Anna Karenina Audiobook By Leo Tolstoy cover art

Anna Karenina

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Anna Karenina

By: Leo Tolstoy
Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
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About this listen

Winner: Audible's Best of 2016 - Classic

"Anna Karenina is one of my favorite books. But when I agreed to read it for Audible, I had no idea how much work it would be, how intense it would be, and how deeply I would fall in love with it. There were places where I thought 'if I don't give Alexey Alexandrovitch the respect that he deserves in my reading of this scene, a critical part of the book will be ruined. If I don't give EVERYONE the utmost respect and understanding, I'm not doing justice to this brilliantly compassionate book.' But at the same time, I also wanted to have a light touch in the way I played the different characters, so that the magnificence of the novel could shine through. I feel like performing this novel is one of the major accomplishments of my work life - it was so challenging and so deep, a real pleasure." (Narrator Maggie Gyllenhaal)

Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky. Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, The Honourable Woman) cites Tolstoy's epic as one of her favorite books of all time, and her love for the literature permeates her performance. Anna Karenina is a masterpiece not only because of the unforgettable woman at its core and the stark drama of her fate but also because it explores and illuminates the deepest questions about how to live a fulfilled life.

Public Domain (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Classics Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance Funny Witty Feel-Good Heartfelt
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Go Behind the Scenes with Maggie Gyllenhaal

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Editorial review


By Madeline Anthony, Audible Editor

LESSONS IN LOVE FROM TOLSTOY—READING ANNA KARENINA IN MODERN DAY

One of Tolstoy’s most celebrated novels, Anna Karenina has less to do with politics and more to do with the love life of one woman. Or at least, that’s what the title will have you believe. To really get into it, a reader has to accept the enormous undertaking of either the 864-page print edition, or the 35-hour-and-35-minute-long audio version. It was when I learned that one of my favorite actresses, Maggie Gyllenhaal, was cast as narrator of the great classic that I finally thought, "challenge accepted." I knew it was time, at last, to check this masterwork off my "to be listened" list, and that if anyone could get me through this epic, it was Maggie.

What I love most about this novel is its ability to hold a mirror up to life itself. Tolstoy does not tell us what to think, does not even nudge us in either direction. He simply says—look, see, and do not judge. This is the stuff of life itself. Through the trials and tribulations of Anna, Tolstoy details his thoughts on romantic love—jealousy can ruin what is, when left alone, precious and beautiful; everyone is flawed; and love itself is not the answer to all of life's many problems.

While Anna’s character is, of course, central to the story, Anna Karenina is not only about her love affairs and the people who course through her life. It is a time capsule of 1870’s Russia and a meditation on faith told through the lens of a farmer, Levin, who questions whether or not he believes throughout the entirety of the novel.

By the end of the marathon that is this classic piece of literature, the listener starts to understand the deep truth that eludes Anna Karenina line after line—a change in geography or lovers is not the key to happiness. In both Tolstoy's fiction and the real world, there is no "happily ever after" unless you have found it within yourself.

Continue reading Madeline's review >

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