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A review by thewordwitch
Anna Karenina by Gemma Barder
2.0
I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I give it in exchange for an honest review.
Question: Who is the target audience for this book? Somewhere, in the universe, is there a mother who is thinking, "Man. I loved Anna Karenina. You know who I want to share this with? My second grader." I highly doubt it.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of Anna Karenina, there are so many layers of conflict and inner turmoil that the title character deals with, and all of that is lost in this version. And aren't her emotions one of the main reasons for reading it? Also, the content of the story itself isn't something I would feel would be something worth broaching in a classroom. There's an affair, a marriage dissolving into bitterness and anger, and suicide. The target audience for this series is maybe age 10? I don't think infidelity and suicide are topics that kids are really searching for in their next read.
As a teacher, I wouldn't reach for this to become part of my curriculum. The pairing of such an intense story and the childish language is just so bizarre to me.
Question: Who is the target audience for this book? Somewhere, in the universe, is there a mother who is thinking, "Man. I loved Anna Karenina. You know who I want to share this with? My second grader." I highly doubt it.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of Anna Karenina, there are so many layers of conflict and inner turmoil that the title character deals with, and all of that is lost in this version. And aren't her emotions one of the main reasons for reading it? Also, the content of the story itself isn't something I would feel would be something worth broaching in a classroom. There's an affair, a marriage dissolving into bitterness and anger, and suicide. The target audience for this series is maybe age 10? I don't think infidelity and suicide are topics that kids are really searching for in their next read.
As a teacher, I wouldn't reach for this to become part of my curriculum. The pairing of such an intense story and the childish language is just so bizarre to me.