Download Anna Karenina (Abridged) Audiobook

" 2 weeks spent on this book. 2 freaking weeks. Do I regret it? No. I had wished it had taken less, because I grew weary after the first week. It's heavy-going, not because it's a hard book. It requires concentration, sure, but the difficulty comes in, in that the book isn't all about this love affair. You'd expect a book titled, "Anna Karenina" to be about this woman. Well, it isn't. It's about Russian culture through, and through. There's actually little romance in comparison to the ways of philosophy, russian politics etc, that Tolstoy is trying to portray. Sure, I would have loved the book to have ben this tragic romance that rendered me awestruck, but I see why this is more important. It's Tolstoy's beliefs and hopes and fears put into a book, an 800-paged book, and that's why it's so important that it is read, so that these ideas and concept don't die out. I loved the characters, but, as you'll notice, Levin is a far more superior character in terms of pages in comparison with Anna. The book could easily have been a tiny 200-paged book, without all the ideology, and Levin. But before you regret spending 2 weeks reading the book, you have to ask yourself who Levin was, and what this book meant to it's creator. "

" Not sure I believe it is the greatest novel of all time, but definitely engaging. "

" One of the best books I have read! Will definitely read it again some day "

" Tough read. Took me way too long to finish but it was worth it! "

" Sometimes difficult to follow, but intriguing. Didn't want to put it down. "

" Anna Karenina has everything one could want in a book. Love, lust, war, sex, and even men fighting over affection. That being said, it was hard to put down, and though it being a classic, it was a super easy read. "

" Hardest book I've ever finished - due to its sheer length. Not entirely worth the effort. "

" I'm usually not much for the classics, but I must say that I found Tolstoy's ability to convey human emotion (both male and female) as relevant as ever. Wow!!! It is hard to believe that this novel was published almost 140 years ago. Don't hesitate taking this one on. It is well worth the time getting acquainted with his intriguing characters. "

" It was very good. Long, but good. A lot of characters to learn and some long political rants that caused my eyes to gloss over. Loved reading about the Russian culture of that time. "

" Depressing. Took me forever to read half way through it before I gave it up. "

" This was a tough read for me, so I listened to the audiobook (extended edition), and loved it!!! All 35 plus hours:) "

" So Long! I am happy I made it through. I learned a bit of Russian history as it went along. It was written as a serial like Dicken's books; consequently, the overwhelming length. "

" I didn't really like Anna Karenina (the character) but I really liked the parts of the book about Kitty and Levin! "

" This five-star novel engaged me with its characters(obviously, or I wouldn't have read such a tome) and the extensive footnotes offered a mini-history of 19th Century Russia. "

" How can something so sad, be so good. "

" I love the characters in this novel. I found parts if myself in all of them. You know that Tolstoy had to know so much about so many things to write all the arguments. The last 50 or so pages dragged. And the epiphany at the end just seemed to easy. "

" I enjoyed Anna Karenina far more than War and Peace. Anna Karenina truly proves that Tolstoy was a master of his craft at writing about human nature and all of the subtleties it involves, concerning love, death, living, and purpose. Although each character seems to have three or four names he/she goes by, I was so involved in the book that I got used to it and it became part of the charm. Having mostly Russian blood in me, I appreciated reading about Russian aristocratic culture, as well as the less glamorous but more truthful artist's culture. Following the lives of these characters was funny, exciting, and sad. I think this is Tolstoy's masterpiece. "

