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Book Review of Anna Karenina (Penguin Classics)

Anna Karenina (Penguin Classics)
reviewed on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


I had heard of this book ever since high school but always put off reading it. I'm glad I finally got around to it.

You simply cannot go wrong with Tolstoy. His keen understanding of human nature coupled with an acceptance of our frailities, our shortcomings, kept me turning the page.

Anna, a headstrong, young, affluent Russian girl marries for convenience. Naturally, this was the way of the world for many centuries. But shortly thereafter, she meets a man that she quickly becomes obsessed with. Shunning all social conventions, and with little regard for the her family's distress, she takes up with him.

This is an old story. But Tolstoy paints for us a world we have never known. We are shown the arcane, unwritten rules and customs of the aristocracy. A portrait in words, with colors and textures, is Tolstory's style. After reading this, you will no longer wonder why this book is considered a classic.