Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

SYNOPSIS:  Anna loves nothing more than her 8-year-old son.  When she goes to visit her brother, however, she meets a young man who instantly attracts her attention.  She tries to escape his hold on her by returning home, but their attraction builds into an affair, which wreaks havoc with her family life.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Given my love for Jane Austen and happy endings, you can probably imagine how I felt about this book.  I was irritated with Anna and the way she snatched up everything she wanted, no matter the consequences.  I realize that this is partly Tolstoy's point, but it was still difficult for me as a reader to witness.  Also, there was quite a bit of political discussion which I found hard to get through.  On the other hand, it is a detailed and forthright depiction of life in Russia in the late 1800s.

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults and Adults

RATING:  PG13 for Sensuality, Adult Topics and Violence

STARS:  3

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Middlemarch, Wuthering Heights