My previous experience with Tolstoy isn’t that much different from the one Woody Allen relates in his joke about speed reading. Romance, Suffering, and Brilliance in Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” I am thankful for the team of volunteers at LibriVox and the internet platform provided by Internet Archive which together make it possible for me (and many others like me, mostly amateurs who pursue this as a hobby in our free time) to read the books that we love and make them available at no charge to whoever chooses to listen. Tolstoy is a story-teller of the highest caliber. If my inability to speak French (or Russian) is going to bother you, then I suggest that you not listen to this audiobook.įor my part, I had a wonderful time reading this book. I assure you that my Russian is just as bad as my French. Having listened to some of the English renditions these websites put forth, I am not surprised that my attempt to mimic on-line text-to-speech French falls far short of a native speaker. That was one of the most time consuming aspects of reading this book and it is precisely that which has stopped me thus far from tackling volume 2 of War and Peace. I did consult several on-line text-to-speech pronunciation guides for every French word and passage.

I never had the opportunity to study French in school and now that I am working full time, I don't have time to take lessons. (Introduction by MaryAnn)įor further information, including links to online text, reader information, RSS feeds, CD cover or other formats (if available), please go to the LibriVox catalog page for this recording.įor more free audio books or to become a volunteer reader, visit .ĭfkinjer is correct - I don't speak French.

Through troubled courtships, reconciliations, marriage and the birth of each one’s first child, Anna and Levin experience joy and despair as they each struggle to find their place in the world and meaning for their lives. Levin struggles with self-esteem, and even flees to the country, before gaining courage to return and offer himself to the beautiful and pure Kitty. Anna awakes from a loveless marriage to find herself drawn irresistibly to the dashing cavalry officer, Count Vronsky. Two love stories are set against the backdrop of high society in Tsarist Russia.

LibriVox recording of Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Nathan Haskell Dole and read by MaryAnn Spiegel.

Free for ios instal Anna Karenina