tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post1819531914687098998..comments2024-03-24T11:34:36.903-07:00Comments on Bitter Tea and Mystery: Anna Karenina: Leo TolstoyTracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-28895470502602383762023-02-17T15:31:33.590-08:002023-02-17T15:31:33.590-08:00Kathy, I have not read much by Russian authors at ...Kathy, I have not read much by Russian authors at all, and Dostoyevsky is one I have not read. I have thought about reading Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamozov whenever I read good reviews of those books, but I am put off by the length. Maybe someday I will try one of those books.<br /><br />I am glad I read Anna Karenina though, even with all my complaints.<br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-26469534302060851372023-02-17T15:19:33.860-08:002023-02-17T15:19:33.860-08:00Thanks, Lark. I wish that I did not have this atti...Thanks, Lark. I wish that I did not have this attitude about very long books, but I do. Lately, even books over 400 pages seem intimidating. 250-300 pages is about perfect. <br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-35750290415689008102023-02-17T14:13:29.319-08:002023-02-17T14:13:29.319-08:00Margot, I went back and forth between how much at ...Margot, I went back and forth between how much at fault Anna was. She made bad decisions, but I think any decision she made would have made her miserable, and that is no way to live. There is also the contrast with Darya (Dolly) Oblonskaya, married to Prince Stepan, Anna's brother. She is not happy in her marriage and her husband is very irresponsible, but she decides to stay with him and the children. A completely different situation, but also tragic in ways.<br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-56048539841928059542023-02-17T13:59:16.722-08:002023-02-17T13:59:16.722-08:00Cath, some readers love this book and even reread ...Cath, some readers love this book and even reread it, but it is not one I would recommend. It has some positiive aspects but it is a lot of effort for the return.<br /><br />I did like learning so much about Russia and its history, so I don't regret finishing it.<br />TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-8753174734922494052023-02-17T13:38:23.736-08:002023-02-17T13:38:23.736-08:00Congratulations Tracy on reading Anna Karenina and...Congratulations Tracy on reading Anna Karenina and I am not sure if I ever finished this novel. I decided to read it many years ago because I had just finished reading Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky and I was blown away by that novel and so maybe it was a mistake to read Anna Kareenina so soon after Dostoyevsky. I was looking for another Dostoyevsky experience and that was unfair to Tolstoy who is also a giant of literatureca and must be read on his own terms. Kathy's Cornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03967595794483824444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-41805622359365073072023-02-17T13:15:31.244-08:002023-02-17T13:15:31.244-08:00Patti, I have not read many Russian novels; the on...Patti, I have not read many Russian novels; the only one I read recently was The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. It was nearly 400 pages, so half the length of Anna Karenina. There were times I was on the fence about quitting the book, luckily the 2nd half was easier to read than the first. Thanks for the recommendation for Ethan Frome, I have heard good things about that book in the last few years, plus the fact that it is short. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-5461397050673871472023-02-17T13:12:29.162-08:002023-02-17T13:12:29.162-08:00I've never read this one. The length of it has...I've never read this one. The length of it has always discouraged me, and the fact that it has a sad ending. Congrats on reading this one! And your review of it was great. :D Lark https://www.blogger.com/profile/13777891312147377769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-51027574936561363492023-02-17T09:19:47.719-08:002023-02-17T09:19:47.719-08:00You did well, not only to read the thing but also ...You did well, not only to read the thing but also to review it! I'm pretty sure I won't be reading it. LOL! I need to get around to one of the classics as I said I would try to read several this year, it's choosing something that's my problem. Cathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06371069000185280668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-15200151657679729402023-02-17T06:15:12.371-08:002023-02-17T06:15:12.371-08:00To me, Tracy, there is definitely the theme of wom...To me, Tracy, there is definitely the theme of women's (lack of) rights. As you say, there's definitely a strong argument that Anna brings trouble on herself. But she's also in the position, as a woman, of having little autonomy. That in itself makes for hard reading, at least for me. But what a look at the time and society!Margot Kinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08599589137890528065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-75027839490523475262023-02-17T06:04:21.152-08:002023-02-17T06:04:21.152-08:00I have read very few Russian novels and those I di...I have read very few Russian novels and those I did were much shorter.A book of this length would put me off today more than fifty years ago. I have read other books about failed romances, Madame Bovary, The Lost Lady and my favorite, House of Mirth. Good for you that you stuck with it. Next time, choose Ethan Fromm, a classic that is very short. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.com