Carolyn Marie's Reviews > Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina
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by
![49501801](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1677044515p2/49501801.jpg)
Carolyn Marie's review
bookshelves: all-time-favorites, classics-i-ve-read, russian-literature
Feb 09, 2020
bookshelves: all-time-favorites, classics-i-ve-read, russian-literature
Read 3 times. Last read July 2, 2021 to September 1, 2021.
I don’t know where to start...I guess at the beginning. “All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” -Leo Tolstoy
Exactly one month ago, scared out of my mind, I opened up this book and read that first line. After that it was all over for me because I was completely HOOKED!!! I had to fight with myself about putting the book down so I could get enough sleep. I brought it with me everywhere in case there was a spare moment when I could escape into its pages. This is one of the most truly remarkable stories I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a great many books!!
Going in, I knew that this story would mainly be about two characters, Anna (of course) and Levin. I went in thinking that Anna’s tragical tale of woe would be my preferred point of view. I also knew that there were chapters dedicated to Levin’s agricultural pursuits, and I honestly thought that they would bore me and slow down my reading pace. Oh how wrong past Carolyn was!! The exact opposite happened, Levin’s storyline was the one that captured my heart, as well as his precious love for mowing fields with a scythe. Everytime I read about Levin my heart would melt into a great big puddle. His aspirations for simply wanting to be with the one woman he loves, and living as a humble farmer just made me feel and fall for him all at the same time. Watching his character development from the beginning of the book to the end was incredibly moving and brilliantly written. Reading this story felt like watching a gifted musician compose a grand symphony.
Anna, oh my poor Anna! My feelings and sympathies towards her tended to fluctuate while I read. In the beginning, I felt sorrow for her being in a loveless marriage. Then, when love did come walking in, he brought her inevitable fate along with him. I wanted her and Vronsky to be happy together and for them to take pride in their love for eachother. The slow and sad progression of their bond was something that I thought about deeply. Their choices towards the children involved left me feeling quite uneasy. The more I read the more tension I felt coming off the pages. This all culminated in the very prolific “train scene.” Ironically, I read the train scene riding the train myself, on my way back to NYC. As I read about the approaching train, my own train’s wheels were squeaking and the car itself started rocking. I was completely and utterly transported into the story, while being elevated by my own surroundings. I had to stop reading and collect myself because I could feel my face growing red and my eyes start to water. It was a reading experience I will never forget. To read that exact scene on a train myself was indescribable. That’s when I really knew that this book was unlike any other I’ve ever read. I could feel every word, sensation, noise, and breath while reading, not only that scene, but all of them. Anna’s fate although heartbreaking was raw and honest, and I don’t think this book would have remained one of the most profound books ever written if her destiny was changed.
Along with our two brilliantly written main characters, the way each character’s story weaved together felt like watching someone hand weave silk threads into a beautiful piece of fabric. Each page felt like a gift that I never wanted to stop opening. The amount of times I read a particular line and was then entirely moved is innumerable. It felt like Tolstoy put his whole heart into each and every line. One of my absolute favorite lines is from the point of view of Levin (of course), “He tried not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” *insert crying noises here*
Anne Karenina has become one of (if not) my favorite classics ever. It is tied neck and neck with Jane Eyre for first place, but it is so hard to say. It’s impossible to compare books because each one is different from the other, and that’s what makes this thing called reading so much fun!!
I have so much more to say, but I don’t think any configuration of words will ever fully articulate how much I love and adore this book. The fact that this story is over makes me feel quite empty inside, which was half the reason why I practically cried my eye’s out when I read the final page. Yet, the most uplifting aspect of a well written story, is that once the author and their characters make their way inside your heart, there they will remain.
Exactly one month ago, scared out of my mind, I opened up this book and read that first line. After that it was all over for me because I was completely HOOKED!!! I had to fight with myself about putting the book down so I could get enough sleep. I brought it with me everywhere in case there was a spare moment when I could escape into its pages. This is one of the most truly remarkable stories I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a great many books!!
Going in, I knew that this story would mainly be about two characters, Anna (of course) and Levin. I went in thinking that Anna’s tragical tale of woe would be my preferred point of view. I also knew that there were chapters dedicated to Levin’s agricultural pursuits, and I honestly thought that they would bore me and slow down my reading pace. Oh how wrong past Carolyn was!! The exact opposite happened, Levin’s storyline was the one that captured my heart, as well as his precious love for mowing fields with a scythe. Everytime I read about Levin my heart would melt into a great big puddle. His aspirations for simply wanting to be with the one woman he loves, and living as a humble farmer just made me feel and fall for him all at the same time. Watching his character development from the beginning of the book to the end was incredibly moving and brilliantly written. Reading this story felt like watching a gifted musician compose a grand symphony.
