Book Trailers: 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy

Joe Wright's 'Anna Karenina' is the movie trailer we all have to thank for the idea of Book Trailers in the first place; I saw the trailer, as did my fellow book club members. We swooned, appropriately, and agreed on a two-month commitment to the novel, which luckily none of us had yet successfully finished. Now I'm very glad we did it because I really, really love the novel.

This feels like the appropriate moment to digress on the nature of film adaptations of literary source material, because as you can probably tell from the trailer, this is not a traditional movie adaptation. The screenplay for this particular version of Anna Karenina was written by the playwright Tom Stoppard, and there is a very self-aware, theatrical vibe to the entire thing, which I found to be utterly charming and visually stunning. And most importantly, it was something that could only be achieved on camera, making this Anna Karenina distinctly a film that knows it's a film. Some people hated it; those are probably the same folks who hate Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice, which is not a word-for-word translation of the novel; he tweaks and cuts and rewrites here and there, and in some instances, he uses music, or camera movement, or lighting, or costumes to communicate with the audience. Jane Austen or Leo Tolstoy fans balk at this kind of faithlessness, but Joe Wright is not a novelist, he's a film director, and he is using the tools of the cinema to tell the story. I don't have a problem with a good Masterpiece Theater production that is extremely faithful and literal, but I admire and enjoy much more literary adaptations that take some risks do things that can only be done in a movie.

This version of Anna Karenina is a perfect example of that, as it communicates so much of the story without dialogue. And it is an absolute masterpiece of film aesthetics -- regardless of whether or not you "like" or approved of the adaptation, you remember certain scenes and moments because they were so beautifully executed. I'm feeling woozy just thinking about it. And I don't think I need to remind you that it's cold outside and you need to watch a movie in which an entire train is magically frozen solid.

Book Trailers is a recurring post that tricks you into reading the books that inspired great movies (or just great trailers).

This Week in Books Jane and Elizabeth Have a Cage Match

Because The Toast is the most excellent source of original content and writing on the Internet, they've naturally begun a new series of "Literary Ladies Cage Fights," with the first face-off between Elizabeth Benett and Jane Eyre. Round One is division into Harry Potter houses, because of course it is. FYI, the new Sleater-Kinney album makes a good soundtrack while you read it.

The National Book Critics Circle Awards finalists for 2014 were just announced, and the list is incredibly solid. Is is just me or was 2014 a fantastic year for writing? I'm especially happy to see Saeed Jones' Prelude to Bruise on the list, as well as a lot of books from independent publishers.

Everyone is apparently hosting gigantic book clubs now, and NPR's Morning Edition is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, although I can already say they are doing it better than so many others. The first selection was made by author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett, and she chose (National Book Critics Circle Awards finalist1) Deep Dark Down by Hector Tobar, a true account of the 2010 rescue of 33 Chilean miners. David Green hosted Patchett and Tobar in a discussion that included audience questions from Twitter, and it was a really nice treat on my morning commute. I definitely want to read the book now, and to find out what they'll be reading next.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a short story available on the Medium. This requires no further explanation.

Finally, Rachel Kushner, author of the excellent novel The Flamethrowers, has an essay over at the London Review of Books on the Costa Concordia wreck. Not particularly "literary," or newsworthy, just a great essay from a great writer

The Bookhive List: 'Emma' by Jane Austen

It is no secret I am a devoted Jane Austen fan. I try to stay above the fray of that nonsensical, romantic-comedy obsessed side of her fandom, but that isn't always possible (Example: I watch all the movie adaptations, good, bad or otherwise). But I do credit myself a bit for having read all of her novels along with much of her other writing (unfinished novels and letters), as well as a healthy portion of Jane Austen biography and criticism.

One of the distinct pleasures of Jane Austen is the subsequent re-readings that most fans indulge in throughout their lives. You cannot read a Jane Austen novel once and consider yourself a fan; instead you must semi-annually dive back into the world of Regency England and plunder the depths of her novels for new discoveries, for which you are always richly rewarded.

Many people can plot their devotion to Jane via their changing preferences for her characters and novels; everyone begins with Pride and Prejudice, and everyone fancies themselves to be a Lizzie Bennet {Side Note: Why are women so obsessed with identifying themselves with specific characters, as if woman characters in novels were all archetypes of female personalities?  That said, I am totally a Jo March of Little Women, and in Anne of Green Gables I am obviously a Marilla Cuthbert). Along with everyone else, I adored P and P and identified very strongly with the "coltish" bookworm Lizzie, but as I made the transition into young adulthood I started to love and admire and detest and empathize more and more with Emma.  Like so many young adults, Emma is supremely confident in her abilities, and everyone around her constantly reinforces that confidence, although her actions are constantly contradicting everyone's faith in her. She does not do anything half-way and when fails, she fails spectacularly; but because she is a Jane Austen heroine, she inevitably learns her lesson and tries her best to do better, although Austen knows and we know that Emma will probably fail many more times in her life. Of all the Austen novels, I think it's the funniest, and the peripheral characters are really hilarious and awful, but it's easy to laugh at them and then realize that you are no better or different from Emma, who is doing the exact same thing. I have a strong hunch that in a few years I'll make the switch to preferring Persuasion (as all women over 30 must do eventually), so in the meantime, I'm going to savor these last few years with my Austen avatar, Emma.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.