Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

St. Petersburg, Russia

This classic story is a monster novel - 964 pages for the translation that I read. I’m not sure how you go about reviewing a novel that long, but I’ll give it a go.

Tolstoy uses this novel to explore character development more than anything else. Every character, even the minor ones, are explored in some way. There are no villains, really no heroes. The actual plot of the novel could be described concisely in about three paragraphs, but that wouldn’t tell the story of each character in the way that Tolstoy does so well.

Overall, this story has remained popular because the characters, although aristocratic, (often deplorable) Russian nobles (and everyone is a Prince or Princess?), are relatable. The struggle for women’s independence continues to this day. People of all ages seek identity like Kitty and meaning like Levin. Dolly, the hardworking, faithful wife who is taken advantage of by a charming, adulterous husband plays out over and over in all parts of the world.

This translation could have done with a few less “at that precise instant” phrases...

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Anna Karenina and Alexei Vronsky

Anna is a complex woman. She is swept off her feet by the charming Vronsky and ends up giving up her loveless marriage and her son in order to pursue their love. Anna contrasts with Kitty in that she is a woman in her own right. She is confident and secure. However, society makes it such that she is reliant on a man, leading to her constant fear that Vronsky’s love (and therefore her life) will slip away at any moment. Tolstoy simplifies this dependence by calling it “jealousy.” Anna is not jealous, she understands her position and is fearful every moment. Her eventual suicide is tragic and exemplifies the need for women’s independence. Vronsky is also consumed by their affair, with his attempted suicide and his essential and implied suicide by volunteering in the Bosnian War.

For some reason, I thought this novel ended with Vronsky and Anna being exiled to Siberia. I have no idea where I got that from, but I was absolutely shocked when I read of Anna’s death.

Kitty Shcherbatsky and Konstantin Levin

Even though Levin and Kitty are so heavily discussed in this novel (and are based on Tolstoy and his wife), I couldn’t stand their relationship. I found Kitty’s character so obnoxious and not endearing at any point. Their romantic “writing the first letter of each word” was over the top and made me roll my eyes. Kitty and Levin remind me of modern day Facebook couples that are always making long posts talking about how much they love each other. Kitty and Levin were always talking about how “happy” they were, yet the smallest things sent them into fights. Levin meets Anna and this causes an all night argument? A house guest flirts with Kitty and Levin blames her, yells at her, then he’s in a bad mood for several days?

I liked Kitty the most when she was abroad and angry about the way she was paraded around as a young adult. I would have enjoyed hearing more about her adventures with Varenka, exploring her religious ideals and criticising Russian society’s attitudes towards women. As for Levin, I would have liked his character more if he committed to disliking Russian society fully by marrying a peasant and working harder towards agricultural collectives.

Dolly and Stepan Arkadyich Oblanksy

I can’t help it. I absolutely loved Stepan Arkadyich. He’s an asshole, a complete asshole. But he’s endearing. I loved reading about him at his best - the scene where he connects so many characters through his dinner party. He felt like a representation of the story; his love for listening to people, learning them deeply and bringing them together. I think he’s endearing because he’s a source of comic relief in an otherwise heavy novel. Anna is never truly happy, Levin is too serious and awkward to be funny, Kitty is too annoying to be funny, and Dolly is too stressed out and pious to enjoy anything. So, it’s not my fault that I’m giving the adulterous man I free pass, there are no other characters in the book like him.

Dolly is unfortunately a timeless character of women being forced to do everything while their husbands are useless and unfaithful. She exemplifies that, in Russian society at that time, it is much easier and much more beneficial for the wife to remain in a loveless marriage because, as was the case for Anna, leaving simply leads to heartbreak and abolishment from society.

Review by the Numbers

Overall: 4/5

Writing: 5/5

Plot: 3/5

Character Development: 5/5

Message: 4/5

Challenges Satisfied:

- Russia (Reading My Way Around the World Challenge)

- Books about Women's Experiences (My Diversity Challenge)

- The Longest Book on your TBR List (2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge)