“If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.”

I finally finished this chonk of a classic! I started this several years ago and hit a wall when I got to the farming section in Part 3. Thanks to a book club I finally braved picking it up again and had a much better time this go round.

When Tolstoy hits, he hits. All of the drama and heartache surrounding Anna and Vronksy…perfection. I just wish we saw more of the titular character throughout the book!! Nothing hit me harder than the tragedy at the end of Part 7. Tolstoy’s depiction of a deadly thought spiral was so realistic it gave me chills.

Levin, on the other hand, exhausted the hell out of me. The only time I enjoyed him was in Part 7, when he’s trying to overcome his anxiety in Society and makes a few comedic blunders. Other than that, his constant moodiness and inner monologues about his faith crisis were just so uninteresting to me. Kitty is a saint for tolerating him, honestly.

Overall though, I’m glad I read this. It doesn’t need to be 800+ pages, but I enjoyed the writing when it was about Russian society and family drama and Anna’s turmoil. Less so the minutiae of farming techniques or provincial elections.