Are we going to use this?

Hey Everyone,

Are we going to use this as an accountability site? Let me know, OK?

Lisa

Question 2 from Oprah's book club, Part V

In Part Five, both Vronsky and Levin are described as being "not as happy as they expected to be." From what you know of them, do you think their expectations were realistic?

Question 1 from Oprah's book club, Part V

The more you learn of Anna as a mother, what are your thoughts? What do you think about her attitude towards the baby, and how do you feel about her reunion with her son? If you are a parent, can you imagine making the choices Anna has?

question 2 from Oprah, part IV

What do you think about Stiva's meeting with Betsy? How has your view of Stiva has changed throughout Part Four? If your view of him hasn't changed, how have his actions confirmed your initial thoughts of him?

question 1 from Oprah, part IV

Reflect upon Karenin's predicament. He can't easily divorce his wife, yet she has moved beyond the pale of his influence. If he were to handle the situation in a morally upstanding way, what would be his best course of action?

Question 2 from Oprah's book club, Part III

Both Stiva and Karenin are pillars of Russian society, and shown to be very adept at their jobs and in working with people. Is this interesting to you—and if so in what ways? What do you learn about the Russian business/diplomatic world from Karenin and Stiva?

Question 1 from Oprah's book club, Part III

Trace the ways Anna has thought of her affair with Vronsky up to this point. Discuss what Anna says makes her happy and unhappy about her situation. Do you think she is being realistic or naive?

Finished part two!

I am not sure how I did it. I guess I thought we were supposed to be done w/ Part Two on 6/25. What a pleasant surprise when I logged in to see that part 2 isn't until 7/2!

Anyway, enough patting myself on the back!

The two most horrid parts of part 2 for me were:

go to the comments to read them - warning plot spoilers - I moved them there so you wouldn't accidentally see them!

Back from the ballgame! On to part 2!

We're back from the softball tournament (two losses = get home early) and I am proud to say that I have finished part one and j-u-s-t started part 2.

I cannot put my finger on *what* I like about this book but it is pulling me forward. Tolstoy is planting all these little seeds and I eagerly anticipate seeing them come to fruition. Lots of character, lots of settings -- how will these all fall together?

What edition do you have?

I was reading an older edition and did not have a character named "Stepan" that deb's post refers to. Today I purchased my Oprah copy but haven't had a chance to look through it. Perhaps different versions translate the names differently? I do have a "Stivin" character. Are they the same?

I'm about to go jump in the tub and get some reading done. Maybe I'll answer my own question by the time I'm out of the bath. :-)

I hope this site will work -- which do y'all prefer, blog or email?

Lisa

Question 8: Imagination vs. experience

Why does Levin continually imagine his future in such detail, only to have his actual experience differ from what he had expected?

Question 7: Levin & Kitty vs. Anna & Vronsky

Why does Tolstoy counterpose Levin and Kitty's marriage with Anna and Vronsky's relationship?

Question 6: Things going double

After telling her husband about her affair, why does Anna feel that "everything was beginning to go double in her soul" (p. 288)?

Question 4: Why are reading and living in opposition?

We are told that it is unpleasant for Anna to read about other people's lives because she "wanted too much to live herself" (p. 100). Why are reading and living placed in opposition to one another?

Question 5: Compared to murderer?

When Anna and Vronsky have satisfied their desire for one another, why does Tolstoy compare Vronsky to a murderer?

Question 3: Why can Anna reconcile?

Why is Anna able to reconcile Stiva and Dolly?

Question 2: What is this something?

When Vronsky first meets Anna, "it was as if a surplus of something so overflowed her being that it expressed itself beyond her will..." (p. 61). What is this something? Why is it expressed beyond her will?

Question 1: Epigram

How are we to understand the epigram "Vengeance is mine, I will repay"? Should Anna's fate be considered the result of God's vengeance? Is Anna's desire to take vengeance on Vronsky being condemned?

Reader's Guide from Putnam Penguin

Putnam Penguin's Reader's Guide