Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is a novel about love and marriage among the Russian aristocracy in the 1870s. Anna is a young and beautiful woman married to a powerful government minister, Karenin. She falls in love with the elegant Count Vronsky and, having become pregnant by him, leaves her husband Karenin and her son Seryozha to live with her lover. Despite the intervention of friends like her brother Oblonsky, himself an adulterer, she is unable to obtain a divorce and lives isolated from the society that once glorified her. As a man, Vronsky enjoys relative social freedom, which causes Anna to have increasingly intense bouts of jealousy. Because of her constant suspicion, she thinks that Vronsky's love for her is waning. Their story ends with an emotional ending that moves the reader. Intertwined with Anna's story is the story of Levin, a thoughtful and passionate young man who seeks to marry Princess Catherine Shcherbatskaya, known as Kitty. Kitty rejects his first proposal because she believes that Vronsky, who flirted with her before meeting Anna, intends to marry her. Levin is devastated and retreats to his country estate and works on a book about farming. But the couple is reunited thanks to another appearance by Oblonsky, Kitty's brother-in-law, and they discover that they are deeply in love. Kitty happily accepts Levin's second proposal. Once married, they live happily in the countryside, host families and guests during the summer and have a child. Levin's philosophical doubt and religious skepticism trouble him despite his domestic happiness, but, after a spiritual enlightenment, he finally recognizes that the capacity for good is innate. She is dedicated to living for her loved ones and giving meaning to her life by carrying out God's will. Anna Karenina is a timeless classic and has been acclaimed by many literary critics as the best or one of the best novels of all time. One critic tells us that “the overall character development is what makes this novel a classic” and goes on to say, “This is one of the best books I've ever read.” The character development is a very intriguing part of the story and keeps the reader turning the page to see what each person goes through next. There are so many characters that a reader might lose track if they don't pay enough attention, but each has their own compelling story to tell..