Jessica at Quirky Bookworm is hosting a Classics Catch-Up Challenge. Somehow I missed reading most of the novels on her list, so I
thought I’d make myself a more well-rounded, cultured individual by taking part
in the challenge. A little positive peer pressure, right?
The first book up is Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. And
I failed. I read 34 of the 800+ pages. Here are some of the things I did
instead of reading Anna Karenina:
- crafted with Toddler Train
Man
- read blogs and lots of
books
- played trains. a LOT!
- cleaned the bathroom
- scrubbed the floor. on my
hands and knees.
I just couldn’t get into the book. The book was originally
published as a series in a magazine, so it probably needed to have a lot of
repetition in that format. In a book, not so much. I thought the story
line—love, hijinks, families—would be right up my alley, but I guess my 21st
century expectations were too fast for the 19th century novel. I
think if the action could be distilled to its essence—maybe 200 pages or so—I’d
enjoy it.
My secret is out. I’d
rather clean my house than read this classic. I was reminded of a post I read
on Edge of Story about required reading. When you have to read something, is
some of the joy automatically taken out? And does calling a book a “classic”
make it more scholarly/less fun? And how clean would my house be if I’d
persevered through all of Anna Karenina? We'll never know.
Have you read Anna Karenina? What are your favorite
classics?
