Anna Karenina - Day 10

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Fun fact: Anna Karenina was published in serial installments over a 5 year span in the 1870's. In other words, trying to read it all in one span is a bit soul crushing. It's a good book, but Tolstoy is a master of getting into his characters' heads. After a while I start absorbing all the unhappy mush that are these characters.

So, new plan. At the end of each part I'm going to take a sanity break and read something else, preferably one of my shorter list items. I just finished Part 5 and man what a heart wrencher. Mostly, I have very little patience for Anna but there is this scene with her son that slew me. I don't think it would have affected me as strongly  before I had my son but when Anna breaks into her husband's house to see her son on his birthday. . . it's an amazing moment.

Mind you, if she hadn't acted like an entire idiot for the preceding four parts, she wouldn't have had to sneak in. I guess part of the draw is watching someone cope with the consequences of some really bad decisions. In the meantime, her husband, Alexi Alexandrovich, has become a religious nut mocked by society for the behavior of his wife (and also because he's a bit of an over serious bafoonish character). In a spot of happiness, Levin and Kitty finally got married but then Levin's brother died.

The whole part closes with Anna being confronted with society's' attitude toward her and it is devastating.

I can't wait to find out what happens next....but really I'm taking a break.