Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy has long been on my To Read list and I finally picked it up and dove into pre revolution Russia. I was a tiny bit nervous that the language would be challenging to read for a couple reasons: one, it was originally written in Russian and had to be translated to English and that can be a tricky business. Two, it was written in 1875 and they used words that, of course, have changed a lot in the past hundred plus years. But I am pleased to announce that the translation is impeccable and the wording easy to understand! I have been immensely enjoying Anna Karenina and expect to be doing so for a while longer seeing as it isn’t exactly short at a grand total of 822 pages. But don’t let the number of pages scare you away from this amazing classic. It has been worth every minute and ever word so far.
The character development is spectacular and already I have learned so much about Russian in the 1870s! I know which characters I like and which I don’t and a few have me a bit confused but I am so intrigued with their lives and the events of the book and wish I could read and read for hours! I would highly recommend this to any reader who enjoys fiction set in foreign countries, romance, hard lessons to learn, and characters you will love forever.