Product Description

‘All the awfulness of the storm now appeared to her more beautiful than ever. He had said what her heart longer to hear, though she feared it with her reason'. Saskia Wickham reads Tolstoys classic tale of passion and betrayal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #576 in Books
• Published on: 1995-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 848 pages

Synopsis
Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude, with an introduction and notes by E.B. Greenwood, University of Kent, Anna Karenina is one of the most loved and memorable heroines of literature. Her overwhelming charm dominates a novel of unparalleled richness and density. Tolstoy considered this book to be his first real attempt at a novel form, and it addresses the very nature of society at all levels - of destiny, death, human relationships and the irreconcilable contradictions of existence. It ends tragically, and there is much that evokes despair, yet set beside this is an abounding joy in life's many ephemeral pleasures, and a profusion of comic relief.

About the Author
Tolstoy was a champion of nonviolent protest. When he was two years of age his mother died, and when nine his father died. Tolstoy had a definitive set of ideas in regards to religion and philosophy. "Tolstoy condemned capitalism, private property, and the division of labour. Civilization in general he regarded as bad, emphasizing the need to make life as simple and primitive as possible." (Benet's.) His ideas led him into problems with his family, he was estranged from his family during the last of his life. Two of Tolstoy's most popular works are War & Peace and Anna Karenina.

Customer Reviews

Is not tragic. Is not thoughtful or profound. The characters are too unconvincing.
Absolutely pointless. The tragedy of oppressive Russian society is succintly discussed in about a page somewhere near the beginning, then we have to wait ages for her to kill herself, which she does not because of the above, but because she thinks her bloke is shagging some other bird.

In the meantime, we flounder around in 19th agricultural theory, an uneventful election, some whining...

Why is Levin even in the book, and far too much of it? We are told in highly descriptive pages of how much he and his wife love each other, and he just stresses. He then flakes out at the end.
And I don't think his revelation is at all profound. His path there is to erratic and uneventful. His belief is a compromise.

It would be tragic if the characters weren't so idiotic.

One of the greatest love tragedies!
This is a story of love that is one of the greatest ever written. However, the story is very long and not always as exciting as it could be. It is great literature and the story is brilliant with the two main characters in love as much as you could ever find with eventual tragedy. Not as good as War and Peace but still a great read.

Incomparable
Together with 'War and peace' and 'Resurrection', Tolstoy wrote three of the greatest novels ever.