Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Whew! Was this a huge book to tackle. It was our book club book for December and January. Even with two months to read it, I didn’t get it finished until a few days after our book club meeting.


I went into it knowing only two things [SPOILER ALERT]:

• Anna has an affair

• Anna commits suicide by throwing herself under a train

While I enjoyed the book overall, I was surprised by how long it took to be introduced to Anna and how many other story lines there were other than hers. Having read the entire book, I absolutely understand Tolstoy’s purpose in the side stories and to show the contrast.

I was well prepared to dislike Anna for her depravity. However, Tolstoy paints her in such a way that I really begin to feel pity for her.

The book led to a lot of good discussions. It was probably one of our liveliest meetings yet.

My only disappointment is in myself. I feel like there was SO MUCH to the book that I missed out on some of it and the experience due to trying to read it by a deadline.