" Hate Me If you must but frankly speaking Anna Kareninna failed to impress me at all. The Fact that its is a classic made me want to read it. but as i read it it was like i entered a new world yet to disocover and as i was pondering over the fact that where was i and I completetly Found my way back home easy breasy beacuse this book Bored me to death . There were a few chapters that were thought prevocking like the chapter in which dolly found out that her husband Prince stepen Oblonksy was enjoying the compnay of their Governess and the audacity of oblonksy to Apolgize to DOLLY was eccentric. The chapter where ANNA's husband Count Alexei Alexandrovich found out about her Salacious affair with vronsky was also very intreguing and story about dolly and Oblonsky and then the story of About levin propsing to kitty who Loved dolly at frist but after Dolly's conjugation he had no other choice to propose to kitty which she Deliberately turned down in order for her betrothal to the Dashing counts vronsky who fell in Love for ANNA who had a little son and a loving husband. will this may seem easily put out but actually it was a whole lot of confusion and delussion in the book. the book is same as a city yet to discover but unware of the Fact that the city was just a bunch of twist and turns and bends which confuse you completley and there in that frenzy you realize the money you wasted on this whole trip all went in vain is Depressing. Anna karinina is just a Moasic,apealing yet complicated filled with realtions and DRAMA giving the dellussion that it may be a work of Pure genious and may be a lavish production, but it still carries the simplistic air of a soap opera. and the Movie O_O was a chery on top on a perfect sunday it was a disaster and yet i had hight hopes for Anna Karinina the Movie Ofcoure in which stars One of my famous adorred keira Knightly which in my eyes is a flawless actress but the movie was Worse and yet it won an oscar for best Costume Design. To others anna kareina may be classic and but to me it was boring and i would prefer to read Leo tolstoy WAR and Peace which has God knows how many pages and others works from him. Long story short ANNA karenina is just like a faberge egg which you buy at a expensive price and then Open with such delight and Hopes that there must be something inside it a treat perhaps a candy a gold biscuit but you find Nothing. -_- "

" I enjoyed the intertwining storylines, as well as the style this book was written in. "

" I wish I had time to read this again. It was a remarkable story about love, life, family, truth, dignity, status, and society. It was, for me both a book about nothing and a book about everything. Seinfeld for the 19th century. "

" This was my first novel by Leo Tolstoy. It definitely won't be the last. This story was not only everything I expected it to be, but so much more! A reread is up for consideration. "

" one of my most favorite books of all time! "

" One of my all time favor. "

" favorite book of all time. "

" This is by far my most favorite book of all time. Absolutely amazing. "

" I loved this book! Initially as it is by Tolstoy i thought it might be a bit dry, but i was happily surprised withthe drama, characters and weaving storylines. "

" An 800 page book that I think is very much ove-rated. Anna leaves her husband and son for a lover and then has devastating results. "

" I'm not sure what to make of this book. It's a "classic" and a lot of people love it. For my tastes there are too many characters and no firm direction for the plot. The title character is so insecure and selfish, it's hard to have any sympathy for her whatsoever. In the end, it's hard to tell what the point of the book was, especially with it's almost sermonizing end. Not my cup of tea but not a horrible book. "

" Rarely have I read characters with more humanity. Tolstoy is the master. "

" Much much more than a love story -- this novel (maybe the best of all time) -- purveys an intimate look at every human emotion. "

" The sheer size of the book can be daunting, but this translation makes it well worth the read. A wonderfully romantic read that takes you back in time. Tolstoy is an amazing writer! "

" Such a compelling work, loaded with character. I've read it three times and always come away with something new. "

" Loved the writing, but I just really disagreed with HER "

" I did not like this book, don't know how it was a classic! It was depressing, I couldn't stand the characters! "

" One of my all time favor. "

" it was my one smart college book "

" Alright, so this is a classic and I've always wanted to read it; but honestly, I can't stand the snail pace of everything. The small talk dialogue and the second to second events which clearly are not necessary for the plot. I give up! Closing book and putting it away. "

" Raw and emotionally charged. It took me forever, but I loved the reading experience. Many truths about life exposed. "

" I really love the story of Anna Karenina,.. annoying but still great. "

" Such a sad and tragic story of a women wed to young to know love and then finds in against the acceptable ways of society. Today no one would bat an eye but back then it was such a huge scandal it left children motherless. "

" I wish I had time to read this again. It was a remarkable story about love, life, family, truth, dignity, status, and society. It was, for me both a book about nothing and a book about everything. Seinfeld for the 19th century. "

