Anna Karenina

For my 100th book, I read a book that had long been waiting on my shelf: Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I saved it for my final book because it's a long book, clocking in at over 850 pages - and not easy pages at that. I figured I had (from the start of it) over 6 weeks to read it, and that would be more than enough time to push my way through it.

Anna Karenina plays the central role amongst a large cast of characters. Like most of the epic novels from the Romantic era, Anna includes a great number of characters who are all interconnected. The title character is unhappily married and madly in love with another man, Vronsky. They want to spend their lives together but face the obstacle of obtaining a divorce in a culture and religious atmosphere that strongly discourage it. Other storylines include that of Levin and Kitty, great friends since childhood yet Kitty is promised to Anna's Vronsky, despite Levin's deep love for her. Later on, when Levin has a family, Tolstoy writes the story of his philosophical and spiritual journey to find the meaning of life and love. Interspersed through the story we read of other characters and get to take a look at the life of the Russian upper class and the politics of 19th century Russia.

As these stories unfold, Tolstoy's message becomes clear. The very first sentence of his book sums things up pretty well: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." You certainly get to see plenty of unhappy families, only occasionally catching a glimpse of a happy one. Each family reaches unhappiness in a different way.

This was definitely a good read. A book of such great length could easily become a chore. However, when compared to other literature of the time, it occupies a strange place. As its story goes, it pales in comparison to pop fiction writers such as Dumas and Dickens. As far as its philosophical and spiritual musings goes, it comes up short against Dostoyevsky (though not terribly short). Yet still it packs a strong punch, but only for those patient enough to dare these pages.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

100/100!!!