Leo Tolstoy's most personal novel, Anna Karenina scrutinizes fundamental
ethical and theological questions through the tragic story of its
eponymous heroine. Anna is desperately pursuing a good, "moral" life,
standing for honesty and sincerity. Passion drives her to adultery, and
this flies in the face of the corrupt Russian bourgeoisie. Meanwhile,
the aristocrat Konstantin Levin is struggling to reconcile reason with
passion, espousing a Christian anarchism that Tolstoy himself believed
in.
Acclaimed by critics and readers alike, Anna Karenina presents a
poignant blend of realism and lyricism that makes it one of the most
perfect, enduring novels of all time.