Is Anna Karenina hard to read Reddit

I’ve been really wanting to read this book for a really long time now and before I started I wanted to know if it’s really worth reading? Here are some questions I have that will help me decide wether I think it’s worth reading or not

1. Does Anna Karenina have sections in it that explain useless subjects in great detail? I recently read Les Misèrables and I loved every bit of the book except for the sections where Hugo goes on and on about irrelevant things such as Sewer systems and nuns. I heard war and peace has a lot of this but does Anna Karenina?

2. Is it engaging? More specifically I really want to know how long the book drags for (because pretty much every book over 800 pages does) is it really hard to get through at times?

3. Is the language hard to read?

I'm not usually into reading romance novels, but I've seen it mentioned on here multiple times and I'm really trying to broaden my horizons a bit. It's not terribly lengthy but it's long enough that I don't wish to commit myself to it without a good recommendation. So, Reddit, any advice, or is it worth the read?

EDIT: Thanks everyone for all the advice and input!! I'll definitely be adding this one to my queue of books to read! Thanks again!! :)

level 1

· 10 yr. ago

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

My Russian Lit professor at University of Wisconsin told our class to read this book once every 5 years. This way we get a reminder concerning how to live.

level 2

My Russian Language Prof made the same suggestion about Kreutzer Sonata. Tolstoy's apparently a king of life-lessons.

level 1

Definitely. It isn't a romance novel really. It's a novel of politics, social orders changing, friendships and enemies, transitioning ideals, philosophy, mental illness...it just happens to have romance in there as well. One of the best novels of realism that I can even imagine exists.

level 1

It is 100% worth it. Do it

level 1

is it worth the read?

Only if you like it.

It's often declared the greatest novel ever written, so I'd say it's worth it to at least give it a shot. My suggestion is to go to the library and check out a copy. (Get the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation.) Read the first 100 pages or so and if you like it keep reading, if not, return it to the library.

level 2

Thanks for the advice! I've never read anything by Tolstoy, and I feel like I should, if that matters. Ha

level 2

Why do you recommend that particular translation?

level 1

I heard once that of however many authors and literary critics interviewed or polled for a list, Anna Karenina was ranked as the #1 novel of all time. Based on this endorsement I read it in university and absolutely fell in love with it. I agree 100% with ncrowley's professor - I think it's about time for me to read it again. I can't recommend it highly enough, but at the same time, you have to have the right translation, and you have to approach it with the right mindset, willing to get absorbed in it. Also, given that it's Tolstoy, you have to be willing to sail past the occasional passage when he gets a bit long-winded or preachy.

level 2

I believe you're referencing this book.

A great resource for finding new books to read.

level 1

I'm in my late teens and I adore this book! Get the Pevear and Volokhonsky edition as others have recommended-- don't be dissuaded by the Danielle Steele looking cover, it's actually supposed to be quite accurate. That being said, if you feel like you're trudging through it, it's understandable if you need to put it down. Tolstoy lays it on thick.

level 1

I would say it's less a romance novel and more a novel about what's the best way to find happiness and fulfillment in life--doing what people expect of you, or doing your own thing and to hell with everyone else. That more than anything is the theme of the book.

level 1

Yes, I absolutely adored this book. I loved every character and have missed them since I finished it. It's brilliant.

That said, I have heard of people who dislike it (I can't imagine how). It is definitely character driven rather than plot driven. I don't think anyone has quite the grasp of human nature as Tolstoy.

edit: I typically dislike romance novels; I think this focuses so much on philosophy, human nature and society though, that it is qualitatively different from romance novels in the modern sense.

level 2

That's good to know. I really love character pieces. I can push through drawn out explanations, especially if they are explanations of food.. (ASOIAF, anyone?)

Thanks for the input!

level 1

I'm 53. I read it just a year ago. I'm an avid reader, but often I can't put my finger on exactly why I like some books and dislike others. That being said, I really liked Anna Karenina. But I suspect I would have been slightly bored with it if I had read it as a youngster (in my 20's). I'd say give it 100 pages, and if you don't enjoy it by then you're not likely to enjoy the last several hundred pages either.

Edit: Also, be sure to get the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation.

level 1

It's not a romance novel. It has elements similar to Romanticism - hardly the same thing. That being said, absolutely. War and Peace was also amazing.

level 1

How old are you? My always-wise father told me not to even try until I was ~25, since a lot of it would be lost on me. I haven't read it, but, like everyone else says, it is supposed to be one of the greatest books ever written. Just something to consider.

level 2

You can always read it again when you're older.

level 2

I read this in high school, and I think that might have been the problem. I hated it. However, I also read Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky, yes), and I loved that.

level 2

Probably good advice. I tried to read it when I was ten, and it was the first book I never finished. I have never found prose more dull than I found that book's.

level 2

Maybe that's the advice I needed, because the russian classics bored me to tears as a young adult and turned me off them for good. I tried so hard, too.

level 2

I'm 22, two weeks away from honorable discharge from usmc, 2 1/2 months away from starting school, and currently looking for a job that will support my car payment.

Just thought I'd be thorough. Haha

level 1

If you liked Crime and Punishment, I think you'll like it.

level 2

Different authors, but yea... both are heavy into the psychology of crime. C&P about murder and redemption, AK about fitting into society and parenting.

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