Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoj

Anna Karenina

by Lev Tolstoj

🇬🇧 Hello, hope you're all okay in this cold February :) Have you been watching the Olympics? What team are you rooting for? ;) Today I'm here with a big classic of the Russian Literature. 

Check out my last review about A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson :)

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Today's review will be about the book Anna Karenina, by the Russian author Lev Tolstoj. 

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The book was published in 1877 and appeared firstly in episodes on the magazine Russkij vestnik. 

The novel is divided into eight parts, but the length of each chapter is not so long. It is considered a masterpiece of realism and as all the writers during their times of living, the book was not appreciated until his after many years later. 

The first part of the book works as a sort of introduction to the protagonists of the novel. It introduces to us the first character of the story: Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky, also called "Stiva", that cheated on his wife Darya "Dolly" Alexandrovna Oblonskaya. He calls for help from his sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, our main protagonist of the story. She arrives in Moscow where she tries to helps them to patch up their relationship. 

In the meantime, a childhood friend of Stiva comes to town as well, Konstantin "Kostya" Dmitrievich Levin/Lyovin. He's in fact infatuated of Dolly's younger sister, Ekaterina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya. The young man proposes to her but she refuses him because she's more attracted by a young official: Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, who will become the other main protagonist of the story, because here in Moscow that's where he meets Anna. The two will fall passionately in love, but Anna is married and has a child as well. 

In the other parts we will see how this will affect her life, her marriage, her spot in the society, and the relations she had with the other nobles. 

The book deals with the themes of betrayal, faith (especially connected to the sacrament of marriage), family, Imperial Russian society, desire, love, and rural vs city life. 

Trains are a motif through the whole book, with lots of important events and plot points taking place at the train station or on a train. 

The story has been so appreciated that has been turned into many films, opera ballets, theatre plays, and so on. 

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I received the book as a birthday gift from my mum and I was a bit scared by the size of the book, since it's around 800 pages, and by the fact that I started it three years before but I wasn't feeling hooked by it. This time instead I really enjoyed it, I reached also my goal of reading it in less than one month, and I made it with three days of advance. 

The story was really intriguing and the fact that the chapters were really short helped me probably to read it faster. I felt connected to some characters while despised some, which I guess made it even better, because you realise how much a book is well written when you empathise with some of the characters and realise how realistic they are all of them even after centuries that they have been written. 

I really liked how it portrayed the society and how much it was so similar to ours now, even after so much time has passed. Especially about the behaviour of others against Anna while against the other men who cheated everyone was acting the same way around them. 

Through the whole book I didn't like the way Anna acted, especially against her husband and son, but at the end (not going to spoil what happens) I understood her, understood her pain and why she acted that way, which made the ending even better. 

The book is totally recommended if you're into classics, and even if you're not, because you truly can't miss this one and I'm so glad my mum bought it for me :) Thanks mum! 

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🇮🇹 Ciao, spero che voi stiate bene durante questo freddo febbraio :) State guardando le Olimpiadi? Per quale team fate il tifo? ;) Oggi sono qui con un grande classico della letteratura russa.

Date un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su Come Uccidono le Brave Ragazze di Holly Jackson :)

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La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Anna Karenina, dell'autore russo Lev Tolstoj.

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Il libro è stato pubblicato nel 1877 ed è apparso per la prima volta in episodi sulla rivista Russkij vestnik.

Il romanzo è diviso in otto parti, ma la lunghezza di ogni capitolo non è così lunga. È considerato un capolavoro di realismo e come tutti gli scrittori durante i loro tempi di vita, il libro non fu apprezzato fino a molti anni dopo.

La prima parte del libro funziona come una sorta di introduzione ai protagonisti del romanzo. Ci presenta il primo personaggio della storia: Stepàn Arkad'ič Oblonskij, chiamato anche "Stiva", che ha tradito sua moglie Dar'ja "Dolly" Aleksàndrovna Oblonskaja. Chiede aiuto a sua sorella, Anna Arkàd'evna Karenina, la nostra protagonista principale della storia. Arriva a Mosca dove cerca di aiutarli a ricucire la loro relazione.

Nel frattempo, arriva in città anche un amico d'infanzia di Stiva, Konstantin "Kostya" Dmìtrič Lèvin. È infatti infatuato della sorella minore di Dolly, Ekaterina "Kitty" Aleksàndrovna Ščerbàckaja. Il giovane le fa la proposta ma lei rifiuta perché più attratta da un giovane ufficiale: Aleksèj Kirìllovič Vrònskij, che diventerà l'altro protagonista principale della storia, perché qui a Mosca è lì che incontra Anna. I due si innamoreranno appassionatamente, ma Anna è sposata e ha anche un figlio.

