Anna Karenina, Vol 4 of 8

Anna Karenina (8 volumes) #4

by Leo Tolstoy, Leo Tolstoy

A magnificent story, that amalgamates the classical sensuality and rebelliousness against the prevailing customs, is presented here. This novel is a unique example of social realism that portrays the inevitable tragedy of a wilful woman, Anna Karenina, who transgresses the conventions of society and follows her own lead.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Classics, Russia

244 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1877

About the author

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой; most appropriately used Liev Tolstoy; commonly Leo Tolstoy in Anglophone countries) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist fiction. Many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world's greatest novelists. Tolstoy is equally known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s, after which he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer.

His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna and Vronsky get what they want but look and this is just a guess I feel like this will not go well

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thoughts on part 4 of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina:

- This part was such an emotional rollercoaster. I started off as immensely bored at all the administrative conversations and ended up a nearly crying mess for the convoluted lives of Anna, Karenin and Vronsky.

- Tolstoy builds a contrast. Levin and Kitty's lives finally start to come together. Their happiness is exquisite, and it's so beautifully described by Tolstoy. We see Levin so overwhelmed with joy that everything around him seems to radiate with love and positivity. Unlike his usual discontented self who, just a chapter ago, was contemplating dark thoughts about the inevitability of death, we see him look forward to the rest of his life.

- On the other hand, the lives of Anna, Karenin and Vronsky take a dark turn. They are tied together in a messy web. Anna's psyche rapidly deteriorates. She is fearful, jealous and resentful... paranoid about Vronsky's love for her and ashamed too (keeps on referring to herself as a 'criminal'). This mental breakdown foreshadows the upcoming events.

- Karenin finally gets a chance at redemption. From an emotionless robot driven by institutions of religion and duty, we finally see him genuinely angry and hurt at being deceived. We see his inner struggle with the 'right thing' to do in regards to Anna.

- Vronsky redeems himself in my eyes too. At first, I was angry when he feels himself 'cooling' towards Anna (how like men, I thought!). But then, we see him breakdown as well due to a mixture of shame and grief.

All in all, Tolstoy depicts the circle of life. Fulfillment and happiness on the one hand, and the possibility of death and grief on the other.

[Luana Rizea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cu părere de rău, cu bucurie, am terminat Anna Karenina.
Rămân la părerea mea: oamenii care au prea mult timp liber sunt mereu cei care se plâng, sunt mereu cei care înnebunesc, lipsa ocupației este dăunătoare. 😜
Un roman care mi-a creat o mare dragoste față de a citi, de a reciti, față de scriitorii ruși. Un Roman!

[Zuzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo git. Potrzebowałam przerwy od tej książki, bo jest dosyć monotonna, ale po krótkim odpoczynku od niej czytało się bardzo przyjemnie. Bardzo mi się podoba przedstawienie niestabilności psychicznej Anny, bardzo rel.

[Jedenobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love the big party at the end of this. I keep being floored and flabbergasted by how well Tolstoy captures modern inner workings of the mind. People have always been people!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

slay