I really enjoy these classic novel editions for children and would use them in my classroom. It is a great way to promote reading classic literature, at a beginning level, and may even provide a way for adults who have not read these books to become interested in doing so! This book is written in a concise way which includes all the most important aspects of the story. I also really enjoy the illustrations for this series. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to read this book, but I didn't download it fast enough and it wasn't there when I went to do it. I loved to reread old classics.

I think this book is an excellent opportunity to give this classic a chance. I loved the adaptation and it was easy to read. I deeply enjoyed it and I think I would like to try more Easy Classics, because well, it does make it easier and since I always feel intimidated by classics, seems like a great option.

I really didn't like this book. I appreciate that it's written more simply to be understandable for less confident readers, but the writing felt choppy and uncomfortable.

I enjoyed this easy, simplified version of Anna Karenina -and it certainly took less time to read. As someone who hasn't read the book, this was easy to follow and the pictures of the main characters were helpful in keeping the characters straight due to the book being so short.
This is a great introduction to Russian classics for anyone who needs it, not just children.

Do you want to introduce your kids to classics? Sweet Cherry Publishing has adapted, illustrated classics that are easy to read.⁠
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I recently read two books, The Hound of Baskervilles and Anna Karenina. The Hound of Baskervilles is my favorite and I am reading Anna Karenina for the first time. The Hound of Baskervilles felt a little bit fast-paced but sufficient in plot details. Sweet Cherry Publishing has a lot of other classics and can be a starting point for reading famous works from the past. ⁠
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Thank you to @netgalley and @sweetcherrypublishing for an ebook in exchange for an honest review. ⁠
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Category: illustrated middle-grade novel⁠
Age: 8+

I loved this children's adaptation of a classic. I enjoy a lot of classic books, but this is the first time I read this story. This easy classics chapter book has inspired me to read the full story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Anna Karenina originally written by Leo Tolstoy and adapted by Gemma Barder. I’ve voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Anna Karenina adapted by Gemma Barder is part of The Easy Classics Epic Collection. This is such a great initiative to adapt these classics into stories suitable for a younger audience. I also read Pride and Prejudice adapted by Gemma Barder and found that to be super enjoyable.

Unfortunately I wasn’t that excited by Anna Karenina. I’m also not really sure if it’s because of the story or because of it’s simplification for this adaption. Either way it felt a bit rushed and written as a matter of fact. I didn’t make me feel anything. So this one wasn’t for me. But I’m excited to discover the other adaptations.

The illustrations by Helen Panayi were lovely.

Barder's adaptation is a perfect introduction to this Russian classic. She treats the tragic, adult themes with sensitivity, keeping younger readers in mind--geared toward tweens looking for their first Tolstoy. But there is enough in this condensed version for anyone wanting a quick refresher. It's adorably drawn and keeps the deep anguish at minimum. Parental discretion might be advised for some audiences, but don't miss this one

Thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing for a digital review copy of ‘Anna Karenina (Easy Classics)’ by Leo Tolstoy and adapted by Gemma Barder.

This illustrated book is part of the publishers new ‘The Russian Classics Collection for Children’. As such it has been suitably adapted for readers aged 7 and older. I found the illustrations by Helen Panayi adorable.

Anna Karenina is one of literature’s tragic heroines given her headstrong behaviour. She exists in a world of titled Russian aristocratics, operas, and balls.

I had been a little concerned how Anna’s end would be covered given the intended age of its readers. Still, as with other adaptations for children, it was approached sensitively in terms of the cause of her death.

I am in complete favour of introducing young readers to the Russian classics, which can appear formidable even to adults.

I certainly feel that this book (and series) will be of interest to parents, educators, and librarians as well as to older readers, who might wish an easy introduction to this classic novel. ‘Anna Karenina’ has been a novel that I have wanted to read and I felt that this adaptation gave me more confidence to approach the original.

