The first (or should that really be the second) book I read was Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I must confess that I was hoping for something that had a similar feel to Middlemarch, something that was involved, showed the times and was clever in how it showed the people. While I can't claim that Tolstoy failed at any of this, because he definitely did not, I did not find this as enjoyable as Middlemarch. Maybe it was the humour that was lacking, maybe it was the lack of happiness with some of the characters. Perhaps that should really say that Tolstoy did a better job at capturing the reality of life.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
My first (and perhaps unfair) impression on completing Anna Karenina was that it was the book that never ended. It included so many different perspectives, one even got to hear from the dog - I kid you not. It covered EVERYTHING one could think about in painstaking minute detail. You think I am exaggerating? The multiple chapters on mowing the land, the detailed discussions on farming, on religion, on peasants, on death, on religion, on farming, on politics, on farming, on farming... It just never ended. To think that editors wanted to chop the troll scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone! That was one small chapter. But before I let that put you off completely, let me add that these parts really made the life these people were living seem very real. While I was a bit annoyed to realise that I had spent so much time on mowing a field, when Tolstoy could have easily just said 'Levin joined the peasants with the labours on the farm', I actually was interested while I read all those chapters; and it did a lot to make Levin feel a very real person. Even I, who have never, and hopefully will never, mow a field with a scythe, could identify with how his muscles felt, and how his determination at being able to do the job kept him going. (I however still question the dog's point of view.)
This book was written before fast entertainment, and most families probably would have considered it delightful during those LOOOONG cold (pre-revolution) Russian winters to sit and read this never ending tome. But I don't see it appealing to folks today. Unless they are particularly curious about farming, politics, religion or farming in pre-revolution Russia. But perhaps I am being horribly unfair. These are probably the exact topics that a person in Russia at that time would have found interesting, that would have made them relate personally to the novel. In a way, even I found it interesting. It just was excessively detailed. A book more on the characters and less on the peasants, farming or politics would have suited me better. Although, thinking about that now, would that have taken away from the experience and understanding I got? In short, I guess I am undecided as to the value of all the detail.
“Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
But having said that, I cannot deny that Tolstoy really was a genius at character creation. These people felt extremely real, and I could understand their motivations and actions - even if they frustrated me (or made me happy). Anna brought to light so many issues: that planned, impassionate marriages are loveless and therefore create a need for love; that men are redeemed for the exact same crime women are shunned for; and the hypocritical damnation of Anna by people who were just as guilty as she was, but who had not confessed their sins. Yes, her character offered some valuable insights. But while she is supposedly the tragic 'lead' of this story, one cannot help seeing two sides to her too. Her love for her son, but her disinterest for her daughter; her intelligence, and yet her almost insane despair in the end. Vronsky was interesting for the fact that the reader does not get to know him as they do other characters. But for a character I started out despising, our parting at the end of the novel left me feeling only a mild hatred, with a touch of sympathy, for the man. He was a self-centred being who caused almost all the pain in this book. But I have to confess that I was inclined to be a bit forgiving as he did not run away from the mess he had caused. But I have to confess that the character I am still thinking about today is Levin. He was not the perfect person, but he was close in my eyes. There was a clear lack of logic (if that is the word) for some of his thoughts and philosophies when considering his other beliefs and philosophies. But isn't that just so human?
The writing in this book was fantastic. Tolstoy had some delightfully funny similes that I could not help chuckling over. His descriptions sent me to Russia, where I went grouse hunting in a bog and could almost smell the stagnant affair. He definitely had a ton of quotable lines.
But man! This book damned near killed me. I was two chapters from the end, and I did not think I was going to make it. Can one honestly justify DNFing a book 2 chapters from the end? No. I thought not. I pushed through.
While I haven't seen the movie Anna Karenina, I am very tempted to. Here is the trailer. The trailer does a very good job of capturing Anna's predicament (although their Levin is not the gorgeous hunk I imagined). Oh, you will also note the mowing scene! Haha!
I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads because I am from the electronic age of fast entertainment with lots of detail removed and apparently have the patience to match. Perhaps it is a pity that so many of these books are unlikely to cut it in the future. I know I cannot see any of the kids I teach sitting down and reading this.
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