" I wish I had time to read this again. It was a remarkable story about love, life, family, truth, dignity, status, and society. It was, for me both a book about nothing and a book about everything. Seinfeld for the 19th century. "

" I both loved and hated this book. It ended perfectly and thus the 4 star review. Best quote: "you consider war to be inevitable? Very good. Let everyone who advocates war be enrolled in a special regiment of advance-guards, for the front of every storm, of every attack, to lead them all." "

" I expected a lot more from this one. I just couldn't like or love Anna with her issues. "

" Sometimes great classic books are ho-hum and other times their greatness is apparent. This is a classic book with obvious greatness. Considered one of the best novels of all time, it is a great read, and worth your time. "

" I give credit to Tom Stoppard, the screen writer, who turned this lengthy, truly Russian (in every sense), pensive, and philosophical book into a well crafted film. The book can wait. "

" Its very much a woman's book. I could not really get interested in the ins and outs of Anna's love affairs. "

" How can something so sad, be so good. "

" Maybe not a work of art, but it's a story that truly took my heart, and to each book that does that to me, I give 5 stars! "

" Loved the authors writing style. I'm puzzled why everyone loved Anna even though she knew what she was doing was wrong and destroyed virtually everything she ever knew in life that was good. I guess that was the point of the story. "

" After the first couple chapters I was tempted to just put it down and walk away, however since I had only read a couple excerpts of the book in highschool, I decided to finsih what I had started. In the end it was quite interesting, although it will never be one of my favorites. "

" I'm very glad I read it. "

" One of my all time favor. "

" I'm in the process of reading this book, and I love the way Tolstoy writes. However, his is exptremely long winded, thus why I am not finished. I hope I finish it sometime, but I read a bit and then read something else, and then come back to it. Eventually I'll finish. "

" Good read, a little sad, but I love to read old classics. "

" It was ok.. Wouldn't do it again. "

" My version was translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky "

" It does a good job to say many things but I didn't love nor hate the book. "

" I don't know if I'm ever going to finish...there is a reason why I majored in 19th century British lit. "

" I must say i agree the plot is highly annoying but one appreciates Tolstoy beautiful writing and understanding of complex human nature. "

" Spoiler alert...she dies and still the book goes on for another 100 pages!!!! I'm planning on burning it soon ;) "

" One big and amazingly good written chunk of literture. A true masterpiece of plot structure and character's construction. I can't believe though, how incredibly stupid Anna was... and how ungrateful... "

" Tough to get through but generally worth tackling. "

" Loved this book when I read it years ago in high school. "

" 12 days of my life I'd like back please! Unsympathetic characters. Dull. And a bizarre section on Russian agriculture. No thanks Tolstoy! "

" I loved War and Peace, but could not get a quarter through Anna Karenina. Maybe it was the poor and stilted translation, but I agree with the Amazon reviewer who said it was nothing but a soap opera. The Joe Wright film was much better. "

" I'd actually give it a 4.5 stars. Glad I finally read it!! "

" I couldn't even finish it. I don't remember the last time i didn't finish a book. It was so slow and boring that i just had to stop forcing myself to get through it. "

" I liked it but not as much as War and Peace. Tolstoy presents confusing characters and events which are disconcerting because they seem to show that in fact personal drama changes nothing in society. Some ideas could in fact be applied today. "

" Sometimes difficult to follow, but intriguing. Didn't want to put it down. "

" Awesome book! I guess I will re-read it one day! "

" One of my favorite books of all time. "

" It must be me but I found this book boring. The movie was so much better since it cut out a lot of the political stuff. Also, the ending was quite predictable about half-way through the book "

" Tough read. Took me way too long to finish but it was worth it! "

" oh my gosh...never was I so happy to have a book end! I can't believe I even finished it. What a bunch of tangents Tolstoy goes off on. There is very little actual plot about anything and a whole bunch of musings on everything. I read it, I did it, it's over...Thank God! "

" One of the most dramatic novel you will read, the questions is, can you hold your tears? "

