Should I read Anna Karenina?

[ReadARussian]

Yes, I am currently reading it and know the ending...it is a well known ending....that doesnt make the story anything short of masterpiece

[Uberzensch]

Absolutely!

This is such a fantastic novel, you must read it!

Both interweaving stories are great. I just read the P&V and enjoyed it.

[Charlie5thumbs]

I knew the ending but still decided to read it. One thing you should know about this book is that it's actually two stories in one. Levin is the other main character in the book, and he was very real to me. So even after Anna kills herself, that is not really the end. It is one of the best, perhaps the best novel I've read. It is very readable and rich in its dialogue. I have to admit there are a few parts that are a little slow that I did not care for, particularly the scene where Levin attends an election. However these are very few and far between.

[Michael T]

Yes, you should read it. I think most people who read it are drawn to Levin and Kitty's story, and it's one that will stay with you for a very long time.

(It's all those long Russian names that are the killer! )

[blazeofglory]

Some novels must be read repeatedly. No matter we know the end of the story such books have something that interest always. I have already completed the Brothers Karamazov and I know the end yet I find it really moving when I am reading a second time.

[Idril]

(It's all those long Russian names that are the killer! )

That's really true. Once you get those names down, everything else kind of falls into place. It's so confusing because a person can either be referred to by his/her first name and patronymic, or by his/her surname, or by a diminutive form of the first name. Like Anna's brother, he is sometimes called Stepan Arkadyevitch, or sometimes just Oblonsky or Stiva by his family. And then surnames are different depending on whether they are male or female...not a lot, usually just an extra 'a' on the female but it was still enough to throw me off, again, going back to Anna's brother, who's last name is Oblonsky but his wife's surname is Oblonskaya. I didn't know this when I first started reading Russian novels and I would think all those names were different people, it was like a light went off in my head when I finally realized they were all the same person.

The first time I read Anna Karenina, I focused more on Levin and Kitty but I found on the second read, I went back to Anna and Vronksy. I guess it was knowing the end and wanting to see exactly where Anna snapped. The first time I read it, that romance seemed so melodramatic and predictable while Kitty and Levin were so fresh and mature but I really did find more depth in Anna and Vronsky when I delved a little deeper into their pathos.

[The Comedian]

Should you read Anna Karenina?

Well, if you like long, drawn-out stories filled with whiny, self-absorbed people who deserve what they get but act like the world owes them something. Then, yes, you should read it.

*you can throw your rotten tomatoes at me. . . .now*

[Gladys]

...long, drawn-out stories filled with whiny, self-absorbed people...

Even so, I found the gradual breakdown of Anna's marriage to Karenin a peerless masterpiece.

[Virgil]

I always hear or see on lists that it's one of the best novels, or at the least the best Tolstoy novel.

The thing is, I happen to know the whole train incident near the end.. I don't want to actually say it for spoilers etc

Will this book still be enjoyable regardless, I mean there are hundreds of pages, surely knowing that one part isn't going to deter my enjoyment of the book?

It's one of the all time greatest novels ever written. Read it. Yes, yes, yes.

[Uberzensch]

Just to add: When I was reading it, I learned of the ending, too. I really thought it would ruin the book for me. IT DID NOT!

There's just so much more to the book. Especially Levin and Kitty. I didn't know that was part of the book when I started, thinking, because of the title, it was just about Anna.

Definitely read it, it's wonderful.

[mona amon]

Go ahead and read it! It's very readable, and knowing the end will not spoil anything.

[wormofthebooks]

I read this book after a co-worker from Poland told me that I would love the richness of Russian literature. She was most definitely right! It was wonderful. Oddly, I would have to say that one of my favorite characters was Alexey Alexandrovich. Its one of those books that you feel. The bittersweet feelings of cheating are something that most of us can relate to, whether we have cheated or been cheated on. Everyone can connect with the characters in this book. It was the thrill of the romance following Levin and Kitty and it was the heart-wrenching sadness of watching Anna tear her life down piece by piece that kept me reading. I devour Russian literature like junk food and this book was no exception.

[Gladys]

Oddly, I would have to say that one of my favorite characters was Alexey Alexandrovich.

Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin's situation is fascinating to the end.