At the beginning of the year, I decided I needed to read a classic work of literature every month. So, I sat down and made a list of twelve books that I have not read but feel I should. For the month of January, I picked up my dusty copy of Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. I had read the first hundred or so pages several years ago, then set it aside to read something else, so I started again from the beginning. I read and I read and I read, and tonight, almost a month and 817 pages later, I finished.
Most people, even if they haven't read the book, are familiar with some aspects of the story and know that it isn't a happy one. The reader has a sense of impending doom from the very beginning, and Tolstoy doesn't disappoint. The story is very tragic. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to be unlikable, which made it hard for me, as the reader, to have sympathy for them.
I was surprised as I got into the book to discover that there are actually two contrasting and interwoven plots in the book: the story of Anna's affair with Vronsky, which of course ends tragically, and the slightly happier story of Levin and his spiritual awakening.
While I really can't say that I enjoyed it, the book wasn't terrible, but I don't think I will ever read it again. Hopefully next month's choice will be better.
On a side note, I checked out a 1935 movie version from the library starring Greta Garbo as Anna. The story was very condensed and somewhat simplified but very memorable to watch.
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