Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

I first chose this book because it is a known classic. Leo Tolstoy is one of those names known for writing great novels. This book truly is one of my favorites. What stands out to me the most is that the people in this novel are so believable.
The title of the book points out one main character, Anna Karenina. She was a complicated woman whose fall into adultery brought on her destruction. She married at a young age to a man much older than herself. She wasn’t necessarily unhappy in her marriage due to the love she had for her son. Her downfall came when she met a handsome young man, Count Vronsky that fell desperately in love with her. Their affair leads Anna into a madness that comes from her insecurity in her relationship with Vronsky. I don’t want to give away her ending, but it is quite troubling how one can end up from the stress of an affair.
The other most interesting character is Levin. He is a country landowner that struggles with big life questions. There are many characters that are influences in his life, his two brothers, his wife, his in-laws, his close friends. Each of them are intertwined together in this story in some for or another. I love the relationships between characters. It takes a great mind to bring them all together.
Levin’s wife, Kitty, is also a favorite of mine. She at first was in love with Vronsky. He was courting her and leading her on. Once Vronsky found Anna he ran to her and left Kitty broken hearted. Later Kitty accepted Levin’s proposal realizing that she really did love him. She is a dear sweet Christian woman that is very influential in Levin’s life. Their first year of marriage was a struggle, but they overcome and are very grateful for each other. Other influential characters include Kitty’s sister, Dolly, and her husband.
Its hard to state the type of book this is. Its not quite a romance or a tragedy. It tells of the dramatic lives of the aristocratic Russian population. There are many passages of the views on peasantry and movement toward a democratic nation. Some of it was a little over my head, but it was present in a concise and interesting way. It seems to be set in late 19th century, Tolstoy’s current time.
It was a wonderful read and kept moving. There wasn’t any unnecessary information and it didn’t lack anything either. I was thoroughly pleased with the pace of the book. The story line followed many characters and it’s hard to say what the exact purpose of the book was. In some ways it just shows the dynamics of people, but also it brought in some political views and influences. For some of the characters the book has a tragic ending, but for others it ends happily.
In all, I enjoyed this book very much. Even though the size of it is long and it sound like it would be difficult to follow the different characters, it ends up being perfectly put together. Tolstoy is a genius in writing. I recommend this book to anyone that loves reading.