" I listened to this book on CD, and it was 27 CD's long! Some parts really dragged by. Some parts were captivating and interesting. I'm glad I made it through it. But it took me almost a year to do so (I kept having to turn it back in to the library). "

" It took me a little while to get used to all the Russian names, but after I got used to them I actually enjoyed this book. I do feel that I could have skipped part 8. There was no plot in that whole part. Just Levin reconciling his philosophy on life. "

" I read this book in high school and i am so glad that i decided to re-read it as an adult. It was beautiful and fascinating. "

" Good read just about 200 pages to long. "

" Man, that one took a while. Not a book that would make in on the shelf today, but worth reading. An author should give the reader a feel for his life and time and Tolstoy does that. In a way, it's comforting to see the concerns and debates on his time were the same as today. "

" Minus all the political agenda of Tolstoy, the story was good. It could have definitely been shortened. Sad though. "

" One of the best books I've ever read. "

" I never wanted a character to die as much as I wanted Anna Karenina to die!!! "

" Omg...I can't stop reading this, I"m so absorbed in the characters' lives. I can't even live. "

" Saddest. Book. EVER. It's not like you can't see it coming--him dumping her & moving on with someone his family approves of. It's like a slow-motion train wreck. So futile! I love the angst of it all! "

" I give credit to Tom Stoppard, the screen writer, who turned this lengthy, truly Russian (in every sense), pensive, and philosophical book into a well crafted film. The book can wait. "

" I really didn't enjoy this book very much but made myself read it. It seemed to me like the two different stories could have been made into two different books. "

" Loved the history of this time period. "

" By far one of my favorite books of all time. A true classic. "

" tolstoy has succeeded to show his thoughts of criticism for the political era at that time, wrote them down into an outstanding love story "

" Tolstoy is a genius of psychology. He gets right into the heads of the characters. But for my taste it's all a bit too slow. I understand why some people adore it - but I had to make myself finish it. Was more interested in Levin & Kitty than Anna and Vronsky "

" Read it 6 years ago.. what all i remember is feeling satisfied after reading it. "

" One of my favorite books, and Levin is by far my favorite fictional character. Don't let the length discourage you, or the fact that the movie was kindof a flop. "

" I really love the story of Anna Karenina,.. annoying but still great. "

" I saw the recent movie adaptation. There's so much more in the book. I marveled at Tolstoy's character development and his acute understanding of people's perceptions and reasoning. My what a great thinker he was. "

" I never thought I would get through this book but, in fact, it was much more interesting than I thought, and I learned quite a lot. I read it rapidly and with interest. This is a true classic. "

" Really beautiful! There is a reason why it is a classic! Loved it! "

" Beautiful story. It's one of the best books I have ever read. It makes you feel that you want to live in that time, not in 21th century. I'll definitely read more from Tolstoy. "

" This five-star novel engaged me with its characters(obviously, or I wouldn't have read such a tome) and the extensive footnotes offered a mini-history of 19th Century Russia. "

" I listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed this more than War and Peace, but my heart still belongs to Nabokov! "

" loved it.tough reading tolstoy though- descriptive to a fault! "

" This would be a great book to discuss although I did not consider it an easy read. "

" I read the Magarshack translation. A great book. "

" A very long soap opera. Some parts of the book were page turners, other parts were a drag to get through. Very good author and can display the characters emotions on you with precision, overall not bad. "

" This was the perfect book to read while snowed in for weeks! ( well, snowed in by choice) "

" This was a long one, but I got attached to the characters. It's a good one. "

" To think I'd have anything to add... Tolstoy is always so deeply, deeply human. And I love him for it. "

" Takes a long time, but well worth it! "

" My favorite book ... Ever!
"

" Very impressive book, sad too but the kind of book that stays with you for a while. "

" Tolstoy writes like nobody else I have ever read. He can describe the simplest or most complex situation or human emotion "eyes and smiles" are what make you fall in love. Anna, Levin, Vronsky, Kitty, Dolly, what unforgettable characters. A great read. "

" Beautiful. You can tell Tolstoy cares about his characters, even when they are unlikeable. "