Anna Karenina [Paperback]

Leo Tolstoy (Author), Joel Carmichael (Translator), Malcolm Cowley (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1984

A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, Anna Karenina portrays the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time.  Sensual, rebellious Anna falls deeply and passionately in love with the handsome Count Vronsky.  When she refuses to conduct the discreet affair that her cold, ambitious husband (and Russian high society) would condone, she is doomed.  Set against the tragic love of Anna and Vronsky, the plight of the melancholy nobleman Konstantine Levin unfolds.  In doubt about the meaning of life, haunted by thoughts of suicide, Levin's struggles echo Tolstoy's own spiritual crisis.  But Anna's inner turmoil mirrors the own emotional imprisonment and mental disintegration of a woman who dares to transgress the strictures of a patriarchal world.  In Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy brought to perfection the novel of social realism and created a masterpiece that bared the Russian soul.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the greatest love stories in world literature."
--Vladimir Nabokov


From the Trade Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, Anna Karenina portrays the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time. Sensual, rebellious Anna falls deeply and passionately in love with the handsome Count Vronsky. When she refuses to conduct the discreet affair that her cold, ambitious husband (and Russian high society) would condone, she is doomed. Set against the tragic love of Anna and Vronsky, the plight of the melancholy nobleman Konstantine Levin unfolds. In doubt about the meaning of life, haunted by thoughts of suicide, Levin's struggles echo Tolstoy's own spiritual crisis. But Anna's inner turmoil mirrors the own emotional imprisonment and mental disintegration of a woman who dares to transgress the strictures of a patriarchal world. In Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy brought to perfection the novel of social realism and created a masterpiece that bared the Russian soul.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Classics (June 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553213466
• ISBN-13: 978-0553213461
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.6 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) wrote two of the great novels of the nineteenth century, War and Peace and Anna Karenina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book EVER!, July 19, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Anna Karenina (Paperback)

Anna Karenina is the most believable and empathetic female character ever created. Tolstoy, as always, creates a complicated world of many different seductive love stories and life-stories, all of which are woven beautifully together through Anna's eyes.

The plot of _Anna Karenina_ is one that remains remarkably current, even in our changing world and distinct culture (from that of Tolstoy's turn-of-the-century Russia). More than just a classic tale though, Anna is a classic character- one whom every woman can identify with on some level. Tolstoy is a genius for being able to appropriate the minds of so many diverse characters to make everyone involved so life-like and charming.

_Anna Karenina_ is a book that must be read again and again. It is a book which will mean more and more to the reader throughout each stage in his/her life. And finally, it is a book which will never fail to entertain and move even the most jaded reader.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad Translation, February 2, 2009

By 

A reviewer "Habla espanol?" (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anna Karenina (Paperback)

This review is for this version of the book, NOT the novel. This translator uses sentences which do not make a whole lot of sense. I was completely frustated when I had to re-read several sentences many times just to grasp what he was saying. I prefer the Penguin Classics version, translated by Pevear and Volokhonsky.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly crafted and very human, March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Anna Karenina (Paperback)

I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I set myself the task as one of those "must read when I have the time" classics. The novel is very warm. The characters are so wonderful and human without being necessarily good or bad. The gentle and respectful way these characters were presented made an enormous impression on me. Descriptions of family relations, social relations and even people's innermost feelings seemed very insightful and marvellously put. I realise this was translated from the Russian, but I have rarely read such well written prose, so perfectly crafted. I am glad to just know that such literature exists. It was a real joy to read on so many levels.