This was such a sumptuous read, full of brilliant characters and it was fascinating to sneak a peek at the opulent life of the elite.
I must admit, I’ve never read Anna Karenina, but Anna K makes me want to! It was a lovely modern reimagining of a classic romance that I was really rooting for. The chemistry between Anna and Alexia was so explosive on the page, despite everything. However, it does involve cheating, which is pretty much the dominant theme of the book and I really liked the discussion around this and forgiveness. Lee particularly draws attention to the gendered double standards around cheating in a really thought-provoking way. Similarly, the story involves a lot of drug use, but discusses this in a nuanced and considered way.
Any time a book promises to examine the elite, I’m drawn to it and Anna K delves into the seedy underbelly behind the dazzling facades. Exploring the darker facets of privilege and how it intersected with racism and culture made this such an interesting book, prompting me to really re-examine my initial thoughts. Through the story, Lee discusses different aspects of racism and classism in a brilliant way. It is smart, but playful and bittersweet at the same time.
There’s quite a large cast of characters, but they all felt distinctive and had their own voice. They all had their own stories to tell as part of the larger narrative and I liked how we got to see at least a snippet of their perspective through the narration. Lee kept me rooting for each of them and going through a emotional journey that showed their growth and sheer presence on the page.
I must admit, I’ve never read Anna Karenina, but Anna K makes me want to! It was a lovely modern reimagining of a classic romance that I was really rooting for. The chemistry between Anna and Alexia was so explosive on the page, despite everything. However, it does involve cheating, which is pretty much the dominant theme of the book and I really liked the discussion around this and forgiveness. Lee particularly draws attention to the gendered double standards around cheating in a really thought-provoking way. Similarly, the story involves a lot of drug use, but discusses this in a nuanced and considered way.
Any time a book promises to examine the elite, I’m drawn to it and Anna K delves into the seedy underbelly behind the dazzling facades. Exploring the darker facets of privilege and how it intersected with racism and culture made this such an interesting book, prompting me to really re-examine my initial thoughts. Through the story, Lee discusses different aspects of racism and classism in a brilliant way. It is smart, but playful and bittersweet at the same time.
There’s quite a large cast of characters, but they all felt distinctive and had their own voice. They all had their own stories to tell as part of the larger narrative and I liked how we got to see at least a snippet of their perspective through the narration. Lee kept me rooting for each of them and going through a emotional journey that showed their growth and sheer presence on the page.