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Literary Comment Tolstoy to Joyce to Dr. John Gray

November 1999 ­ Late 1997: This year I "read" a truly amazing book. I don't know that it changed my life at all, but it amazed me just how good a novel can be. The book was Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. "Read" is in quotes because I listened to it on tape as I drove around. It is a really long book, but it paints a family of people with a realism I've Sign up for our EXPRESS bwalls news delivery seldom experience with real people. That sounds funny, but in the book you can hear their thoughts, as well as see them from the other characters' viewpoints. With real people, you only get the thoughts they want you to know about and your own viewpoint, usually. Synchronicity did play into the book for me. Last year I wrote about my "divorce" from my dissertation, as well as several other divorce-like situations. Anna Karenina, a segment of James Joyce's Dubliners, and some ongoing conversation with a friend who was on the teetering on the brink of divorce revisited this whole area. I say she was on the brink. Specifically, I felt like I was in a position to give a little tug or a little push and make a difference on which way she choose. Web Links Anna Karenina -- The whole novel is available online, if you have the patience to read it that way. Anna Karenina -- From Amazon Books. This link is to a paperback edition that has good reviews on the translation. Anna Karenina -- Unabridged on tape from Recorded Books International, the version I listened to. This is actually Part 1 of two parts, totaling 38.5 hours. Also available from Books on Tape. Questions to Guide the Reading -- of Anna Karenina Divorce, or a Year in Division -- Article from my 1995 version of Writings from Familiar Walls. Dubliners -- The paperback from Amazon, or selections on audiotape. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships -- Yes, that's really the full title. From Amazon. Mars and Venus on a Date : A Guide for Navigating the 5 Stages of Dating to Create a Loving and Lasting Relationship -- Also from Amazon. Price Scan -- The way to buy books. Price Scan compares prices from multiple stores to find the best price, including shipping cost. I'm giving the Amazon links above because they were easy to get, and they give me a 15% kickback if you buy through my link. There was some interesting similarity between the stories. Anna left her husband for a man she loved. Due to the guilt she felt, she eventually threw herself under a train to her death. In the story from Dubliners, a lady was on the edge of having an affair with a man who, realizing what was happening, fled. She became an alcoholic, and died when she was hit by a train while staggering back to her loveless home. I wonder if Joyce was thinking about Anna Karenina when he wrote that story. Anyhow, this seemed to cover the two options the "other man" had ­ and in both cases the woman ended up railroad-kill. I told my friend to watch out for train crossing. As far as I know, she has avoided both trains and affairs (at least her own), but unfortunately her divorce is going through soon. Two more books I've gotten a lot of discussion from were Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus, and one of the sequels, Mars and Venus on a Date, both by Dr. John Gray. It suggests men and women are different. Great premise for a best-seller, eh?

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