A riveting epic read. We get to know several characters in this book in turn, and in great detail, all of which presumably tell us the character of Russian society at this time. People's highs & lows, their hopes & fears, but notably their transition between extreme and opposite emotions, sometimes in a matter of moments, sometimes teased over time. The majority seemed to be about the nobleman Levin, not AK: the lasting image I will have is of Levin scythe-mowing alongside his peasant workers while philosophising on the nobility of hard work & the character of Russian peasantry (whilst only the reader realises that Levin has a choice, the peasant not): a truly great piece of descriptive prose.

The AK story arc overlaps almost irrelevantly with Levin's, but generations of readers have appreciated that it stands on its own merits. Set inside the bigger context of a male dominated world of privilege, money, differing society expectations (contrast her situation with Dolly's husband, for example) underlines AK as an unlikely, and humanly-flawed rebel. I read "Beware of Pity" by Stefan Zweig immediately after: another outstanding book, which seemed an echo of the relationship between Vronsky & Anna.