Several years ago I attempted to read Tolstoy’s War and Peace, “attempted” being the operative word. I got knee-deep (okay, maybe ankle-deep) in this great piece of literature before abandoning it for other reading endeavors. So, a few weeks ago, in the traveling library we like to call the Bookmobile, I was somewhat suprised that the cover of another Tolstoy novel beckoned to me… Anna Karenina. Upon seeing the Oprah’s Book Club symbol I almost put the book back out of embarrassment as if reading an “Oprah” book was too trendy and housewife-ish. I’m glad I didn’t let pride interfere with this book choice, though, as I now understand why Tolstoy is such a revered author. His command of the written word is truly amazing and if I had not been reading a borrowed copy of the book I would have highlighted and underlined enormous sections of the novel. I believe Tolstoy has exceptional insight into human nature, which he then records in astounding detail. My one recommendation is that if you choose to read Anna Karenina, pick the version translated by Volokhonsky and Pevear; I’m convinced their meticulous translation allowed me to enjoy and finish the entire novel.

After completing the book I got online and looked around for some analysis on the tale—lo and behold I discovered Bernard Rose’s motion picture, released in 1997. A quick look at the cast revealed great promise: Sophie Marceau as Anna, Sean Bean as her lover Count Vronksy, and Alfred Molina as Levin (my favorite character). With great expectation, and forgetting that typically movies are never as good as their written counterparts, I watched the flick and discovered that looks aren’t everything. The movie is beautiful—the actors, costumes and sets are very well-done—but I was disappointed at the film’s outset due to Levin’s voiceover narration (which annoyingly continued throughout the entire movie). In addition, I disagreed with the director’s interpretation of the tale’s two romantic relationships (Anna/Vronksy and Levin/Kitty) as being parallel stories. Tolstoy’s novel contains several examples of love and marriage, infidelity and fidelity; these two storylines are simply the most prominent. My last complaint is somewhat minor, but nagging nonetheless… All actors spoke English (with a smattering of Russian), but each with an accent from his or her own country. You’ve got Molina and Bean with British accents, Marceau with a French twist, and even worse, Mia Kirshner (a darling Kitty) with an American accent. Argh! If Kirshner had attempted even a semi-British accent I would have been much happier. (The same thing bothered me in Troy as well.)

As often is the case, the book is excellent and the 1997 movie is fair-to-middling. If you want to conquer Tolstoy, I’d suggest Anna Karenina… but don’t take my word for it [said in Lavar Burton voice]. For just a hint of Tolstoy’s genius, read the first two paragraphs of this passage on Levin’s adjustment to married life.