Latest / Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club / 🚂Why Anna Karenina Is Worth the 800 Pages (And How to Actually Read It)

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🚂Why Anna Karenina Is Worth the 800 Pages (And How to Actually Read It) · Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Friday Night Readers.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Jules, a real-life Rory Gilmore.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Built by coffee,
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I help you read, live, and write like a Gilmore in our little corner of the world.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Step into a virtual stars hollow in a world of books just like Rory.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Before we dive in,
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  SPEAKER_00: to our Friday Night Readers newsletter community also staff.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: You'll get instant access to a pre-printable list of the 475 plus books
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: on Gilmore Girls,
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: plus even more Gilmore Girls-inspired content,
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: like our Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge, which we've been doing together since 2021.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Paid members get exclusive extras,
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: like the list of books from the show Whip episodes,
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: which I've personally varied by over several years of rewatches and wrote about
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: in my book, The Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Come hang out where the real Gilmore magic happens.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Fridaynightreaders.substack.com Hello, Friday Night Readers.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: It is a very special day today because we are talking
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: about Rory Gilmore's favorite book, Anna Karenina.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: As you may know already,
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: we are reading books set in Europe from the Gilmore Girls book list this month.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: And this is because the Gilmore Girls often went to Europe during the summer.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: If we can do so, at least we can do some armchair travel.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: While Anna Karenina may not seem like a summer book,
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: It was actually picked as a summer read in Oprah's book club several years ago.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think there's no bad time to talk about it,
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: especially since our biggest goal here is to read like Rory.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: So the approach I want to take to this one is that Anna Karenina may seem very intimidating.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: It is in fact over 800 pages and even holding it can feel difficult.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: This is especially true for me as I have a little tuxedo cat who loves to lay
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: on my chest when I read.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I really don't have two full hands I can give to it.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm here to tell you that it is not as hard as you think.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to share this book review as a survival guide of sorts in tip format.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that this works for especially those who did not read the book yet.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: But I also think I've designed this episode in a way that if you have read it,
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: you'll find some extras to further immerse yourself in the text.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: I know that Russian literature has a reputation for being dark and depressing,
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: but What I love about Anna Karenina is that it actually reads like a soap opera.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: The drama here is super intense and it focuses mostly
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: on very complex human relationships, things like family, love, and marriage.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: And this is all set in the context of social expectations at the time.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: I find it to be just as relatable as your favorite modern family saga or your love triangle.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: And when I say that,
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: what immediately comes to mind,
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: maybe oddly or maybe not so oddly, is The Summer I Turn Pretty.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you've read the book or watched the show or both,
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: it certainly was filled with all kinds of family drama,
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: issues of life and death, and making choices in love.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Now in the middle of Anna Karenina, you will learn a thing or two about Russian farming.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: That was the one thing I didn't really like about it and why it's a four-star read
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: and not a five-star read for me.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, it is absolutely worth it.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we will talk about how to get through those parts later.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: My goal is to make Anna Karenina feel approachable to you.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: So we're going to ditch all the academic jargon and just dive headfirst into one of
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: the most iconic books on Gilmore Girls.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: First, I want you to know the key details of the book.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're new to this book,
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think the way that you should look at this is just accept that it's an old book,
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: accept that it's a long book, and even accept that it's a Russian book.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: Just think about whether these basic details feel like a match for you.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: So as I mentioned the page count is over 800 pages.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: It was first published in 1878.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: I would say it's best for adults 18 plus.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: I don't really see high school students I think it's mostly because some of the text is dense.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: It feels more like a college text, especially for anyone studying Russian literature.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: What genres is it?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: As I mentioned, family drama and romance, and what romance tropes are we looking at here?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: You'll have a love triangle, a forbidden romance, and even love at first sight.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: The readability I would say is a medium.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not going to pretend that it's totally easy,
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: but it's also nowhere near as hard as you may think.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: And the pacing I referred to this, there are some fast and slow parts.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say 75% of it is soap opera level drama and about 25% is agricultural and social philosophy.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Again, don't let this scare you.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: We will get through it.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: I found that I actually learned a lot through these parts,
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: even though they were slower than the love story.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: Who is this ultimately for?