Note: a free audiobook is provided via a QR code inside the book. I feel that this is an excellent idea as it allows the young reader to listen along while reading.

I love easy classics! They make great adult books into more accessible and child friendly. Highly recommend this for anyone who has wanted to read this book, but is scared of the size!

The children adaptation of the classic "Anna Karenina" was very well made: easy to understand, and with absolutely gorgeous illustrations!
I'm glad I got to read it and discover a very abbreviated version of the classic which I had never read before. I found interesting that the themes mentioned in the story (infidelity, divorce) would be addressed to such a young public but the way it was presented made sense. There were quite a few characters but it was still fine to keep track of them, especially since they are explained in the first few pages.
Overall, a good book that I enjoyed reading!

I am conflicted about this book. On the one hand, looking at it purely as an adaption, Gemma Barder has done a good job of condensing over 800 pages of text down to 120 pages. While much is lost, of course, the bones of the story are there, and it was an interesting read. I admit, I've not read Anna Karenina yet, but reading this adaption honestly did make me more interested in reading the original, so there's that, that's a plus to me. However...
The publisher's blurb on Netgalley lists this book thus: "Suitably adapted and illustrated for younger readers and teens." Their blurb on GoodReads says this: "Suitably adapted and illustrated for children aged 7+." Now, the style of language in the adaption is suitable for children as young as seven, but the subject matter? Not so much. Nor do I think it would interest a child that young. An adaption of Anna Karenina would be better suited toward middle grade/high school students, with the language bumped up to their level, while still simplified from the original, in my opinion. I'm giving this 3 stars because I feel Barder did a good job within the parameters set for her, but I do think perhaps the publisher should rethink the audience, beef up the length of the adaptions in their Easy Classics Epics Collection to about double what they are now, and raise the language up to a higher level suited to older children and teens. Again, just my opinion, others mileage may vary.

#kidsTolstoy #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance at reading this novel. I have always wanted to read this novel but was a bit afraid because of the page count. But this shortened one allowed me the chance at understanding what the novel is about and whether or not I would want to read the original. I will read it in the future as the story was enjoyable. I also loved the illustrations and they seemed to blend well with the story.

Liked an easy version of a larger and much longer book. I’m glad they made a shorter version for people who want to know and read the story esp for people who don’t want to read long classics and don’t want to Wikipedia it either.

Incredibly fun and engaging read that makes the classic easy and digestible to younger readers. I loved the illustrations and the pacing of the book was perfect! Really love this series and look forward to seeing more from the author.

🌼 Anna Karenina is a book that i have always wanted to read but was very reluctant because of the length. And when I came across this easy classic, at once I had to request it.
🌼 Thank you Netgalley and Sweet Cherry publishing house for this copy.
🌼 The book gave us a basic look into the story which I think will be enough for the beginners.
🌼 The very important question which arised was why do a woman need to go through the hurdles of society alone?
And I think I won't be getting the answer anytime soon.
🌼 The cherry on the cake was the illustration.
🌼 Overall, the whole book was pretty good

An eloquent and sensitive adaptation of Tolstoy's masterpiece, suitable for readers age seven and upwards. This is a wonderful introduction to a classic work of literature. The text is easy to understand, beautifully written, and accompanied by lovely black and white illustrations. I can't wait to discover the rest of the series and am delighted to see lots of my favourites have been included, with more to come! My kids are a little young for these books just yet, but I will be stocking up on them for when they are older.

I love the Easy Classics series. This is a great way for younger readers to get a taste for the classic book out there. With Anna Karenina being on the the thickest and longest and one of the saddest books I thought they did a great job condensing the story.

This part of a really super series for younger readers; it covers several of the great Russian classics and brings them alive to a very young audience. Even as an adult I appreciated the broad story framework that will enable me to try the full version again; I tried reading it s a teen and failed because of the number of difficult Russian names. this version, so this has given me the confidence to try again. The illustrations bring the story to life and provide a setting for the action, helping make the story accessible to less able readers..