As I've worked my way through this list I've been trying to balance out the ones I want to read with the ones which are harder work. Rightly or wrongly, the Russian epics are definitely on my "harder work" list. I've been reading Anna Karenina for a couple of weeks, and am 53% of the way through (one of the benefits of reading on a Kindle is that you always know exactly how far through you are!). I've told a couple of people that I'm reading it and their reaction has been "you'll love it"..."it's a great book".
I'm going to reserve judgement until the end - so far, I'm not convinced, but I have sort of been reading it alongside a Philippa Gregory (picked up entirely on the basis that the cover matches the colours I've just painted my bedroom and therefore it looks pleasing on the bedside table - me, judge a book by its cover? Never!), which is always going to make Anna Karenina feel like harder work. So far, there are some compelling elements but with the move to the countryside, and elaborate descriptions of farming methods, peasantry and pastoralism, I've kind of lost interest. I will pick it up again soon!
In the meantime, given that it is only one week before Christmas, I thought it was time to read A Christmas Carol. I am obviously familiar with the story, but don't think I have read it previously, given that I go to great lengths to avoid Dickens generally. However, I've read it in about an hour this morning, and got to the end - progress on the majority of my previous Dickens attempts! (Nicholas Nickleby, I mean you - 3 attempts and never finished...).
I have to say I enjoyed it - in a way, there's not anything to dislike. The thing I found particularly striking was the creation of atmosphere and visual pictures which, for me, were much more powerful than any film version I've seen. Scrooge's fear and trepidation is much more clearly depicted when described and then partially left to the imagination!
It is, of course, a great story - some comedy, some sadness, and a transformed Scrooge by the end. Definitely deserves its place in this list, and in the standard Christmas feelgood movie/book canon.
And back to Anna Karenina - I suspect I won't finish it in an hour...
76 read, by the way...
ReplyDeleteI thought Anna Karenina was pretty easy going, but I had just finished Brothers Karamazov at the time. Obviously if you're reading Philippa Gregory, even Spot's Christmas is going to feel tough by comparison.
ReplyDeleteHaving read it (Karenina, not Spot's Christmas) I wouldn't say you'll love it, it does seem turgid and a bit pointless, but you need it as a cultural reference point exemplified by two I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue gags
1) sketch in which climax to AK is foiled by Dr Beeching (AK lies on rural branch line for 3 days, nothing happens, AK gets up, goes home, becomes mildly depressed housewife)
2) in the celebrated "Russian TV Guide" segment - Challenge Anna Karenina. Genius. Tbf you only need know the book exists for that one, you don't really need to read it.