"There can be no peace for us, only misery, and the greatest happiness." 
 2.5 stars* 
 I have mixed feelings about this book and it's hard to review such a huge and complicated novel. I'm not going into too much detail about the plot, the characters etc because since it's considered a classic, many people have studied it and written whole essays on these. 
 This is the story of Anna Karenina, a beautiful and charming woman,who was respected and admired, until she made an unforgivable mistake; she fell in love. She left her husband, her son and shocked the Russian aristocrats by moving in with her lover, Count Vronsky. This is also the story of Levin, who contrary to Anna, is unwed and in love with young Kitty Schrebatsky. They both search for a happy and peaceful life but only one of them manages to find it. 
 As I've already said this novel is HUGE. Normally I don't consider that a problem, because when it comes to classic authors, I find they can ramble about anything and still manage to make it sound interesting. Tolstoy is a classic author, and a very talented one as well. He had a way with words, there is no question about it. Sometimes the descriptions of his characters' actions and surroundings felt so vivid, almost like everything was happening right before my very eyes. I could almost see the beautiful ladies and the well dressed men dancing at the ball where Vronsky becomes infatuated with Anna, I could feel the cold snow swirling around me at the train station where he confesses his love for her. 
 So, Tolstoy was a great writer. I wish we had more people like him today, people who understand that when it comes to literature, a good plot is not enough. A great writer is one who knows how to navigate through the maze of language, in order to find the perfect verb, the most suitable adjective, the ideal noun for his narration. Tolstoy was one of the masters of that art and this is why I have a hard time giving this book such a low rating. 
 The problem was the characters. Maybe even the plot itself. I just couldn't bring myself to care about all these close-minded, whiny individuals. It's a rare thing to read a book and not manage to find at least one character to sympathize with. How can you go on reading when you actually don't give a damn about what will happen to these stuck-up arrogant people? 
 Vronsky was so superficial and foolish, going after another man's wife. For God's sake young man, get your shit together and move on after the first time she said no. And don't tell me that he was in love with her, because at that point he barely knew her. 
 Levin on the other hand, was just plain boring, I didn't care about him or his ideas about agriculture in imperial Russia and God. 
 Anna, oh Anna. I think she is one of the most selfish characters I've ever came across in literature. Yes, society was harsh on her, she just fell in love with another man, I understand how wrong and unfair that is. But her husband was such a good man, he even offered to divorce her and let her take his son. But what did Anna do? She declined that offer just because she wanted to ''punish herself''. Of course, she soon changed her mind, and started to complain about everything wrong in her life, blaming everyone, except herself. I'm not a cold-hearted person, I don't judge her for falling in love. What bothers me is that she knew the consequences of her actions and bravely chose to ignore them. She could have ended up being such a strong woman for her time, but instead we got Anna the self-punisher, the overjealous and always-crying lady. 
 The only characters I could stand where Oblonsky,just because he made me laugh from time to time, and Karenin, who was so afraid of facing his own feelings, but who deep down was a kind and forgiving human-being. 
 I suggest reading Anna Karenina, because it's beautifully written and it depicts the shallow Russian aristocracy so well. My low rating has to do with my personal dislike of the characters and with the unnecessary length of this book (no, I don't want to hear about the way people used to farm their land again), but these might not be a problem with you. Furthermore, I suggest watching the 2012 movie with Keira Knightley and Jude Law. I know that many people didn't like it, but I believe that it captures the essence of the book perfectly. There are some changes and omissions, but they just make the storyline better.