**** SPOILER ALERT****
I was happy that these 2 parts were pretty easygoing, especially the beginning of part 5 when we see Levin with his head in the clouds – absolutely ecstatic that his love is being returned with a mixture of unbelief that he is marrying this heavenly creature. Am I just too cynical to believe that it’s happy ever after? Nonetheless, the first few months of marriage were filled with changes and tiffs but… I remembered my own first year of marriage so this is truly not unexpected, Kitty & Levin, however, appeared to be managing finely. Kitty seems to be a loving and understanding wife – so far, she is proving to be a well developed (matured) character and I’m really liking this. Levin, on the other hand, is being shown for his shortcoming. It was shown in the beginning (his conversation with Stiva about love & affairs) that he has his own good opinions (which we as readers usually share) however he doesn’t appear to think these thoughts through. That is, if asked the reason behind his thoughts, he is either unable to articulate his thoughts or just never really thought it through to the end. This really frustrates me as he was a character I really liked from the beginning. Him being so amiable to his mother-in-law (weddings & birth) was also a source of angst with me – I mean, who wears the pants here?!?
On the other hand, I’m starting to like Vronsky. Wow, I never thought I’d ever say that! [well, maybe except for the comb-over **shudders**] But he’s shown himself to be a man of sense especially shown in his management of business / estate. He is more real to me in these 2 parts especially when he imparted his wishes for Anna’s wellbeing and their future together. It all makes better sense. Anna, of course, is still the paranoid Drama Queen trying to Not Be a Drama Queen, scared to let go of the past she’s shunned and yet, unable to be content with her current happiness. I still can’t reconcile with the fact that she can be infatuated with her son but not her daughter. Her son was from a man she does not like (that’s putting it mildly) and her daughter is by the love of her life (or so she says) – so what gives?! I think this highlights that she just wanted something she can’t have – doesn’t she know the saying that you can’t have cake and eat it too? I really didn’t think that they would be happy at all so I was actually pleasantly surprised although the undercurrents of the past and what may yet be are very strong.
Tien's Blurb 
hi Tien! i liked the fact that we were able to see Levin’s flaws and Vronsky’s good side in these sections of the novel.
as for Anna, you hit it right again with her other title of trying Not To Be A Drama Queen. lol. thanks for a wonderful post!
p.s. sorry for the inconvenience you encountered at my blog. glad your comment got through.
Don’t worry, AO – it might be my computer instead of your site or a combination of the 2. Don’t feel too bad 🙂
I don’t really buy into the fact that Anna is infatuated with her son. I think that she is obsessed with being unhappy and constantly wanting for something that is not there. This is the sort of woman who, if she lived with her son, would cry a river about how insane she is going without her daughter. I am glad that I have read Anna Karenina, but can honestly say that I will be especially glad when its over. I am going to read a bunch of fluff after this one. LOL
Do you think it’s possible that as she’s been married to Karenin for quite a while and since she (to put it mildly) doesn’t care for him, she’s focused all she had on her son so her whole being was transfixed on him and now, she’s lost (her anchor) despite Vronsky/Annie?
Or am I just too kind? lol
I think that thought is a wonderful possibility. It is common for women to put their everything into their children while paying little attention to the foundation of their family, their marriage. I do think that you are being too kind when it comes to Anna though. She doesn’t strike me as the all consumed mothering type, who just one day woke up and decided to leave her son who she had invested her all in. No, I think that she was very much the socialite.