Scarlett O'Hara and Anna Karenina were the two earliest literary heroines I remember my mother telling me about. After reading War and Peace, I wanted to continue reading classic books by Russian authors and Anna Karenina seemed like a natural choice.

Leo Tolstoy's style of writing in this book is similar to how he tells the story of War and Peace. Agriculture is heavily referenced in both books, and some characters even share the same names, though not any of the main characters. I found resemblances between Levin and Pierre (a character from War and Peace). Both are written introspectively, more so than any other major characters. While many characters were feeling empathetic towards Anna after she had left her husband for Vronsky, I felt the most empathy towards Levin. While he does achieve some sort of happiness by the end of the book, he continues to be made unhappy by his own anxious thoughts.

Anna Karenina is written where the characters' thoughts are more detailed than the setting and the dialogue. This style of writing is rare to see in contemporary fiction today, so I enjoyed the long stream of consciousness that came from all the characters. The only exemption was Anna's herself. After I realized how deluded she was, it made it easier to accept that what I was reading was the inner struggle of a crazy woman.

All things considered, I enjoyed reading War and Peace more than Anna Karenina. The plot of War and Peace felt more direct and structured to me and I could more easily follow along with the characters' thoughts. In Anna Karenina, I felt less attached to the characters and Anna's character in particular. One second I pitied her, the next I was exasperated by her. However, the language Tolstoy used in the story was rich and vivid, especially when describing the clothing and dance halls.