Another book from one of my kids' bookshelves that I added to my backlog because I had never read any major Russian literature and was curious. My preconception of the story was that the main character was a charismatic, beautiful, good-hearted person (Anna) who was ostracized and destroyed by the evil oligarchical 19th century Russian society. And I thought that the book covered themes of hypocrisy, jealousy, faith, fidelity, family, marriage, society, progress, carnal desire and passion, along with the agrarian connection to land in contrast to the lifestyles of the elites in the city. After riding along the 1,000-page slow, rambling roller coaster, I now think the story is almost completely psychological. The main characters experience acute schizophrenic episodes, triggered by the "trauma" of silly expressions and "feelings" or thoughts they project onto other people. The details of farming, the social norms, and some of the philosophy is mildly interesting but not worth the slog. 3/5 Stars. I don't recommend this one.
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