Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoyby Leo Tolstoy
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 19 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended as a great work of art, with a striking opening line and vivid characters; one critic found the Garnett translation weaker than newer versions.
Recommended as a great work of art, with a striking opening line and vivid characters; one critic found the Garnett translation weaker than newer versions.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 91%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 10 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Striking, gripping opening line
“so beautiful and heavy about the how frank and pithy the opening line”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works” “Gripping from the opening line”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Every novel is boring until it isn't”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Anna Kareninaby Leo TolstoyThis page | 10 | 1 | 91% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
All 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“There is good reason why it is considered one of the greatest pieces of art ever written.”
“Gripping from the opening line”
“so beautiful and heavy about the how frank and pithy the opening line”
“when you pick up Crime and Punishment, Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, or Dead Souls”
“the people really spring to life”
“The Kent and Berbera (revised Garnett) version of Anna Karenina was mesmerizing.”
“from what I've read P&V is more readable than Garnett”
“IMO Garnett's not great (at least for Anna Karenina, which is all I've read by her)”
“If you want a very pro-1% take on this, check out Anna Karenina.”
“I enjoyed those books very much.”
“Gave me new perspectives about railroad safety and proper behaviors around trains.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.