard time finding a stopping point. Parts 7 and 8, roughly the last 200 pages, were definitely the best parts of the novel due to some very intense scenes. Anna Karenina is a romantic novel that shows Russian society and Russian countryside through the eyes of two main characters. Anna Karenina is a married woman who falls in love with another man and debates leaving him to become an outcast from society and Konstantin Levin is a landowner who is searches to fulfill his life through strenuous labor and marriage. Tolstoy¿s intricate details and colorful characters weave a wonderful story about passion and life in Russia. Anna Karenina is married to the influential government official, Alexey Androvitch, but becomes entranced by the attractive army officer, Count Alexey Vronsky. She must make the heart wrenching decision to stay in a loveless marriage or to leave her son for the man she loves. She risks becoming an outcast from society and being looked down upon by the people who she calls friends. Konstantin Levin is an affluent landowner who is searching for faith and religion throughout the story. He is desperately in love with Kitty, a princess who has her eyes set elsewhere. Levin¿s conversations allow readers to reflect on their own life and think topics discussed in Russian society however, some of the political discussions were a bit boring at times. Generally I preferred reading about the drama between Anna and Vronsky because I enjoy reading love stories. However, Levin¿s transformation and evolution as the book progressed was very inspiring and made me think about my faith. All in all Tolstoy captures audiences and makes readers feel like they are back in nineteenth century Russia. The numerous characters all play a special role in bringing the book to life and are all connected in some way. Every character is described in such detail that a reader feels like they know the person. His words make readers reflect on themselves and human existence in general. This book brings to life many emotions from love to anger to distress. It is a wonderful tale that still relates to modern society, as we know it today. Don¿t be intimidated by the size, I honestly didn¿t remember flipping the pages because I got engrossed in the storylines and it is a book that you should make the time to read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a novel that will have you devouring one word after the next.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.TheQuillPen
Posted Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2009
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Having heard that Anna Karenina was a better book than my favorite novel, War and Peace, I began reading it with very high expectations. Literally from the first chapter it did not disappoint and actually had a stronger beginning than Tolstoy's other landmark novel. In the introduction to this edition, the writer compared War and Peace to the Iliad and Anna Karenina to the Oddyssey. In a way this is true. Even though War and Peace provides a picture of human life in personal ways, it does so in a historical, sweeping manner. Anna Karenina, on the other hand, shows the personal lives of a select few characters in a minute, visceral, often gritty way. Although the novel does center around Anna Karenina and her tragic romantic life, it also contains many valuable side-stories, even one that is more tragic.
Although it is impossible to really analyze the novel without giving away key elements of the plot, the few things, among many, that really stood out to me about Anna Karenina were (1) the way Tolstoy made you love certain characters at the beginning and then totally flipped your sympathies upside down (such as the dynamics between Anna and her husband and who you relate to), (2) the way Tolstoy portrayed both the depravity of man and man rising above his situation to heroism through his character's action, and (3)Tolstoy's masterful psychoanalysis.
Although in relativity I felt there were a few flaws that caused Anna Karenina to fall short of War and Peace, they are barely worth noting because it truly still is a masterpiece.
P.S. And to someone who said that Tolstoy is too detailed and that passages of Levin farming are extremely long, I would say that Tolstoy makes every part of this book interesting and unique as he psychologically develops his characters and connects to the reader. (And, no, the grass-cutting sequence is not twenty pages long).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2009
I just finished Anna Karenina and I am happy it's done. I really enjoyed the book, for the most part, but I do think about 300 pages could have been edited out. As someone said in a previous comment, it took 20 pages to describe Levin cutting a field of grass. That is a prime example, for me, of things that Tolstoy went on and on about. I understand that this may have had a greater significance during the era in which this book was written, but I had a hard time getting through these passages. Other sections of the book kept me completely enthralled and kept me up late at night to finish them. I will never forget the section in the book when Kitty is having her baby. I was so nervous and felt like I was in the room with them. Also, the last paragraph of that section brought me to tears when Levin describes his feelings for his child. Incredible writing!! Overall, this book was very satisfying and a great read. I'm glad to say I now belong to the "club" of those who have read Anna Karenina.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Although as I was reading this book I could only think of my appreciation for the art of modern-day editing, in retrospect I'm glad to have read every word. The book can seem tedious at times, (especially when Levin takes 20 pages to mow a field), but each section teaches you something about Russian culture, Tolstoy's philosophies and human nature. The book certainly came in waves of fast-paced drama followed by quiet moments and reflections that balance it well. <BR/><BR/>I highly recommend this for personal reading, but as a book club book I'd have to say no. The chances of everyone finishing in a timely fashion or at all are slim to none, believe me I know!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Mar 26 00:00:00 EST 2004
If you like extreme detail about what someone thinks someone else is thinking because of a twitch of an eye, or some other body twitch, this book is for you!
3 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Since this book is considered to be one of the *greats* I'm not going to go through with my typical graded review. I mean really, it's Tolstoy people. What could I possibly have to say about a book written by Tolstoy that would be of any value to anyone? Instead, I will give you my thoughts (those are always interesting, right?) pretending I know nothing of the gravity of the book. Consider me a babe in arms, with no knowledge of literary classics (not much of a stretch), no knowledge of Russian history...or any history beyond what I learned in high school (okay, I admit, this is true), and the attention span of a gnat who just ingested a Starbucks double shot.
Above all, try to keep a sense of humor. To do otherwise will only serve to make you hate me in the worst way.