Anna, oh my poor Anna! My feelings and sympathies towards her tended to fluctuate while I read. In the beginning, I felt sorrow for her being in a loveless marriage. Then, when love did come walking in, he brought her inevitable fate along with him. I wanted her and Vronsky to be happy together and for them to take pride in their love for eachother. The slow and sad progression of their bond was something that I thought about deeply. Their choices towards the children involved left me feeling quite uneasy. The more I read the more tension I felt coming off the pages. This all culminated in the very prolific “train scene.” Ironically, I read the train scene riding the train myself, on my way back to NYC. As I read about the approaching train, my own train’s wheels were squeaking and the car itself started rocking. I was completely and utterly transported into the story, while being elevated by my own surroundings. I had to stop reading and collect myself because I could feel my face growing red and my eyes start to water. It was a reading experience I will never forget. To read that exact scene on a train myself was indescribable. That’s when I really knew that this book was unlike any other I’ve ever read. I could feel every word, sensation, noise, and breath while reading, not only that scene, but all of them. Anna’s fate although heartbreaking was raw and honest, and I don’t think this book would have remained one of the most profound books ever written if her destiny was changed.
Along with our two brilliantly written main characters, the way each character’s story weaved together felt like watching someone hand weave silk threads into a beautiful piece of fabric. Each page felt like a gift that I never wanted to stop opening. The amount of times I read a particular line and was then entirely moved is innumerable. It felt like Tolstoy put his whole heart into each and every line. One of my absolute favorite lines is from the point of view of Levin (of course), “He tried not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” *insert crying noises here*
Anne Karenina has become one of (if not) my favorite classics ever. It is tied neck and neck with Jane Eyre for first place, but it is so hard to say. It’s impossible to compare books because each one is different from the other, and that’s what makes this thing called reading so much fun!!
I have so much more to say, but I don’t think any configuration of words will ever fully articulate how much I love and adore this book. The fact that this story is over makes me feel quite empty inside, which was half the reason why I practically cried my eye’s out when I read the final page. Yet, the most uplifting aspect of a well written story, is that once the author and their characters make their way inside your heart, there they will remain.
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Quotes Carolyn Marie Liked
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“I think... if it is true that
there are as many minds as there
are heads, then there are as many
kinds of love as there are hearts.”
― Anna Karenina
there are as many minds as there
are heads, then there are as many
kinds of love as there are hearts.”
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“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.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“I've always loved you, and when you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“Love. The reason I dislike that word is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand."
- Anna Karenina {Anna Karenina}”
― Anna Karenina
- Anna Karenina {Anna Karenina}”
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“But the law of loving others could not be discovered by reason, because it is unreasonable.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“All that day she had had the feeling that she was playing in the theatre with actors better than herself and that her poor playing spoiled the whole thing.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“All the girls in the world were divided into two classes: one class included all the girls in the world except her, and they had all the usual human feelings and were very ordinary girls; while the other class -herself alone- had no weaknesses and was superior to all humanity.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“They've got no idea what happiness is, they don't know that without this love there is no happiness or unhappiness for us--there is no life.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“He could not be mistaken. There were no other eyes like those in the world. There was only one creature in the world who could concentrate for him all the brightness and meaning of life. It was she. It was Kitty.”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
![Leo Tolstoy](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1651443031i/128382._UX200_CR0,24,200,200_.jpg)
“But I'm glad you'll see me as I am. Above all, I wouldn't want people to think that I want to prove anything. I don't want to prove anything, I just want to live; to cause no evil to anyone but myself. I have that right, haven't I?”
― Anna Karenina
― Anna Karenina
Reading Progress
May 12, 2018
– Shelved
May 12, 2018
– Shelved as:
to-read
January 8, 2020
–
Started Reading
January 8, 2020
–
3.46%
"IM ALREADY IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!!! YAYAYAY *INSERT HAPPY DANCE HERE*"
page
29
January 9, 2020
–
10.74%
"This book is already incredible!!!!! I had to force myself to put it down!!"
page
90
January 25, 2020
–
59.55%
"I can't deal with the amount of love I have for this book!!!!!!!!"
page
499
January 28, 2020
–
68.62%
"KDJEIAJXVHFDIWILKCKDKSKJDKALALOWOVJVVDJEIJSJAKSKXJDJWKXJFJSJ...This is how I feel about the last 50 pages I just read!!!!!!! 😍😭♥️💘😭😍"
page
575
January 29, 2020
–
76.25%
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH LEVIN AHHHHHHHHHHHH ANNA (both "ahhhhhh's" have very different meanings!!!)"
page
639
February 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
classics-i-ve-read
February 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
all-time-favorites
February 9, 2020
–
Finished Reading
July 1, 2021
–
Started Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
July 1, 2021
–
1.67%
"And so it begins, the greatest novel ever written! (In my very humble opinion hahaha)"
page
14
Finished Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
July 2, 2021
–
Started Reading
July 2, 2021
–
3.94%
"Trying to pace myself, but all I really want to do is devour this entire book in one very long sitting..."
page
33
September 1, 2021
–
Finished Reading
August 14, 2024
– Shelved as:
russian-literature
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Aug 18, 2021 12:54AM
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