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: I would say it's for fans of really dark family sagas.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking issues of infidelity and even death,
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: high society narratives, and very character driven novels.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: These are very complex characters with a lot of negative traits.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just an ooey gooey love story.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: I also think it works really well for readers like Rory and me who are
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: into classic books that are heavy on literary devices like symbolism.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: I love the symbolism in this one and we will talk about that a little bit later.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so now I'm going to break down Anna Karenina through 10 reading tips.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: First, you'll need to get a good translation.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: It was originally written in Russian,
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: and I am guessing that most readers like me are not fluent in Russian.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: So the one I read was the Oprah's Book Club edition,
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: and this one actually won the Penn Book of the Month Translation Prize.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: I thought it was very well done,
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: and I have linked it in the show notes for you along with
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: While I didn't read this edition,
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: it is not a secret around here that Audible exclusives that are narrated
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: by famous actors are one of my favorite ways to tackle the classics.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: And as I've said a million times,
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: this is because the narrators are so skilled at their craft that they really bring
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: the stories to life and make them feel more immersive and easier to read.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, once you have a good translation, let's formulate a reading plan.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Personally, I tackled Anna Karenina, my favorite way of tackling older, longer classic books.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: I simply commit to reading just 10 pages a day.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: For me, looking at an 800-page book feels both overwhelming and like I would have
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: to put other books aside in order to read it, but I really don't.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Just committing to 10 pages a day allows me
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: to still read all those other newer books I'm interested in and not get intimidated
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: or even bored by the longer classic.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's just 10 pages, which is about 10 minutes a day.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, this means that it took me several months to read, but who cares?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: I also personally followed each chapter with a visit to Sparknotes.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: I have also linked that in the show notes for you.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And this gave me a lot of historical context,
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: which is especially helpful for this book because it is so heavy
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: in Russian historical themes.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: This is where I really learned Why all those farming chapters made sense.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Some other ways you can plan to read this book,
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: perhaps you'll pick up the audiobook I mentioned.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: You can read that instead of the book or even in addition to the book.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: That is something I also like to do with the classics to maintain my focus.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: You can also consider pairing it with an adaptation or a retelling.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: We'll talk more about that a little bit later.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: And another thing you may consider is reading the full SparkNotes guide
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: before you even turn the first page this way.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: You will be spoiled,
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: but you'll be able to focus more on the literary devices and the writing style
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: than trying to figure out the plot.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: No matter your strategy,
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think that it's just having one that works for you that really matters
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: when you're tackling a book like Anna Karenina.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: Next, I want you to remember the opening line.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: It is the most famous quote in the book.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: Different translations say it differently.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: The one that I like is all happy families are alike.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Now I know Luke Daines messed that one up on Gilmore Girls,
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: but you should definitely keep it in mind because it drives the entire plot.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: Wrapped up into this sentence are the social notions of love and marriage at
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: that time and place in Russia that contribute to the character's unhappiness.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's also a line that will make you sound
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: really smart if you're fast talking like
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: the Gilmore Girls in public.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: Now let's master the main characters.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: The characters' names aren't as hard as say,
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: 100 Years of Solitude,
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: which was a Jess Mariana book and the absolute hardest book I ever read because
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: the characters all had the same name, but they are interrelated.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, of course,
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: at the center of the novel is Anna Karenina,
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: and she is an unhappily married socialite in 19th century Russia.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: She is married to a man named Alexei Karenin, and he is a St. Petersburg statesman.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Meanwhile,
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: she has an extramarital affair with a man named Count Vronsky,
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: who is a wealthy military officer.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: Anna Karenina's brother, Steva, is an important part of the plot as well.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: He is an unfaithful husband, and he's married to Dolly, who is a faithful wife.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Dolly is the older sister of Kitty.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: Kitty is a distant relative of Anna.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Are you with me?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: And she is a very young, kind woman who is the object of a man named Levin's affection.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Who is Levin?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: He is a philosophical countryside landowner.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that's where we get those farming plots.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: If you still feel a little bit confused by that character chart,
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: head to the show notes in the full Substack post
