Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is an incredibly popular story. Well known and loved by many it has survived the passage of time and is as beguiling and popular now as it has ever been. I say story rather than novel as this has been the subject of many film and TV adaptations, from Greta Garbo in 1935 to Sophie Marceau in 1997 the IMDb website lists no less than 24 different adaptations, from all over the world. How popular the novel itself is is questionable, weighing in at over 800 pages it is quite daunting but if you've only seen the films you really have missed out. The novel is a masterpiece of literature and covers characters and themes far beyond the reach ...

Essentially the story of two couples, connected by another man who courted both the women. He dumps one of the women, leaving her heartbroken, and he ruins the other woman in the eyes of society by enticing her away from her dull husband. But it is so much more than that! The beauty of simple Russian life, the new romance between poor dumped Princess Kitty and Levin, the tragedy of Anna's desperation, and madness, and Tolstoy's thoughts on the nature of man's existence, free will, and pre-ordination... I recommend reading this book, but I usually recommend seeing films first, if they're available and decent. The reason ...