Anna Karenin - Leo Tolstoy
This is the first Tolstoy that I have read. Anna Karenin, or Karenina, both translations are correct, is a truly unique novel.
First, it is very long. The edition that I read came in at 853 pages. The amazing thing that I found is that it didn’t feel long.
It was the first Tolstoy I had read, but not the first Russian translation that I had read. The previous was Dostoevsky’s Crime & Punishment.
Crime & Punishment is great, but it is very dense. I found it a bit of a slog at times. Anna Karenin is nothing of the sort.
I think that there are a few reasons for this. First, apart from a few exceptions, all the chapters are very short. So you get the story in nice little tidbits.
It is very easy to follow what is going on as we stay with a particular character for a period at a time. When we do move to one of the other characters that we haven’t been with for a while, Tolstoy catches us up.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy a read it was.
The language was so easy to follow, apart from the French. I found it such an engaging snapshot of a few years in a few key characters as they woo each other.
The story has some of the best passages that I have ever read on fatherhood and finding faith. Tolstoy is great throughout, but in these passages, he demonstrates that he is a master of his craft.
The descent into madness for Anna is unnerving. It isn’t comforting, but you can understand her actions, even if you do not agree with them.
Having said that, it was such an easy read and enjoyable; it did take me around five months to finish, so perhaps take the advice above with a grain of salt.
I would recommend this to anyone happy to take the time to read it, as it is a beautifully written piece.
