Anna Karenina: who's who, timeline and places

Everyone in Anna Karenina, what happens when, and where, without spoilers: tell us how far you have read and we show only what you already know.

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Stepan ArkadyevitchStepan Arkadyevitch is a prince whose affair with a former governess throws his household into disorder.First seen in chapter 1
DollyDolly is Stepan Arkadyevitch’s wife, who rejects his plea for forgiveness but still loves him.First seen in chapter 4
LevinLevin is Stepan Arkadyevitch’s old friend, who scorns official work and asks about the Shtcherbatskys.First seen in chapter 5
KittyKitty is the woman Levin comes to Moscow hoping to marry.First seen in chapter 6
Sergey KoznishevSergey Koznishev is Levin’s older half-brother, whom he finds debating a professor about sensation and existence.First seen in chapter 7
NikolayNikolay is Levin’s estranged brother, who is staying in Moscow.First seen in chapter 8
VronskyVronsky is Levin’s rival for Kitty, according to Stepan Arkadyevitch.First seen in chapter 11
AnnaAnna is Stepan Arkadyevitch’s sister, whom Vronsky meets at the railway station and finds attractive.First seen in chapter 18
Alexey AlexandrovitchAlexey Alexandrovitch is Anna’s husband, whose presence makes her marriage painfully real to Vronsky.First seen in chapter 31
BetsyBetsy listens as Vronsky describes trying to settle a complaint against two fellow officers.First seen in chapter 39
VarenkaVarenka is a woman at the German spa whose care for sick people fascinates Kitty.First seen in chapter 64
Countess Lidia IvanovnaCountess Lidia Ivanovna comforts Alexey Alexandrovitch, takes charge of his household, and encourages religious teaching.First seen in chapter 146

Chapter 1
Stepan Arkadyevitch wakes in his study as his affair throws his household into disorder.
Chapter 6
Levin comes to Moscow intending to ask Kitty to marry him.
Chapter 18
Vronsky meets Anna at the railway station and feels drawn to her.
Chapter 23
At the ball, Kitty sees Vronsky’s absorption in Anna and realizes that her hopes are failing.
Chapter 45
Anna and Vronsky fulfill their desire, but shame overwhelms her.
Chapter 56
Anna tells Vronsky she is pregnant and watches anxiously for his response.
Chapter 63
Anna loses control after Vronsky’s fall, and her husband takes her home to challenge her public behavior.
Chapter 74
Levin finds happiness mowing with the peasants and eating dinner with his companions.
Chapter 82
Alexey Alexandrovitch responds to Anna’s confession by demanding that their marriage continue outwardly and that she stop seeing Vronsky.
Chapter 98
Levin establishes three farming partnerships, but the peasants resist unfamiliar methods and understand the arrangements differently.
Chapter 117
Levin and Kitty celebrate their engagement while their families and friends arrange the formalities.
Chapter 118
Anna’s dangerous illness after childbirth turns Alexey Alexandrovitch’s resentment into wholehearted forgiveness.
Chapter 130
Levin and Kitty complete their wedding ceremony and share her overflowing happiness.
Chapter 132
Anna enjoys recovery and life abroad with Vronsky, setting aside thoughts of her husband and son.
Chapter 144
Nikolay dies after prolonged suffering, with Levin, Kitty, and Marya Nikolaevna beside him.
Chapter 153
Anna secretly enters her former home on her son’s birthday after being denied permission to see him.
Chapter 157
Anna suffers an insult at the theater and returns home blaming Vronsky for her humiliation.
Chapter 181
Anna tells Dolly that divorce cannot restore her son and that she cannot choose between Seryozha and Alexey.
Chapter 204
Kitty gives birth to a son, and Levin weeps with joy when her suffering ends.
Chapter 214
A telegram offering little hope of divorce sparks another quarrel between Anna and Vronsky.
Chapter 220
Anna travels by train and receives a brief letter from Vronsky that intensifies her distress.
Chapter 224
The countess describes Vronsky’s collapse after a woman’s death under a train and his decision to go to Serbia.
Chapter 232
Reflecting on Fyodor’s words, Levin finds meaning in living for God rather than personal desire.
Chapter 239
Levin accepts his inward knowledge of goodness without resolving how other religions relate to God.
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