Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina, published in 1878, is widely considered one of the greatest novels ever written. Tolstoy opens with one of literature's most famous lines: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." The novel follows Anna, a beautiful and respected aristocrat married to the older Karenin, who falls passionately in love with the dashing cavalry officer Count Vronsky. Abandoning her husband and young son, she enters a love affair that slowly destroys her. Running alongside Anna's story is the contrasting tale of Levin, a landowner who finds meaning through honest work and love. An enormous, breathtaking portrait of Russian society, love, marriage, and the search for meaning. Stream free, no account required.