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: that accompanies this podcast episode.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: I have made a visual family tree for paid subscribers.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: It is a four by six printable that you can print,
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: cut out, and put right in the front of your book.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: I promise you it is not as hard as it may sound.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Speaking of, next it's time to learn the basic summary.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: Anna Karenina begins with an extramarital affair involving her brother, Steva,
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: who again is married to Dolly, and this is done to foreshadow Anna's own future.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Of course,
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: the main plot follows her love affair with Count Vronsky,
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: who wants her to leave her husband,
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Alexei, But they ultimately face life-changing struggles as a result of this affair.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Secondary is another plot.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mentioned this about the wealthy landowner named Levin who seeks to marry Kitty,
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: who again is a distant relative of Anna.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: The struggles of their relationship are also explored.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: My sixth tip is that you should consider watching an adaptation.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And in the show notes, I did place the trailer for the 2012 Keira Knightley adaptation.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Personally, I watched this one after I read the book.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I also think you can watch it beforehand as long as you don't mind spoilers.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: There is a very epic ending to this novel so it really is up to you.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: I thought the movie was very good.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: It did primarily follow Anna's story and left out those really dense meaty parts.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: In this way,
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think it makes it more universally likable
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: and you can still have two very different experiences both watching and reading.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't want spoilers,
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: you can still just watch the trailer and get a hint of some added context.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: I love to do this.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: It just gives me some visuals in my mind as I'm reading a book.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Seventh, you can also consider reading a modern retelling.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're scared of Anna Karenina,
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: I would actually recommend that you read Anna K by Jenny Lee.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: This one came out during the pandemic.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I read it before I read Anna Karenina.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's a book that reads like Gossip Girl.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I really didn't mind reading it before Anna Karenina because it does have some differences.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: That said, you can certainly read it afterwards too, especially if you like Gossip Girl.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Here is the plot.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Set in the elite modern Manhattan society, 17-year-old Anna seems to have it all.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Social standing, a boyfriend named Alexander, and a strong relationship with her father.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Meanwhile, her brother Stephen and his girlfriend Lolly deal with a sexting scandal.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Lolly's sister Kimmy recovers from a career-ending ice dancing injury,
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: and Steven's best friend Dustin pines after Kimmy.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Everything changes when Anna meets Alexia Count Vronsky, a playboy who falls in love with her.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: As they are drawn into an intense romance,
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: Anna must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to be with him.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: A shocking revelation threatens her relationship and forces Anna
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: to question everything she thought she knew about herself.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: I very much enjoyed this retelling.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: I believe I gave it a four out of five.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: Eighth, another fun way to immerse yourself in this novel,
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: whether it's your first time reading it or you've already read it,
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: is to pair it with Gilmore Girls.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is exactly what we do around here.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: To me, this is what makes reading and rewatching more fun.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Especially because it gives us more context to what the characters are talking about.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: So here are all of the show's many references to Anna Karenina to guide your reading.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you've been around here for some time,
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: you'll know that I have tracked these myself over the past few years.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: And in my humble opinion, my list is bigger and better than anyone else's.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's also personally verified,
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: unlike a lot of the information you'll find on the internet,
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: which, surprise, is not always right.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so the first time we see it is in Season 1, Episode 2.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: The Lorelai's first day at Chilton when it is in fact referenced at Chilton.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I love this foreshadowing that just as Rory enters the prep school,
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: she's met with the Russian literature that has such an impact on her life.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Next is season one, episode 16, Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: Here, Dean reads it and calls it depressing.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: I've said this before.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: I actually love the fact that Dean reads books on Rory's recommendation.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's really sweet.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Then Rory calls it beautiful in one of her favorite books.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: I have placed a poll in the show notes asking where you stand on Anna Karenina,
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: so be sure to go and vote on that if you've already read it.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can vote for standing with Dean that is depressing or with Rory that it's beautiful.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: I agree that it's beautiful in one of my favorite books as well.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: We also see it in season two, episode five, Nick and Nora, Sid and Nancy.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's on Max Medina's desk.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: So again, we're seeing its relevance at Chilton.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I just love that they snuck it in such a subtle way here.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: In season two, episode 15, Lost and Found, Rory buys it at the book sale.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: I actually thought this reference was weird.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: She would have already owned it.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: So is she buying another copy?
