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Anna Karenina cover art

Anna Karenina

Written by: Leo Tolstoy
Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
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Publisher's Summary

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.

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What listeners say about Anna Karenina

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you Maggie Gyllenhaal

I don’t know if you will ever read this comment, but your reading of this book made it breathe with life, for me. I can imagine my own internal voice reading it. I would have been too stern, too resolute. The nuance and richness of your reading made the story better for me than my own imagination would have made it.

The story is a languid epic - exploring contours of the inner human experience, some gentle and some stark. Indisputably excellent, but slow paced for many modern readers. I love it. I will listen to it again immediately, and then tackle War and Peace.

I can’t recommend this audiobook strongly enough. Even if you know the story, this reading is an experience you owe yourself.

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17 people found this helpful

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Fabulous Narration

Incredible book by Tolstoy. I'm in awe of his understanding of human emotion and struggle. Also very impressed with Maggie Gyllenhaal's narration

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13 people found this helpful

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Great novel, excellent reading!

I loved Maggie Gyllenhaal's reading of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. While it is true you need a lot of time to listen to such a lengthy saga, the storyline is for the most part enrapturing, the writing and descriptions ring beautifully, and MG's performance was wonderful. I listened to this on my way to and from work (45-90 mins commute time) over the course of the winter semester, and thoroughly enjoyed it. #Audible1

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9 people found this helpful

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An IMPECCABLE performance

Regarding this timeless piece of literature, there is nothing I can say that hasn’t been said already. It was everything I expected it to be and more.

But where Audible has done a great job is to get Maggie Gyllenhaal to perform. She has done a great job in bringing individuality to each of the characters and also, captures the tone of the story perfectly.

Audible, if you are listening, please get Ms. Gyllenhaal for more audiobooks.

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7 people found this helpful

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a classic I finally got thru!

Listening to this classic done by Maggie Gyllenhaal was so well done i finallu got to the end of the book!
This is a long story and for anyone eho has ever read it you know its a hard one to get finished. listing to it on Audible allowed me to get lost in the story and enjoy it.
#audiable1

#suchalongbook

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6 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Warning about the narration

The characters often say phrases and sentences in French and in German. Be warned that the narrator speaks both horribly and it's really hard to understand what's said when it's not in English.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lovely Cadence, Convincing Voices, Terrible French.

I really enjoyed this recording. Maggie Gyllenhaal does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.

If I had a criticism, it would be that Maggie’s French is so bad that it is difficult to know what is being said. Granted, if the reader doesn’t speak French, this isn’t much of a concern.

I would still very much recommend this recording.

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3 people found this helpful

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Favorite classic

Maggie Gyllenhaal
brought to life.
Adored her reading emencly
xo xo xo xo xo xo

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3 people found this helpful

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Maggie Gyllenhaal is Amazing

This is the best performance I have ever heard in an audio book. The story stands alone and now so does this audio version. Completely worth your time.

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2 people found this helpful

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Outstanding narration

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was a pleasure from start to finish and I was completely swept up in the story.

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2 people found this helpful