Book Review of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina was written by the author of War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy. It follows the love lives of the titular Anna Karenina and the contrasting Konstantin Levin. Anna falls in love with the handsome and charismatic Count Vronsky who has also won the heart of Kitty, Levin's beloved. Kitty spurns Levin's offer of marriage, sure of a proposal from the Count. Instead, the Count pursues Anna and they embark on a passionate love affair despite the fact that Anna is already married. Kitty mends her broken heart through love for the less fortunate and Levin pours his mind and soul into hard work on his farm, making an effort to learn about his land and the intricacies of working it from the perspective of those who do the backbreaking labor for him.

After becoming pregnant, Anna leaves her husband, a prominent statesman, to live with Count Vronsky. It costs them both status in society and Anna grows more and more unhappy. Meanwhile, Levin finds peace in his efforts to change the way farmers treat the poor laborers and eventually finds the love he was searching for.

The contrasting stories complimented each other well, and it showed that throwing caution to the wind and following one's heart can have dire consequences. The love stories were very different--Anna's was a whirlwind of passion while Levin's was quiet and soulful--and the morality issues were ones that have been used as a cautionary tale for centuries but presented in a different way than I'd seen before. Many different perspectives were used, including Anna's lover, siblings, and husband as well as Levin's eventual wife, friends, and family.

However good the plot itself was, the delivery was tedious and dragged for what seemed like forever. It was kind of like taking cat for a walk. You love the cat and the reasons for the walk would be beneficial to all parties if the ideal happened. Everything needed for the walk is gathered and the route is planned painstakingly to give the cat the most interesting things to see and do. Then you put the leash on and the cat curls up into a ball and refuses to move. The well-intentioned walk turns into a cat being dragged down the sidewalk until you give up and carry it home.

It took me nearly two years to plod my way through the 800 pages. If the prose hadn't been so tedious I would have enjoyed it more because the story itself was good. But the prose was tedious and slow-going, so I give the book a:

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