Review of "Anna Karenina"

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

     Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is a true Russian classic. It's got a large host of characters caught up in their own struggles as they try to make their way through life, though plenty of them don't make very wise choices. When Prince Stephán "Stiva" Arkádyich's wife, Dolly, discovers an incriminating letter that links him to their children's French governess, the Oblónsky house is thrown into chaos. Stiva is banished to his study; Dolly threatens to take the children and leave; servants quit without notice. Their only hope lies in Stiva's sister, Mrs. Anna Karenina, a tenderhearted woman with a track record for peacemaking. But when Dolly's sister Kitty invites Anna to a ball, trouble ensues. Kitty has two suitors, Konstantín Levin and Count Aléxi Vrónsky, but only Levin is in for the long haul. Convinced Vrónsky is about to propose, Kitty has refused Levin's offer of marriage--but an encounter at the ball leaves Vrónsky enamored with Anna and Kitty in a pit of depression. Now all these characters must deal with the consequences of their choices, with earth-shattering results.

     Of course, unless a reader understands the Russian language and culture it's impossible to comprehend Tolstoy's writing. Thankfully, many translators have undertaken the task of translating such works into English. In this case, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have done a marvelous job. They work together with the original prose to make something that is simultaneously true to the story and era, yet easy for non-Russian readers to understand. The dramatis personae includes the names of the principle characters, their relationships with each other, and a brief guide to the Russian name-game, since people in the book tend to use different names in different contexts. This makes everything so much simpler, leaving the reader all their energy to focus on the story itself.

     Everything is complicated in Anna Karenina. Anna and Vrónsky can't be together because she's married; she can't divorce her husband because he'll keep her son. Levin can't bring himself to visit St. Petersburg because Kitty has already rejected him once; she can't stay in the city because of an illness. Wherever they go, whatever they do, the characters always find themselves in situations that test their souls and the very depths of their morality. This exploration sheds light on the various facets of their personalities, rounding them out and making each of them perfectly believable.

     Unfortunately, not everything is drama and scandal. A great deal of Tolstoy's novel consists of Levin's attempts to rethink his farming methods, maneuver political circles he despises, and figure out his stance on religion. While very good story needs a few low points to balance out the plot, these are particularly long and drawn-out, and are often unessential to the plot. They do, however, aid in character development, which is one of the most impressive achievements of Anna Karenina. And whenever politics modern readers won't understand are brought up, Pevear and Volokhonsky step in with helpful footnotes and handy explanations.

     If this were a modern novel, we might expect steamy make-out scenes and constant angst over getting caught. But this is Tolstoy we're talking about. Anna and Vrónsky do their thing behind closed doors--that is, off the page--and deal only with the consequences when readers are present. The author uses the other characters as a means of contrasting the lovers with traditional people with traditional morals. Sometimes the themes he suggests are subtle, but there are scenes where it's very obvious what he's trying to say. While there's no action, per say, the climax is breathtaking and there are a couple of deaths.

     I would recommend this book to anyone with a high reading level and an interest in classic Russian literature. It is not for those with busy schedules, as there are points when it feels a thousand pages long rather than 817. However, the characters are incredibly detailed and realistic, and the plot and premise are intriguing. Despite the countless pages devoted to Levin's farm and the occasional long-winded discussion of "the Slavic question", Leo Tolstoy has done a great job with Anna Karenina, and Pevear and Volokhonsky have captured his story well. It sits smack-dab in the middle of four stars.