January 2010 Good Housekeeping selection.
On My Bookshelf by Wendy Holden...
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is the best in its class – I am a novelist, but for my money the writers of the19th century set the bar for the whole genre. The reason I love it isn’t so much the tragic Anna with ghastly Vronsky, but because of Princess Kitty and Levin. He’s cracked and she’s a bit cosy, but their love affair is just so transportingly romantic. The description of when they meet at the frozen pond, where she is skating and he can’t even look at her because he feels it would be like looking at the sun, gets me every time. It’s because of these two lovers that I’ve never understood the fuss about Jane Austen’s Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.
Visit our '50 Classics Everyone Should Read' collection to discover more classic titles.
| Primary Genre | Classic fiction: general and literary |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win Two Tickets to see To Kill A Mockingbird live on stage at Wyndham's Theatre
Closing date: 01/07/2026
Leo Tolstoy's classic novel of love and self-destruction is spectacularly presented in this ornate hardback gift edition with gold cover foiling and printed page edges.
It is no surprise that Leo Tolstoy's peers should have hailed this Russian literary masterpiece as one of the best novels ever written. Even in the 21st century, it has regularly been voted as one of the top 100 books in literature.
First published in serial form between 1873 and 1877, it tells the tragic love story of the aristocrat of the title and her lover Count Vronsky. As they pursue their relationship, Russian society shuns Anna, making her increasingly paranoid and distressed, as her marriage to Count Karenin falls apart and he threatens to take her son, Seryozha, away from her if she continues her affair.
Multi-stranded, Tolstoy's commanding work covers many themes, including the Russian feudal system, social hypocrisy, the family and, above all, passion.
Using the classic translation by Louise and Aylmer Maude, this striking gift edition creates a wonderful way to enjoy this masterwork of Russian literature.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Treasured Classics series brings together celebrated literary masterworks, beautifully presented in hardback gift editions with cover embossing and printed page edges.
Anna Karenina features in the following genres: Classic fiction: general and literary, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction in translation, Fiction, Recommendations, Fiction: special features
Anna Karenina is available in Hardback, Paperback, Ebook, CD-Audio
Anna Karenina was written by Leo Tolstoy and published by Arcturus an imprint of Arcturus Publishing
Anna Karenina has 896 pages
Yes it is part of Arcturus Treasured Classics series
£17.99
.jpg)