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: I tend to think that the crew just took a stack of books that they already had
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: and put them at the book sale.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now probably the most famous reference to Anna Karenina is in Season 3, Episode 22.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Those are Strings Pinocchio and this is Rory's famous Chilton speech
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: where she says She rode a sad train with Anna Karenina.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: Next, a reference that may or may not surprise you is in season four,
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: episode 12 of Family Matter.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: Luke misquotes the famous opening line, which I mentioned above.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: And here's what he said.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: Families, they're just messes.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's like this spilled drink that just keeps spilling and you got
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: to keep cleaning it up and you scrub and you just can't get the stain up.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Show me a happy family.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: Just one.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: Didn't that Tolstoy guy say something about happy families?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, but not quite exactly, Luke.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: What can we say?
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: He tried.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Last but not least, it is in A Year in the Life Summer when Rory reads it on a pool chair.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: Such a smart and subtle way to pay homage to Rory's favorite book in the reboot.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: Now, of course,
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: if you want all the books on Gilmore Girls listed by episode,
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: just like this,
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: you can become a paid subscriber and get my 15 page checklist
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: that lists them all out for you.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: The link to do so is in the show notes,
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: or you can also buy my 200 page unofficial guide to the books on Gilmore Girls,
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: which I am also linking in the show notes.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: Ninth, I want you to understand the point of it all.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: At its core,
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: Anna Karenina is about love and family and the consequences of straying
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: from social norms in these personal areas of your life.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Again, from the famous opening line of the book,
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: Tolstoy talks about the unique unhappiness that each family may experience.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Then across all 800 plus pages,
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: he conveys that while these families share the same common ideals of love
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: and happiness as we all do, each character takes a very unique path.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: And striving to achieve them.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, there are different results.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Ultimately,
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: the point of Anna Karenina is that personal happiness
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: and fulfillment are deeply intertwined with social norms and
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: the personal choices you make within that context.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Tenth, which is my last tip, is to know that it's worth it.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Anna Karenina's sections on Russian farming do dents in the overall plot and
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: at times made me think, how much more farming can I take?
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: But the character's all or nothing love affair Set
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: against this backdrop really raises the stakes and makes it well worth the read.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Again, most of it reads like a soap opera.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: It is incredibly passionate.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a literary reader like Rory or me, you will also appreciate devices like symbols.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always a girl who loves a symbol.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: Here, for example,
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: Anna's love affair begins when she meets Vronsky at a train station where
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: a drunken guard is killed by a train.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: How's that for an ominous meet-you?
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet,
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: where we learn from the beginning that this was ill-fated and star-crossed.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: The train also symbolizes Russia's transition into
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: a more industrial capitalist system,
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: as well as Anna's transition from her unhappy marriage
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: to her passionate love affair.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it even foreshadows a life-changing event that will involve a train
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: to occur much later in the novel.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: Another reason it's worth it is because Anna herself is one of
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: the most memorable flawed characters in all of literature.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: And what reader doesn't love a woman of complexity,
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: especially if you like to read like the Gilmore Girls?
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: So my TLDR on Anna Karenina is that it is a book that I continue to think
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: about years after reading it,
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: and I will continue to think about it for years to come.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I have been doing the Roy Gilmore Reading Challenge since 2021,
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: and while I wouldn't say that this is my favorite read out of the roughly 150
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: that I've read to date, it's the one that feels most worth it.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's both iconic on the show and it made a lasting impact on me.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: And to me, that is what reading is all about.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for the recommendation, Rory.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that if you are new to Anna Karenina, you will consider reading it with these tips.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that if you've already read it,
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: and I did do a poll in last week's post,
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: and I believe it was around 50% said they already read it,
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: which is amazing to me,
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: that you gained some new appreciation or education about this novel
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: or perhaps feel inspired to watch an adaptation or read a retelling.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: See you next time, Friday Night Readers.
• 17:35
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• 17:38
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• 17:42
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• 17:44
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• 17:47
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• 17:51
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• 17:57
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• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Based on my years of rewatches and the writing of my book,
• 18:03
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• 18:06
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• 18:15
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• 18:19
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• 18:24
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• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, life's short, read fast.