I hardly know where to begin. This is pretty much what I want from my reading, though there is even more prescriptivism in this than I’d have liked. Though, it is done in a way that expresses the authors views on numerous themes introduced, so I don’t mind that at all. Even when you disagree with some of the conclusions it is such a character drive, more so even psychologically driven plot, that you can at least understand them very well.

There’s very wide ranging topics that are contemplated and impressively contrasted between Levin and Anna. There’s symmetry and dissonance and, to be honest, some well founded side eye for views on women in some instances. It’s hard for me to draw the line at exactly where the misogyny is because Tolstoy also acknowledges a lot of sociological factors that make it much harder for women to self actualize. So, does the ending and the withholding of Levin’s spiritual enlightenment with his wife, and Anna’s spiralling that mirrors a children’s understanding of life; not truly understanding what is nourishing them and not encompassing other people into a lived experience.

A very prescriptive thing, which I disagreed with. It conflates enlightenment with the wisdom a human being naturally feels with something granted by a man made institution. I think Levin’s crisis of faith could have much more easily gone toward a spiritual take, but in the time of place of writing, though it acknowledges other religions and theology, it feels like the stem of the famous conclusion Levin has, is a rather feeble and fumbling thing to me. Perhaps a product of age.

When thinking about Anna’s storyline, it’s interesting and a foregone, foreshadowed conclusion that her story ends the way it does. Her ascent and fall is grounded in living for oneself and pursing passion recklessly. I suppose we must give a bit of credit, as it is not only Anna who suffers in the novel while driving for these things we want. The men who do it are far from happy. Some ruined, some lifeless and completely uncaring for their own self preservation, and attach themselves to external forces to feel any sense of their previous whole.

But we sure experience it more acutely with Anna. Her being boxed in after being free of everything that made her miserable, basked in a new love, is a prednisone enjoyed solely by her as a woman. Whereas the men essentially have all the agency and still are the architects of their doom, Anna feels deeply and is never really treasured by anyone. She’s subjected to barbs on all fronts. Even when her lover seems to be acting rationally and she seemingly has no reason to react poorly toward him and does anyways, it’s because no one seems to be able to intuit who she is as a person or what she’s really saying.

This made it really interesting to me because it kind of feels like Tolstoy has no real faculties to process Anna, other than it’s a course that leads on to destruction. But it isn’t as if that is understood. The core downfall is from the way other people treat her and the contrast for how they treat her lover. It’s a man made thing that kills, then. Whereas Levin is off somewhere serene, having found sustenance in “simply living”, something Anna was trying to do her entire life.

So is it misogynistic? Yes and no, I guess?

My primary pleasure came from the deep psychological expressions of the characters that were often contrasted with events occurring. My favourite being the courtship of Anna and her lover being mirrored in the horse race, which served so many purposes at once, it was maybe the most satisfying scene I’ve ever read!

It’s also just strangely accessible on every level to me. The diction and prose are not difficult. The hardest thing about it, for me, was wrapping my head around so many themes introduced to make up the sum of Levin and Anna. Every scene was pertinent and the novel becomes this complex onion that feels considerable but still transparent.

The human heart and experience is well represented and, again, I love that it’s a novel where you come away knowing Tolstoy’s thoughts at the time on multiple subjects. Art, love, labour, systems of government, spirituality, materialism, there are just so many things that nest in characters and their development. It’s quite a feat of writing and I am very surprised that I was entertained equally by social faux pas and rich boy problems LARPing as a farm hand. Couldn’t be anything but 5 stars from me.