What I learned from reading Anna Karenina:
1. People talked, wrote, and thought in the longest, most convoluted ways. If Tolstoy wrote (I'm speaking only of sentence structure here) the same book today, his editors would be having fits. I'm talking serious, Grand Mal seizures. I certainly didn't mind the long winded, semi colon filled conversations; but considering the last five Literary Agents I spoke to told me that long, complicated, wordy writing was a no-no...I'm thinking he'd be self published for sure.Of course, this is true of all period writing, since styles change to give an accurate portrayal of current times.
2.Details were mega important. If you like a fully detailed scene from every possible angle, this book will rock your socks off. I like details. I also believe that there is such a thing as over kill. Chapters devoted entirely to harvesting fields in Russia fall into the latter category. I like that type of detail to be a page or two at most. I fell asleep a few times while Levin was pontificating about the role of the peasant in Russian society. I know how terrible that sounds. If you're offended by my lack of cooth, please re-read the above preface to this review, as I will not apologize.
3. If you happened to be of any wealth or means (and you were a man), your life was AWESOME. In the upper echelon of Russian society, life was one big party. Even the fake rich (Dolly & Stepan) had nurses, cooks, country houses, land...you name it. Work consisted of going to an office where people came to ask you if you would grant them wishes, etc, and every night you would stay out until one or two in the morning. Dinner parties happened every night of the week, as did the opera, and nobody exchanged much cash.
4. Everyone was given at least three names, which were all interchangeable, depending on mood/whims/relationship and the person speaking. I'm sure there is cultural/period/class significance here. No need to explain. I only wish this held true today. I'd love to be known as: Elizabeth Loan, Elisabetta Burkano Manifesto AND Elsie Love...how cool would that be?
5. The rich, in spite of all their wealth, were pretty miserable. AS a reader who would have fallen into the peasant class, I can't help but feeling these people just needed more to do. In other words, if you can spend entire months in 'spiritual crisis' during the 1800's, you needed some good old fashioned real work! BTW, I find this to remain true today. :)
6. Lastly, Anna, Anna, Anna...what can I say? I loved her and I hated her. The scene where she visits Seryhoza on his birthday brought me to tears; but to jump in front of a train for the lost love of a man? No, I cannot accept that.Wh
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Incredible book...I neglected everyone and everything so I could devour it as fast as I could.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is a great story. It is very political and spiritual in content. Contains a lot of Russian history during the late 1800s. It is a bit time consuming, but it is definitely worth reading. I took more time reading it to comprehend fully the history and symbolism of the characters and events within the storyline. I fell in love with the character Levin, and despised Anna Karenina by the end of the novel. It is really interesting to follow the characters in their journeys through self identification, exploration, and even destruction.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2008
Though love stories have never caught my eye, this book seemed like it was more than the cheesy tales that love stories usually are. Two of my favorite characters were the ever-smiling Oblonsky and the hard working Levin. I had my sympathies for Anna, especially because no matter what she did, the consequences were always tragic. Vronsky was a bad egg from the start, the way he cast away Kitty. The size of Anna Karenina is of no consequence since the vocabulary is quite simple to understand. The reason I didn't give it five stars was because Tolstoy has a tendency to ramble on and on 'kind of like Dickens' about issues that seem to have little importance, and he makes sure that you note every movement that the characters. Also, though I enjoyed it, it was a love story and not as enthralling as action books.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2004
A truly rewarding book to read, one which stays with you long after you have read it. The number and complexity of the characters is astounding. The chapter of Levin working in the fields with the common people is unforgettable as well the heartbreaking description of his last visit with his dying brother. Characters attempting to answer timeless questions in the search for personal happiness. Unforgettable!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is the greatest novel to ever come out of Russia. Tolstoy is an absolute genius. It's a long read, but it is definitely worth it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon May 14 00:00:00 EDT 2007
I have never read such detail and thorough description of human interactions before. This may be because I'm 14, and am just embarking on my journey through classic literature, but I believe this must truly be a masterpiece.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Jun 12 00:00:00 EDT 2006
This story literally took my breath away. One of those rare novels that had me swimming in an ocean of human emotions which goes right to the core of our souls!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Mar 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Incredible book. I found myself glued to the pages, devouring word after word.
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Posted Tue Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Read and read again if you like romance novels then you will find different layers to this book,historically it presents an excellent picture of precommunistic russia
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Wed Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2013
OK book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JeffFouberg
Posted Sun Feb 03 00:00:00 EST 2013
Anna, Anna, Anna, everyone generally expounds upon Anna. I found her a selfish, manipulative person who was very selfish, yet very insecure. Did I hate her? No, I pitied her, but with pity often comes contempt. Yet this is one of my favorite books. Tolstoy's descriptions are superb and detailed. His writing style is left wanting to read more Russian literature. If I found the title character generally so unlikeable, what is it that caused me to love this novel? Three characters, Levin, Kitty, and Dolly and the interaction between these characters. I liken myself to an agarian peasant so I found Levin and his search for the meaning of life and God to be soul felt. I also found Kitty's transformation in the novel to be central to the enjoyment I found in reading this classic. I loved this novel so much that I read twice in one month. Dolly and her role as an observer between Anna's life and Kitty's provided for me a means to see
Tolstoy's feeling about Russian society. As always it seems to me that Russian literature is two sided, meaning that the author paints a picture where life seems grand and full of delight and romance, yet in reality, life generally was awful in Russian. Reading this novel has moved me to read Checkov, Pushkin, and Dostoyevsky. In closing, if you want a novel that shows a glimmer of life in the nineteenth century of eastern Europe and one that makes you think, at times angers, bores, delights, and may even make you take time to self reflect then Anna Karenina is one I would recommend.
Anonymous
Posted Mon Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2012
I don't like the book it is not very interesting to me.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Nov 26 00:00:00 EST 2012
I liked the part where Stefan's wife was trying to deal with the governess.
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