Anna Karenina

De: Leo Tolstoy

Narrado por: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Winner: Audible's Best of 2016 - Classic

"Anna Karenina is one of my favorite books. But when I agreed to read it for Audible, I had no idea how much work it would be, how intense it would be, and how deeply I would fall in love with it. There were places where I thought 'if I don't give Alexey Alexandrovitch the respect that he deserves in my reading of this scene, a critical part of the book will be ruined. If I don't give EVERYONE the utmost respect and understanding, I'm not doing justice to this brilliantly compassionate book.' But at the same time, I also wanted to have a light touch in the way I played the different characters, so that the magnificence of the novel could shine through. I feel like performing this novel is one of the major accomplishments of my work life - it was so challenging and so deep, a real pleasure." (Narrator Maggie Gyllenhaal)

Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky. Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, The Honourable Woman) cites Tolstoy's epic as one of her favorite books of all time, and her love for the literature permeates her performance. Anna Karenina is a masterpiece not only because of the unforgettable woman at its core and the stark drama of her fate but also because it explores and illuminates the deepest questions about how to live a fulfilled life.

Public Domain (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

mixed feelings but i'd recommend this

the book;
is great. it is a must read. it is a book that tells a love story that anyone understands but cannot articulate.
It is peppered with philosophy, politics among other things. and it describes life during a time when marriages were arranged in 1% society.
Tolstoy's reputation precedes him and i think it is because he has seemingly unrestricted access to humanity. He builds strong compelling characters to play out the story and deliver deep philosophical insight on the human condition.
i needed this book ten years ago. in college.

the narrator;
the book is so solidly written that i cant imagine a novice narrator harming the essence with a mediocre performace.
I wasn't thrilled at the narrator's voice. everything the characters said sounded superfluously sensual in its delivery. if that was Anna's voice fine but there wasn't much nuance in the portrayal of the characters.

The right reader?

I absolutely love the story and the language Tolstoy uses in this book . However, I spend a large portion of my listening time to telling myself to ignore how it's read and just listen to the words. I doubt that Tolstoy meant it to be a languid read with the occasional lapse into a New York accent. I find myself rolling my eyes at the way it's read.
I usually read reviews before purchasing a new book but forgot to this time. Lesson learned.

well executed

I have read Anna Karenina twice, and this performance is very well done. Gyllenhaal's voice, in my opinion, is not by nature suited to audiobooks. However, I think she did a great job.

Fantastic performance of a classic

I've long been a fan of the old Russian writers. When I was deciding what to listen to next, and saw this Maggie Gyllenhaal unabridged performance of a book I've never managed to sit down and read, I jumped at the chance.

In the beginning, I was totally riveted! I love the way the characters become real and alive. The last part of the story of Anna and Vronsky was a bit tortured, mostly because you know it won't turn out well and you just want to scream at her, and him, and Tolstoy, and really all of society to stop blaming women for everything (that's my feeling anyway). Even so, I appreciate the honesty of the tragedy: Anna is not allowed to find happiness; while men could do what they wished, women could not.

I love trying to picture life in other places and eras, and this book is a jackpot in that sense. My favorite Russian writer, Dostoyevsky, usually tackles the peasants and underworld, whereas this was a bit like Jane Austen -- a glimpse into the craziness of the upper crust (and a chance to wonder how much better it actually was). I liked that.

If you have a dedicated amount of time each day (or frequently) to delve into a big book, check this out! I usually listen while I walk the dog. I knew if I took a break from it, it'd be hard to jump back in. It took me a month to finish.

Incredible story, less-than-stellar pronunciations

First of all, this book is incredible. Tolstoy's ability to put to words the inner workings of the human mind and conscious reason, and to describe with incredible accuracy emotions that we have all felt but probably never described, is nothing short of masterful. A masterpiece of philosophy and introspection.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (sp?) did an "ok" job, but one would think that of all the money spent on getting her to read this monster of a story, some could have been set aside for basic Russian pronunciation lessons, particularly as they concern names. Her mispronunciation of the names was so regular and unwavering I rather suspect she was coached to do so incorrectly. Likewise for the brief moments of German. I'll admit her French wasn't atrocious, but certainly left room for improvement.

translation needs improvement

translation needs improvement..narration a bit disappointing, narrator 's pronouncation of names was different every time..hard to keep track of who she was talking about.

Riveting and relevant more than a century later

Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a brilliant narration for this timeless work of art. I treasured her narration as much as treasured the book.

Fantastic

Great writing, story and reader.
I’m glad I waited all these years cause this is perfection.

I'm not exactly a novel guy, but this is great!

This is an epic story that is well worth the time. Tolstoy's descriptions of personal interactions ring so true, and the pictures he paints of settings made me feel like I was there!

Good

I enjoyed this book. I listened to this book on audible. It is a long story.