Just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be reviewing Anna Karenina as I tried to get into this book, made it to about 400 pages in, and I cannot finish it.
This book started out wonderful at the beginning and then in the middle Tolstoy gets preachy about peasants and their rights and the rights of the nobility and the novel takes a very political turn. I got to the point where the romance of Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky was overshadowed by Tolstoy’s political views and it made reading this almost torture. I really could have loved this book, if Anna and her relationships with Count Vronsky and her husband could have played out without the political ranting. It was just too much. For all the Anna Karenina lovers out there and the people who actually finished this book, I congratulate you on sticking with it, I just couldn’t continue reading something that felt like torture. I know that in my previous post, I stated that Tolstoy’s writing was amazing and well it is, when he isn’t ranting. The love story between Anna and Vronsky is amazingly well written and very interesting and I’m sad to say that the political tirade side of the novel really ruins that beautiful story for me at least.
I probably will still go and see the movie as I imagine that will focus more on the love and romance side of the story as the other might bore the audience to tears. That’s what I am hoping for at least. Otherwise, I am very disappointed in this book and myself for not finishing it, but I couldn’t bear reading another 500+ pages of a book I couldn’t get into. Now I am off to read something that hopefully doesn’t bore me to tears.
girllostinabook.com 
I'm glad I'm not alone in this one. I've tried several times to read this and there's just too much to keep track of. I hate admitting this, but I'm figuring that I'll read it after I see the movie and maybe I'll get through it then. Who knows. I never see a film and then read the book afterwards, by choice! And that's assuming I'll see the movie. Keira Knightley is my least favorite actress ever, especially after she smirked her way through the 2005 P&P which was a good film if you take her out of it. Sorry, I digress. I'm sorry you didn't like the book, but I'm glad I'm not the only one!
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I don't think that I will even try to read it after the movie..The first part of the book is actually very good..it's the middle part that drug me down. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one who feels this way about this book as I felt perhaps I was missing something. Oh well.Kimberlee
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LOOK Kimberlee! Even in an Era where the Politics were relevant and the 'entertainment' competition was light-years away from today's choices from Wikipedia Anna Karenina (Russian: Анна Каренина; Russian pronunciation: [ˈanə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə])[1] is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Tolstoy clashed with editor Mikhail Katkov over political issues that arose in the final installment (Tolstoy's unpopular views of volunteers going to Serbia); therefore, the novel's first complete appearance was in book form.And it was a huge political statement in its time. Enjoyed the post,M.C.V. EganThe Bridge of Deaths
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You make me feel good. I finished it but it was for high school. You could try a shorter one of his. Definitely not War and Peace! That book about killed me. I was ready to give up and the librarian broke the rules and renewed for me for the third time.
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Well maybe I should have read this before picking this book up. Oh well, so much for that.Kimberlee
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Hah..I will stay away from 'War and Peace' then..Is it just as “ranty” as 'Anna Karenina'? Or in a different class? I think I was trying to be a Russian literature fanatic, but this book really put a damper on that. I think I'm going to stick to my usual type of books for a while.Kimberlee
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I had a similar reaction – I got 3/4 of the way through the book and abandoned it. It started well enough, but got awfully boring and bogged down after that. Glad to see I'm not the only one with that same reaction.
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I did try to read Anna Karenina some years ago and I will try to read it again next year. My goal for next year is to read all the books that I own that I have not finished. Anyway, I agree that Anna Karenina can be a hard book to read because of all the politics and all the names. I hope you enjoy the movie though! I plan on watching the movie too.
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That seems to be the general consensus..So glad that I am not the only one who got bogged down by Tolstoy's political rants.Kimberlee
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I wish you luck on reading this one. Hope it works out for you. For me, I won't be trying this one again. It was too much for me and life is too short to read books you don't enjoy. Good luck to you though.Kimberlee
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I tried to read Anna Karenina while taking a Barnes & Noble class on it. But I wouldn't buy the book, and couldn't check it out of a library for the entire length of the class, so I was going to the bookstore to read a chapter or so a day. That got old fast and I gave up WAY before 400 pages. Good for you making it even that far!
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