Rating: 
Summary: A thorough perspective on life in the time's of Tolstoy
Review: It's a rarity to come across books that have something remarkably accurate to say about your personal life (and challenge your beliefs) but "Anna" is definately one of them.
I just studied this novel for my english class and I found it fascinating.
It's not usually the kind of book I read (my knowledge of Russia in the 1900s is pretty bad and I worried I wouldn't understand a word of it) but I still found myself enjoying Tolstoy's story.
An 800 page read, I thought I might not have the patience to get through it (and at my reading pace it took a good couple of months - in between uni work etc.) However the way in which Tolstoy peoples his pages keeps you engulfed in his passionate world.The reader feels as if they're growing old with the characters. Tolstoy presents, and allows for, many discussion and debate on the societal and moral values placed on the contraversial Anna and Levin. Though this novel was written long ago it's themes are still applicable today, which makes for a great read. The premise is perhaps not what draws readers (Characters throughout Tolstoy's novel experience dramatic changes in their life - beginning with Anna's affair) but the complicated way in which Tolstoy presents many different issues.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprised!
Review: My initial reaction to seeing this book make a comeback, after all these years, decades, and partial centuries was, "Oh, no. Here we go again---having to slog through some laborious 'Classic' that should have been left on the shelf long ago to collect its share of deserved dust." Boy, was I wrong! I'll admit that I like most of the Oprah picks, (The exception being the "One Hundred Years of Solitude"), so I thought I should at least invest a good ten minutes at the local bookstore revisiting this Tolstoy "Masterpiece." The result was that I found myself still standing there an hour later, resulting in having to make a purchase on Amazon when I got home. My suggestion? Give this one a try as it's not the heavy-handed treatment you might have come to expect from those difficult Russians. it is well written and has some marvelous insight into the human condition. The one thing Tolstoy is really noted for are his characters, and Anna Karenina is by far his most memorable.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book, but not just about Anna...
Review: Russian Literature has never been labeled poor in quality. Rightly so, especially with Leo Tolstoy. I give no spoilers when I say this book is about a woman, Anna, in high society who ruins herself. But it is not just about Anna Karenina and her struggle as a woman in the 1860's Russia. It's about her husband, her lover, her son, her brother, family members, friends, politics...it's quite spectacular in the picture is paints. By the end of it you'll be relieved, for this book is quite long as it follows the story line day by day.
But enjoy every moment, as I did, because this book is lovely. A true work of literary art.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the effort to read it
Review: There were moments during Anna Karenina (Vronsky at the race! Anna at the train station!)that I had to put the book down and breathe. I had to remind myself, this is a story; it didn't really happen.
Granted, there are some boring parts dealing with politics and farming, but I was impressed at what a quick read it was.
Had it not been for Oprah's Book Club, I'd of never read this book - it seemed too daunting and academic.
Rating:
Summary: Ideas, philosophies
Review: This novel is chock full of ideas! A must read if you are feeling philisophical
Rating: 
Summary: Much Ado About Not a Whole Lot
Review: Thought the characters, with the exception of Levin, to be rather shallow, aimless drifting through life concerned with mostly only themselves. How could Anna be so attached to her son and yet sacrifice him to indulge her own passion? The ending gave real meaning to the word anticlimactic. The best novel ever written? I don't think so. I've been reading novels for over fifty years, including Russian; this would prbably line up somewhere in the middle. I need my characters to inspire, to reach for greatness or for the good of others somewhere in 800+ pages!
Rating:
Summary: The greatest romance of them all.
Review: Who would have thought this novel would soar to the top of the amazon charts? Certainly not the translators, Pevear and Volokhonsky, who were shocked to hear their edition had been selected for Oprah's Book Club. It is great boon for them and the novel as well, which might be regarded as the godmother of the modern romance novel. Tolstoy weaves a magic web, bringing together dysfunctional aristocratic families in perhaps the most memorable Russian novel. This translation brings the story to life for the non-Russian speaker. Pevear and Volokhonsky have made a habit out of translating Russian novels, from Gogol to Dostoevsky, and now are even tackling Tolstoy's epic work, War and Peace. The language is modern yet true to the Russian original, thanks in large part to Ms. Volokhonsky who is a native Russian speaker. The story itself has been told so many times before that it doesn't need repeating. But for those who would like a little more insight into the novel, I would suggest reading Nabokov's chapter on Anna Karenina in his Lectures on Russian Literature, as he provides many valuable references over and above those provided by Pevear and Volokhonsky.
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