This has to be one of the best novel ever written. It is both profound and ultimately tragic, successfully intertwining two interconnected stories while dealing with love, morality, and death.
Anna is a likable character but becomes increasingly unbearable as her passion for Vronsky grows. Levin, on the other hand, is a peasant searching for meaning in his life, first through work and later through love. The only drawback is that the lengthy, descriptive chapters about him and the countryside felt boring and unnecessary.
The ending was both expected and unexpected. Tolstoy provides hints of the forthcoming tragedy early in the novel, but the story almost shifts away from Anna, focusing instead on Levin and his existential reflections.