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A review by dembury
Anna K by Jenny Lee
4.0
This book heavily reminds me of The Clique series by Lisi Harrison, books I used to be obsessed with as a young reader because their spoiled and dramatic main characters were so unlike anyone I knew in real life, and I loved the glitz and over-the-top-ness of it all. "Anna K" has the same vibes; the blurbs calling it the contemporary "Gossip Girl" retelling of "Anna Karenina" are spot-on.
There were points I thought I might hate this book because of certain characters and actions, but the character growth really comes through in this one. It's not like everyone is a saint at the end, but I was pleasantly surprised with how things wrapped up. For example, I came to love Kimmie's character, and thought she was a really accurate and heartfelt portrayal of a 14-year old girl trying to be her own strong self and learn how to be a feminist.
I would also mildly argue that "Anna K" might be more likable if you have read or seen the real "Anna Karenina". Although this retelling is a bit on the nose at times, there are certain plot points that I think just might seen totally bizarre if you don't know what they're echoing. I saw a few people complaining about the ending, but having already seen the movie I personally was waiting for that to happen, so having that knowledge is just going to change your reading experience!
All of March I've been in a horrible reading mood and only read one other book, and "Anna K" got me out of that slump. The story is just the total opposite of my headspace right now during self-distancing, so maybe part of why I enjoyed this was the escapism factor. Either way, I thought it was a really fun read!
There were points I thought I might hate this book because of certain characters and actions, but the character growth really comes through in this one. It's not like everyone is a saint at the end, but I was pleasantly surprised with how things wrapped up. For example, I came to love Kimmie's character, and thought she was a really accurate and heartfelt portrayal of a 14-year old girl trying to be her own strong self and learn how to be a feminist.
I would also mildly argue that "Anna K" might be more likable if you have read or seen the real "Anna Karenina". Although this retelling is a bit on the nose at times, there are certain plot points that I think just might seen totally bizarre if you don't know what they're echoing. I saw a few people complaining about the ending, but having already seen the movie I personally was waiting for that to happen, so having that knowledge is just going to change your reading experience!
All of March I've been in a horrible reading mood and only read one other book, and "Anna K" got me out of that slump. The story is just the total opposite of my headspace right now during self-distancing, so maybe part of why I enjoyed this was the escapism factor. Either way, I thought it was a really fun read!