Rarely do I feel like books encompass every major aspect of the human condition, but this is one of those times. You feel like you have lived a lifetime after reading this book. There are characters you admire, love, hate, and then there is Anna.

Throughout reading the book I kept trying to think am I “supposed” to like this character. Just when I was set on hating her, I would find myself under her charm just like those around her. In the end I settled on the fact that in this world (and maybe in Tolstoy in general) things are not so black and white. What is presented is a complete character who is too complex to be put into a box.

Through all the lines that twist and cross, this book has something for everyone. I think Tolstoy writes “real” people unlike any other author I have read.