Stephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories...
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Reyn's new-age take on Tolstoy's masterpiece is a bland rendition which would otherwise be worthy of mediocre review if it were not for the literary namedrop. Anna is portrayed as a flighty, confused, conflicted individual yet seems void of any true personality, making it nearly impossible to connect or understand Anna as a character. Reyn even managed to drain the philosophical, existential, and theological intra-personal conflict from Lev's storyline. Perhaps Tolstoy's finest written character, Lev has been reduced to a trivial role. In essence, Anna is too detached and Lev too approachable for the reader to relate or respect.
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What Happened to Anna K. by Irina Reyn
nickadams, November 12, 2008
Reyn's new-age take on Tolstoy's masterpiece is a bland rendition which would otherwise be worthy of mediocre review if it were not for the literary namedrop. Anna is portrayed as a flighty, confused, conflicted individual yet seems void of any true personality, making it nearly impossible to connect or understand Anna as a character. Reyn even managed to drain the philosophical, existential, and theological intra-personal conflict from Lev's storyline. Perhaps Tolstoy's finest written character, Lev has been reduced to a trivial role. In essence, Anna is too detached and Lev too approachable for the reader to relate or respect.(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)