Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I finished it: Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. Recently, I was asked about my latest achievement and this book came to mind. I didn't want to sound like a total nerd, so I didn't share it but.... It really was an achievement. The book was good, don't get me wrong, but it was long. At times, I felt like starting a new book when the boring bits about farming in the 1800's became a little much for me but I held on, I kept at it. A lot happened: people met, fell in love, got married, had affairs, had babies, became mentally unstable, died. I really do think everyone should attempt this book at some point but I would caution that it takes a certain dedication to make it through to the end. Not everyone would feel this way but I can only write from my perspective. 

One of my favorite quotes came from Levin (who was my favorite character): "This whole world of ours is only a speck of mildew sprung up on a tiny plant; yet we think we can have something great - thoughts, actions! They are all but grains of sand!" It's not a new idea and I'm sure we've all thought this at some point in our lives; it's very true, though, isn't it? Levin was prone to pessimistic opinions and thoughts frequently, but I liked something about him. He was surprisingly complex. He could be arrogant and confident one minute, unsure and jealous the next (literally in the time it would take him to walk from one room to another, he could be possessed by envy over the littlest things), thoughtful and pensive but brash and dismissive at the same time. I absolutely loved him during the birth of his son. I think that's when he really became my favorite character and probably the most memorable part of this entire novel for me. He was so worried and didn't understand half of what was going on, but he was so endearing during this part of the book.

Kitty grew on me. I didn't like her at first and I don't think I expected her to become anything substantial in the novel. She was naive and foolish but then something happens to her (something the luckiest of us gets to experience, in my opinion) and it changes the way she views herself, her surroundings. This change gives her more meaning, more depth. I liked her much more afterwards. 

The title character, Anna, was just hopeless. I don't know what the normal opinion of her is by literary bigwigs but to me, she was hopeless. The woman did not know how to be happy. I commend her for living her life by her own rules and shunning society when her choices were unpopular but I think what society thought and whether they accepted her meant more to her than she could admit to herself. Her unwillingness to let herself be content was her downfall.... She didn't love Karenin and only married him because he asked; had a child with him, wasn't happy. Fell in love with Vronsky, had an affair; was miserable because she couldn't be with Vronsky. Got pregnant, almost died, left her husband and son, lives with Vronsky; is unhappy because she's not accepted in society, seems almost mentally unstable when she should be happy that she's with him, married or not. Has her daughter with her in the new life she shares with Vronsky, but isn't really in her day to day life and leaves most of her upbringing to nurses and maids. She feels jealous whenever Vronsky needs to be among society, (can't really fault her for this though.... there was a huge double standard in that he is not viewed in the same way she is after the scandal, even though they're both involved). She's obsessed with the fact that he may find someone else to love and torments herself with doubt. She drives herself insane, basically. It's sad, maddening, and awful. She was needy, weepy, weak and I pitied her. I like my female characters to be strong and independent (Jane Eyre ruined me, I think) and Anna was not these things. Her final scene was so well written and came at me so unexpectedly that I had to reread it two times.

...Just a side note on a very minor character: Varenka. I liked her and I wish I knew more about her. Why was she so dedicated to the elderly and the sick? Why did Kitty feel such a draw to her? There was a small part of the story when someone connected to Levin was about to propose to her but didn't. Her disappointment was my disappointment. I felt bad for her.

The novel has been described as a "slice of life" and it really is! It's a peek into the lives of these 4 or 5 couples and it sort of stays with you. There are some boring parts about farming and Russian government procedures that I read but didn't absorb, but all in all, the book allows the reader to look into the lives of Levin and Kitty, Dolly and Oblonsky, Anna, Vronsky and Karenin; it was a nice way to spend my summer and I'd recommend it to anyone who wanted a good, long read. 

...In reading some information on Anna Karenina from Schmoop.com (seriously awesome website for anyone who loves to learn), I came across these two paragraphs and it sums up everything I was poorly trying to convey:

Even though Anna Karenina is a famous tale of a lady who steps out on her husband, there are many moments that get to us in this novel have nothing to do with betrayal. We read Anna Karenina for the part when Anna is briefly reunited with her son after a long absence only to lose him again. Or that time when Karenin manages to do something great by forgiving his cheating wife and her lover. Or the terrible moment when Vronsky realizes he's broken his own horse's back, and it's a symbol for the way he's ruined the life of his lady-love just by sleeping with her (we told you Tolstoy is a moralist, right?).

Like all novels, this is a book of its time, and that means that parts of it don't speak to us across the hundred and forty-odd years that separate us from Tolstoy. But as for Tolstoy's many meditations on isolation, loneliness, resentment, betrayal, and even hope for a better life – we don't know about you, but we feel these things are always relevant. Over the course of Anna Karenina, the main characters of the novel come off the page more brightly and clearly than some real-life people we've known. And given that Tolstoy and the social world he's depicting are long gone, that's quite an accomplishment.

You can read more here.

I had planned to choose another book from my list after a break of two weeks but I picked up 'The Book Of Negroes' by Lawrence Hill today on my lunch break and read a couple of chapters to pass the time. I think I'll read it next, then choose a book from the list. It'll give me time to let the book choose me, to be honest. I spent so much time with Tolstoy, during which a few books were mentioned to me in passing conversation and I made mental notes but have since forgotten which on the list I was going to read next. Definitely not War and Peace. Tolstoy was an amazing writer but I just can`t take another 2-3 months with him. Not yet, anyway.