Well, what I at first thought was just going to be a more-than-slightly gritty comedy of manners is turning into something much more powerful.
I haven't finished yet, I have one fairly short part left, but I stopped reading, and felt like a two-by-four had hit me upside of the head.
The story has swung back more completely to Anna and her quasi-husband Vronsky over the past few parts. While Anna is at Vronsky's estate, she seems happy, radiant, and surrounded by people who don't seem to be bothered by her 'situation' as Vronsky's lover and not-quite-wife. However, this false cheer disappears when she goes back to Moscow to live with Vronsky in the city. While in the city, though, everything falls apart. Anna gets jealous of Vronsky for every little thing, and everything starts spinning out of control for her. She goes and sees her best friend, saying goodbye, and then in a haze of non-understanding of what she's doing, goes for a train ride, and throws herself in front of the train.
What? She -had- talked about death before, but this is a bit... out there. Alright, hold on, though. Tolstoy masterfully describes the emotions and feelings of someone going through a mental and emotional breakdown. From the jealousy to the numbness, and the dis-jointed way of thinking about things, and the non-awareness of the effect it would have on anyone else, Tolstoy seems to truly understand what could drive someone to do that. It's really powerful to see it open up, and then just... happen. Usually, at least in modern fiction, someone steps in before something actually happens. In fact, earlier in the book, Anna was certain that she was going to die, and then she took a turn for the better, and everything evened out.
So, it's interesting. I can't really say my final thoughts on the book until I finish it, but for now, as I've been hit by a two-by-four, I think I'll step back from Anna for the day.
'Till then, Comrades!
Days: 361
Books: 100 (frelling still.)
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