A crucial theme in Leo Tolstoy's works is adultery. In Moscow Anna Karenina meets the charming Vronsky and together they indulge in an affair despite her husband Karenin. One might argue that Anna is selfish in her passionate romance having to choose between Vronsky and her young son. Nevertheless I can't help but pity her desperate actions as she is trapped in a marriage full of emotionless conventionality.

The raw reality of the characters' lives is fascinating. Furthermore Leo Tolstoy entertainingly provides several characters' perspectives resulting in empathy for those who I would least expect!

-The Guardian