Anna K. is 17 years old and at the top of Manhattan society. She has a seemingly perfect life with her perfect long-term boyfriend, Alexander, and has much of her life planned out. That is, until she meets Alexia "Count" Vronsky while meeting relatives at Grand Central Terminal. Something about the notorious playboy catches her attention, and she suddenly finds herself willing to give up everything for him.

ANNA K is a retelling of ANNA KARENINA set among ultra-rich teenagers in New York City. I first read the original book a few years ago and, while I enjoyed it, I often found myself thinking, "these people are acting like hormonal teenagers!" So when I heard about ANNA K, I knew I had to read it.

And I was right - Lee maps Tolstoy's story perfectly onto this modern, diverse group of friends and relatives. Society balls become raging club nights, sending covert courier messages becomes texting via Words With Friends. Additionally, despite the glamour and abundance of name brands, ANNA K retains the melancholy feel of the original, while layering in modern understandings of privilege, racism and sexism the characters must navigate.

You do not need to read the original ANNA KARENINA to understand and enjoy ANNA K, though it does make matching up the modernized names and events pretty fun.