Anna Karenina
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4.5 • 11 Ratings
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Publisher Description
An Apple Books Classic edition.
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Thus begins what many consider the world’s greatest novel. Leo Tolstoy originally published this sweeping saga in serial form beginning in 1875, portraying a vast swath of Russian life, from the fields worked by starving peasant farmers to the sitting rooms (and bedrooms) of privileged aristocrats.
Despite its epic nature, Anna Karenina is an intricate, intimate study of one woman’s downward spiral into tragedy. As Anna’s husband becomes increasingly absorbed in philosophical and political introspection, Tolstoy’s heroine grows weary of her life as a mother and wealthy man’s wife. Increasingly unsettled by the stark class differences she observes, Anna finds passion again in a forbidden affair with Count Vronsky. But can she overcome her obsessive concern with societal norms to find a measure of happiness?
Passion. Betrayal. Love. Revenge. Tolstoy’s classic has it all.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Okay, yes, this is Big Serious Russian Literature. But put that out of your mind! When you get right down to it, Anna Karenina is the story of a smart, passionate woman whose ultimate unravelling is as heartbreaking as that of any of our favourite romantic heroines, from the Brontës to Jojo Moyes. Leo Tolstoy skillfully weaves the romance between the countess Anna and the debonair cavalry officer Vronsky into a wider story of politics, class, and religion. It’s like getting a fascinating lesson in 19th century history alongside a deeply emotional love story. And did we mention it’s kinda sexy?
Customer Reviews
Anne
The end of Anne is so mysterious... Was it love or she just had other psychological issues ¿ Inner peace gained by Konstantin is really admirable after such a long time of searching for it all over...
Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy writes simply of details that you know, that you understand, that you sympathize with ...but I read this as a black youth in 2019, and the last part was incoherent to me, as do most classics written from positions of power and privilege. In this time and place, living for God is such a concept, being good is relative, oppression has to be fought and what is right and wrong is the only thing a person can judge from their own experiences and treatment.