Monday, September 24, 2012

Teaser Tuesday 145: Anna Karenina

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few "teaser" sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


I started Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy over the weekend, which is the chosen September book for two different groups I am in at GoodReads.com. I finished part one and have started part two. So far I am liking it, and hope it does not take much longer than a week to finish.

There is a new movie version out starring Keira Knightly and Jude Law, but while it has already been released in the UK, it does not hit "select" US theaters until November 16. This passage is from quite early on in the novel.


"You’re hateful to me—repugnant!" she cried out, getting more and more excited. "Your tears are just—water! You never loved me; you have no heart, no honor! To me you are loathsome, hateful, and a stranger—yes, a complete stranger!" She pronounced the word stranger, which horrified herself, with anguish and hatred.

(pg 14)



ABOUT THE BOOK:

A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, Anna Karenina portrays the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time. Sensual, rebellious Anna falls deeply and passionately in love with the handsome Count Vronsky. When she refuses to conduct the discreet affair that her cold, ambitious husband (and Russian high society) would condone, she is doomed. Set against the tragic love of Anna and Vronsky, the plight of the melancholy nobleman Konstantine Levin unfolds. In doubt about the meaning of life, haunted by thoughts of suicide, Levin's struggles echo Tolstoy's own spiritual crisis. But Anna's inner turmoil mirrors the own emotional imprisonment and mental disintegration of a woman who dares to transgress the strictures of a patriarchal world. In Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy brought to perfection the novel of social realism and created a masterpiece that bared the Russian soul.


19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow... she's very angry at the guy. I wonder what he'd done wrong.

Here's my teaser: http://tfwalsh.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/teaser-tuesday-odd-and-the-frost-giants/

Beth said...

Great teaser! One day I plan to read this. Here is my teaser for this week

CountryDew said...

I read that book a very long time ago. I think I was in high school! Should probably revisit it, along with some other classics.

Elizabeth said...

I read 3/4 of this book and just couldn't finish.

It was a good story, but too stilted if you ask me. :) I guess I am not a "Classic" Reader. :) :)

Here is my teaser from MURDER TAKES TIME by Giacomo Giammatteo. It was GOOD...just finished it yesterday.

http://silversolara.blogspot.com/2012/09/teaser-tuesday-925.html

Elizabeth said...

Forgot...NEW FOLLOWER...Nice Blog.

Heather said...

Tania: Yes, extremely angry, and with good reason.

Beth: I've been wanting to read it for a while myself, so was glad it was chosen as a group read--even if it is nearly 1000 pages.

Heather said...

Anita: I think it's worthwhile revisiting books read in HS (or earlier). It can be interesting to see how much you remember, and whether you dis/like the book as much now as you did then. I absolutely hate Huck Finn in HS, but when I read it four years later in college, liked it much better.

Heather said...

Hi Elizabeth! Some classics can be harder to get through than others. Some start out slow and get better, and for some it is just the opposite. I had a hard time rereading Little Women last month, but loved A Tale of Two Cities and Agnes Grey. Thanks for following!

Sandra Nachlinger said...

I read this book a long time ago and although it was heavy, I enjoyed it. It will be interesting to see how much of the book makes it into the movie!
My teaser is from A STOP IN THE PARK.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I haven't read this one for many years...time for a reread? I love the teaser.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Kathy Martin said...

I'm glad you are enjoying this book. I have never given it a try. Happy reading!

Heather said...

Sandy: Yes, it is heavy--both literally and figuratively. It will be interesting to see how the movie compares. Someone in one of the GoodReads threads already pointed out that "Nicholas" does not appear in the cast listing.

Heather said...

Laurel-Rain: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the teaser.

Kathy M: Thank you, it's taken me a long while to work up the will to give it a try. The thought of still having 800 pages to go does feel a bit daunting, but once I get into it, chapters seem to fly by.

kayerj said...

bravo! having tackled one Tolstoy I've got to hand it to you--you are one gutsy reader. thanks for stopping by.

Yvonne said...

Great teaser! I never read this book.

JLS Hall said...

Wonderful teaser! I've had this one on my "must read" list for decades now. Maybe it's time to give it a try.

Heather said...

Kaye: Thank you. Which one did you tackle, War and Peace?

Yvonne: Thank you. I have not read this authot before, but this book is one I've thought about reading for some time now.

Joy: Come on in, the water - er, book - is fine. ;-D

Unknown said...

Sounds intense! I have never read this one. Thanks for stopping by!

Heather said...

Jennifer: There have been a few tense scenes. I passed the 200-page mark last night. About 750 more to go! *gulp* I probably should have started it before fall premier week, lol.