I really really liked this book. Obviously the main plot is not a secret to anyone, and I had watched a couple of movie adaptations in the past. But the book is so much more than that.

It seems to me that Leo is always trying to not just write a story but intertwine in it his thoughts on most everything. I don’t know how he does it; while narrating an interesting story with many characters, all with their own stories, he deals with morality and marriage, religion and politics, war and agriculture and so much more. Having said that, despite it not being by any means a “simple” novel, Anna Karenina is easier to read than War and Peace which at some parts required quite a bit of determination to get through.

Before I started reading, I had assumed that I would like the central character, Anna. So I was surprised when about halfway in the book I found myself feeling sympathy for her husband and being annoyed with her. That’s not to say that I disliked her or that she is a bad person; although at times I got the impression that the author himself wasn’t so keen on her. I was wishing for a happy end for Anna even though I knew better and yet her jealousy towards Vronsky irritated me. So what I’m trying to say is that she is a complex character, and like all the characters in the book she was not perfect, so I didn’t think it was straightforward to love or hate anyone in the book.

If it wasn’t clear, I think Tolstoy is all sorts of awesome and Anna Karenina is a masterpiece.

Here’s a little part that I liked:

“…but I’ve always loved you, and if you love any one it is only for what they are and not what you want them to be.”

Clearly Tolstoy disagrees with Andrew Sean Greer in The Story of a Marriage.

I didn’t read much over lunch on Wednesday because I was distracted by the London Fashion Week preparations going on next door. It’s always really bizarre to watch all those ridiculously fashionable people and gorgeous models coming and going, trying to balance on their towering heels on the Somerset House cobblestones, while I’m just thinking about particles and struggling with my computer code. It also makes one feel like a complete ragamuffin. Oh well.

In more book related news, I went to the library to get some books for my russian lit challenge. Initially I got a bit carried away (this always happens to me in the library)  but in the end I put the Dostoevskys back as I don’t think I could have read them all before I ran out of renewals. But I am very excited to read Anna Karenina for the first time.

I also bought a couple of books (check out the video below to see those, plus a completely unrelated picture of a bunny!), so I think I’m set for reading material for at least the next month.

I’m really excited to be going for a nice Sunday roast at the pub later, but other than that it’s been a rather quiet weekend. Which, really, is my favourite kind. How are you spending yours?

I read Dead Souls in the past, and while I appreciated the subject matter I found it a bit hard to read. But The Overcoat and Diary of a Madman were superb, so I didn’t know what to expect from Gogol this time. I was very pleasantly surprised by The Squabble (also known as The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarelled with Ivan Nikiforovich). Who knew Gogol was funny? This is a humourous story set in a small town, all the characters are practically caricatures yet remarkably realistic specimens of the type of people they are supposed to be.

The laughs were followed by tears as I couldn’t resist rereading Diary of a Madman which followed The Squabble. This is beautiful and  heartbreaking, possibly my favourite short story ever. Another story in the volume that is worth mentioning is The Nose. I’m not so sure what this was supposed to be. I think I just didn’t get it, I kept thinking that everything that happens in it, which is not a lot, had some kind of meaning but I’m not sure what. If anyone has read it and understood what Gogol’s point was with this, I would really like to hear your thoughts…

Overall, I liked most of the stories of Nikolai Gogol. I’m really glad I read this book as I now realise he was a much more versatile writer than I had assumed. Next up in the challenge line-up is Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Here’s hoping I won’t forget.

So I picked up The Captain’s Daughter and Other Tales from the library. I didn’t care much for The Captain’s Daughter even though I heard it was one of the most influential of Pushkin’s stories and an excellent example of Russian realism apparently. I just thought it was a tad boring and wasn’t particularly keen on any of the characters.

Things improved after that though, I really enjoyed reading Dubrovsky, a kind of Russian Robin Hood tale. Also, The Postmaster was quite nice although very short. My favourite story was Peter the Great’s Negro which unfortunately was unfinished. It’s got the premises for such a fascinating story and it is apparently a kind of autobiography since the negro in the story was the authors great-grandfather or something like that. Such a shame that he never finished it.

All in all, it was quite an enjoyable read, and the simple way all the stories are written in makes for easy reading. Have you read anything by Pushkin? What did you think of his stories?

Next up in the challenge, Nikolai Gogol’s stories and plays. Join me!

What is this challenge about? I’ve selected six important (in my opinion) Russian authors. I plan on devoting two months of the new year on each one, which, since I’ll be reading other books as well, means that I’ll probably read a couple of novels or a handful of short stories by each author. In a couple of cases, I have already read perhaps the more famous works by some so I’ll be exploring some of their less known ones. Here is the schedule along with a -very tentative- reading list:

January – February: Alexander Pushkin

• Eugene Onegin
• Boris Godunov
• The Captain’s Daughter

March – April: Nikolai Gogol

• How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich
• The Portrait
• The Nose

May – June: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Crime and Punishment
• The Idiot
• The Brothers Karamazov

July – August: Leo Tolstoy

• Anna Karenina
• The Death of Ivan Illyich

September – October: Anton Chekhov

• The Seagull
• Uncle Vanya
• Three Sisters
• The Cherry Orchard

November – December: Anna Akhmatova

• Requiem
• Poem Without a Hero

Bonus: Mikhail Lermontov

• A Hero of our Time
• Demon

I’m very excited to start this challenge, I have only ever loved all the books by Russian authors I’ve read. I’d love it if you are keen on joining me. Feel free to choose any or all the authors I’ve selected and pick any of their works that you want to read. You can use the icon above in your reviews or discussion posts. Any comments, suggestions or questions you have are welcome in the comments below. Here’s to discovering more great russian literature in 2012!