Nelle altre parti vedremo come questo influenzerà la sua vita, il suo matrimonio, il suo posto nella società e le relazioni che aveva con gli altri nobili.

Il libro affronta i temi del tradimento, della fede (in particolare legata al sacramento del matrimonio), della famiglia, della società imperiale russa, del desiderio, dell'amore e della vita rurale contro quella di città.

I treni sono un tema ricorrente in tutto il libro, con molti eventi importanti e punti della trama che si svolgono alla stazione ferroviaria o su un treno.

La storia è stata così apprezzata che è stata trasformata in molti film, balletti d'opera, spettacoli teatrali e così via.

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Ho ricevuto il libro come regalo di compleanno da mia mamma ed ero un po' spaventata dalle dimensioni del libro, dato che è di circa 800 pagine, e dal fatto che l'ho iniziai tre anni prima ma non mi prese moltissimo. Questa volta invece mi è piaciuto molto, ho raggiunto anche il mio obiettivo di leggerlo in meno di un mese, e ce l'ho fatta con tre giorni di anticipo.

La storia era davvero intrigante e il fatto che i capitoli fossero molto brevi mi ha probabilmente aiutato a leggerla più velocemente. Mi sono sentita legato ad alcuni personaggi mentre ne disprezzavo alcuni, il che immagino lo abbia reso ancora migliore, perché ti rendi conto di quanto un libro sia ben scritto quando entri in empatia con alcuni personaggi e capisci quanto siano realistici tutti loro anche dopo secoli che sono stati scritti.

Mi è piaciuto molto il modo in cui ritraeva la società e quanto fosse così simile alla nostra ora, anche dopo che è passato così tanto tempo. Soprattutto sul comportamento degli altri contro Anna mentre contro gli altri uomini che tradivano tutti si comportavano allo stesso modo intorno a loro.

Attraverso tutto il libro non mi è piaciuto il modo in cui Anna ha agito, soprattutto nei confronti di suo marito e suo figlio, ma alla fine (senza rovinare ciò che accade) l'ho capita, capito il suo dolore e perché si è comportata in quel modo, il che ha reso il finale ancora meglio.

Il libro è assolutamente consigliato se ti piacciono i classici, e anche se non ti piacciono, perché non puoi davvero perderti questo e sono così felice che mia madre me l'abbia comprato :) Grazie mamma!

Brazen by Pénélope Bagieu

Brazen

by Pénélope Bagieu

Spoiler alert: No spoilers this time, it's just a really enjoyable reading,
full of characters that you probably never heard of before or
knew their stories but not their names.

Hello everyone, here there is another review.

Today I'm going to talk about the graphic novel Brazen (originally called in French Les Culottées), written by the French illustrator and comic designer Pénélope Bagieu. I've came across this book because a friend of mine brought me one of the tomes in French when she went back to Paris for holidays and since then I wanted to pay the full version of it, which you can find in different languages such as English, French, Spanish, Italian and so on.

The graphic novel goes across history and the whole globe to describe to us indomitable women, who fought for their rights and to give a better life to their selves and the other generations. These are the stories of women that fought against adversity by raising their voices to be heard and change the course of history.

With her drawings, Bagieu shows the lives of these female role models, some more famous as the Witch of Oz and some less known as Agnodice, the first female gynecologist. These stories are meant to inspire the next generations of brazen and couragous women.

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I mean, what else can I say except the fact that I loved it? It's really enjoyable, because it's made as a comic, so easier to read, even though in some parts approaches some important and cruel topics. My favourite stories are the one about: Agnodice, the first gynecologist in Ancient Greece; Josephine Baker, who was mostly known as a French dancer but was also a French Resistance fighter and a matriarch; and Jesselyn Radack, a lawyer who fought for the rights of whistle-blowers.

This month's recommended books:

Hi everyone, the books recommended for this month are:

«Milk And Honey by Rupi Kaur» 
  
Milk And Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss and femininity. It's divided into four chapters, each one of them serves a different purpose, because it deals with a different pain and heals different heartaches. 

The book will take you through a journey of the most bitter moments in life to find sweetness in them as well, because sweetness is everywhere if you're just willing to look. 

If you're into poetry, this book is totally recommended as well as her other book The Sun And Her Flowers.

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

«To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee»

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel published in 1961 by Harper Lee. It approaches the theme of racism and acceptance for the people that are considered different from us. 
The novel is told by the point of view of Scout, the youngest daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer that will need to defend a black young man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of assaulting a white young woman. 
The book is full of compassion, drama and is deeply moving and touching. It will take you to the roots of human behaviour, through innocence, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Today it is considered to be a masterpiece of American literature. 

