Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

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Hello everyone! Recently I finished reading this book and would like to share my thoughts on some topics.
What I think on the society depicted in the novel:

Honestly, I found it extremely boring. I think the best times were when Tolstoy's aristocratic characters did lower class activities like watching the ponies. Frankly, I'm not even sure what the point of having everyone upper-class was because I think Tolstoy wanted the work to reach all hearts and minds of society. While I love Levin, I think his focus on Russia's worldly problems felt forced and honestly kinda pointless to the narrative of Anna Karenina. I know that Levin was added after writing the story and it feels that way. I much prefer society depicted in Austen works to Tolstoy.

My your thoughts on divorce:
Why do I think Anna and Karenin changed their minds so often?
(Total spoilers, do not read unless finished) I think people should be able to separate and divorce whenever they feel like it. I also don't agree with marriage as a whole (the legality of it), so I suppose that divorce is a shoo in. Frankly, I'm not sure why Anna flipped her decision to divorce when finally offered. It's what she wanted and needed eventually. To me this came across as overt Catholic/Orthodox oppression/morality. It completely turned me off the book that these characters dance around the topic. I actually understand Karenin's view more than Anna's. Anna is already severed from Society by her actions--divorce or no. So why not take the divorce, get married to Vronsky, and move to a new city? But noooo... I mean... divorce is even allowed in the Orthodox church... And if she was worried about some afterlife damnation... well, her ending doesn't make much sense beyond the event being an accident on her part.

Which scene/part did I enjoy the most and why?
Levin farming hahahahaha. And probably because it was away from the whole Christian morality issue.

Was the novel how I expected it to be?
(big spoilers) I didn't expect Anna and Vronsky so sad and whiny. I mean they both attempted self-death! I thought this was going to be a story about a strong independent woman but it didn't come across to me like that at all. It was more, you are a sinner and must suffer. But not the guys because they are guys.



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