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A review by lauren_soderberg
Anna K by Jenny Lee
5.0
Jenny Lee’s Anna K: A Love Story is gut wrenchingly captivating. A reimagining of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, this is not a flowery, happy tale… but it IS didactic and tragic and beautiful.
Anna K is the prototype for perfection. Between her beauty, her impeccable grades, and her picture-perfect boyfriend, Anna K’s life seems wonderful. It is when she meets the dashing Alexia Vronsky, however, that she realizes that maybe her life isn’t her own. And that the connection between Vronsky and herself is too powerful to be denied.
In some ways, this novel follows its source material quite religiously, and in others, there are wonderful departures. Lee deftly explores the world of the rich elite in a manner that examines privilege in various forms, as well as addresses the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect and affect each of the novel’s protagonists. Without providing spoilers, I will say that the way that Lee chose to reinterpret Anna Karenina’s ending was gutting, but also empowering. Would I have liked to have had all of the narrative threads tied together in a pretty little bow? Sure. That being said, this novel (mostly) earns its ending. I was more dissatisfied with the execution of the denouement rather than the fact that it happened. But the epilogue was pretty perfect and kind of binds the whole story together.
Lee’s content is decidedly more adult than a lot of YA novels out there, so be aware of that if you are thinking of having younger readers read this. Some CW include: excessive drug use, parental infidelity, revenge porn, drug overdose, suicidal ideation, and teenage sex. I feel like all of this content was meant to highlight this exclusive and opulent world of privilege that these children inhabit, so I understand why everything was included, but this novel isn’t going to be the right one for everyone. It’ll most likely have a polarizing effect one way or the other.
If you’re a fan of Anna Karenina, and/or if you’re into tragic romances, add Anna K to your TBR.
Anna K is the prototype for perfection. Between her beauty, her impeccable grades, and her picture-perfect boyfriend, Anna K’s life seems wonderful. It is when she meets the dashing Alexia Vronsky, however, that she realizes that maybe her life isn’t her own. And that the connection between Vronsky and herself is too powerful to be denied.
In some ways, this novel follows its source material quite religiously, and in others, there are wonderful departures. Lee deftly explores the world of the rich elite in a manner that examines privilege in various forms, as well as addresses the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect and affect each of the novel’s protagonists. Without providing spoilers, I will say that the way that Lee chose to reinterpret Anna Karenina’s ending was gutting, but also empowering. Would I have liked to have had all of the narrative threads tied together in a pretty little bow? Sure. That being said, this novel (mostly) earns its ending. I was more dissatisfied with the execution of the denouement rather than the fact that it happened. But the epilogue was pretty perfect and kind of binds the whole story together.
Lee’s content is decidedly more adult than a lot of YA novels out there, so be aware of that if you are thinking of having younger readers read this. Some CW include: excessive drug use, parental infidelity, revenge porn, drug overdose, suicidal ideation, and teenage sex. I feel like all of this content was meant to highlight this exclusive and opulent world of privilege that these children inhabit, so I understand why everything was included, but this novel isn’t going to be the right one for everyone. It’ll most likely have a polarizing effect one way or the other.
If you’re a fan of Anna Karenina, and/or if you’re into tragic romances, add Anna K to your TBR.