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

«Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley»

This novel written by Mary Shelley narrates through an epistolary form the story of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist and his creation that it's defined by him as a monster, a fiend. 
Through the book, though, and the point of view of both characters, it will be possible to understand that the real monster is indeed the human, Victor, while the creature, or Adam, as he will be referred to after, is just an imagine of how we treat who's different from us, who's not accepted, and for this we're afraid of. 
I must admit this is one of my favourite classics ever and I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov

Spoiler alert: The book is controversial, so not for an easy and
pleasant reading, since it talks about the topic of pedophilia.

 

Hi, here I am with a new review.

Today I'm going to do the review of Lolita, written by the Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. I've came across this book because my cousin suggested me to read it, even though it has been on my to read list for a long time.

The novel is famous because of its controversial subject. The protagonist, a middle-aged literature professor that goes under the nickname of Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with Dolores Haze, a 12 years old girl, with whom he becomes the tutor by being hosted by her mother in their house. He's an unreliable narrator.

Later he will become sexually involved with the girl after he becomes her stepfather by marrying Mrs. Haze. He will give Dolores a private nickname, "Lolita", that gives the title to the book. The name "Lolita" has been assimilated in our popular culture and used to imply that a young girl is sexually precocious. Dolores and him will then travel around the country when the mother accidentally dies. A lot of consequences will happen to both the characters.

Lolita quickly attained a classic status and it's considered to be a cult book. The novel was then adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrik in 1962, and then in 1997 by Adrian Lyne. It has also been adapted in musicals, ballets and operas.

It has been considered as one of the greatest work of the 20th by many authors and listed as one of the best books by Time, Le Monde and many others.

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I need to admit that I was really into reading this book at first, but as soon as I started it, I was really shocked by how he could go around, flirting with her, without any consequences. The more I read and the more I understood that it was going against everything I believed in, but also I was more attracted to it, because the plot was thickening and the situation was getting worse for Humbert, which made me feel better. 

The end of the book is both sad and happy, that's why I liked it, because you have a realistic ending.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Little Life

by Hanya Yanagihara

Spoiler alert: A thousand napkins sadly won't be enough.
This story is deep and full of sadness, but also
love and friendship. So you need to be prepared to be
emotionally touched.
 

Hello everyone

Today I'm going to do the review of A Little Life, written by the American novelist Hanya Yanagihara. I've came across this book because my cousin suggested me to read it, and I really loved it. Despite the book is quite long and full of heavy material, it became a best-seller all over the world. The title refers to the poem "The Waste Land" of T.S. Eliot.
The book talks about the relationship between four classmates from a college in Massachusetts that move to New York to start a new life. They are, though, broke and adrift, holding on only because of their friendship and ambition. Willem is kind and attractive, he's an aspiring actor, while JB is a painter trying to make it in the art world. Malcom is a frustrated architect working at a prominent firm. The centre of their gravity is the enigmatic but brilliant Jude, with a sad and dark past that doesn't want to tell about.

As the years passed by, though, their friendships seem to get deeper, but darker as well, because of addiction, success and pride. The greatest challenge is Jude, incredibly talented but also a broken man, with the mind and body scarred by an untold childhood. He's haunted by his trauma that seems to overcome him and define his life forever. 

The book is divided into 7 parts following a chronological order, interrupted by flashbacks. At the beginning of the novel we see as an omniscient narrator is telling the story, while the focus is slowly moving towards Jude, his interactions with the others, his flashbacks and his own experiences. The story is told by an unspecified future version of Harold, the mentor and professor of Jude in university.




The novel deals with different themes, most of them difficult ones. The main themes are: male relationships and homosexuality; trauma, recovery and support; chronic pain, disability and self-harm.

Due to the heavy themes, the book can be really touching, especially if you dealt with these topics, so it's recommended to talk to someone after it, if you feel worse. Otherwise, the story is really interesting, especially their friendships and relationships with other people, as Harold for Jude.

Hi!

Hey everyone.

This is my first post in here.

My name is Alexis and I openeded this blog with the purpose of doing reviews about the books I'm reading and suggesting you the one I loved the most.

I've been reading all my life and I'm not planning to stop. Reading is what keeps your mind active and it lets you "enter" in worlds that seem to be completely ours. That's what I really like about it, other than the fact that it's relaxing, but also because you can be someone else for a while. Leave all that boring life that is surrounding you.

I also have a fan account for books on Instagram, if you want to check it out the name is: thegalaxybooks and I have a Goodreads account too, my username is: Ale N
If you want to follow some of my stories on Wattpad, here's the link: alexisb1997
You can also check out my Pinterest account: AleN1121997

Thanks for your time, and until next time.

Have a nice day.