Anna Karenina book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 10

1. What would make forgiveness fair to Dolly when her husband asks for it?
2. How responsible is Vronsky for Kitty's hopes if he sees no harm in their intimacy?
3. How might Anna's decision to hide Vronsky from her husband change what readers expect of her marriage?
4. What might Kitty gain by giving up an ideal she borrowed from someone else?
5. What does Levin's pleasure in mowing suggest about the kinds of work that can make someone feel at ease?

Meeting 2: Chapters 11 to 31

6. What makes preserving appearances seem worth choosing over separation to Alexey Alexandrovitch, and who bears the cost?
7. How should Levin respond when the workers resist a partnership he hopes will share agricultural gains?
8. How does the contrast between Alexey Alexandrovitch's hatred and his bedside compassion change your judgment of him?
9. What might Anna's contentment and Vronsky's restlessness reveal about their different needs from life together?
10. What does Kitty's practical care suggest about goodness that arguments or declarations might miss?

Meeting 3: Chapters 32 to 19

11. Was Levin fair to send Veslovsky away, or did jealousy give him too much power over a guest?
12. How does Dolly's imagined romance complicate her renewed affection for her own family?
13. What makes a personal meeting capable of changing a judgment that seemed firm?
14. What do Levin's unexpected feelings toward his newborn suggest about the pressure to feel happy in prescribed ways?
15. How does Anna's abandoned appeal to Dolly change your understanding of the difficulty of asking for help?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.