I didn't love this book or even most of its characters, but I appreciated it immensely. There were times I couldn't put it down and times when I was drudging through chapters that felt like a chore. But I'm much better off and I feel wiser for reading it.
You see, the characters in this book are people you know already. Everyone knows a Vronsky, an Anna or a Stiva. Which brings me to the names of the characters and how confusing they can be to westerners. Apparently Russians use a few different naming conventions which makes working out just who the books are referencing confusing at first and because the books strengths are its characters, this is important. This reddit post explains it far better than I can. . But back to the characters themselves which is why this book is so good. They are so real I feel like the author intimately knew these people(and perhaps he did under different names). I've dated Anna and dealt with Stiva, been friends with a Vronsky and he has captured their essence and put it onto paper.
How to sum this book up? It reminds me of one of those brilliant paintings where you look at it and get lost in its world and its vision. A small window into the world the artist created. And what a world they have given us here.
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