u/itsdeliverygod

I’m currently at the part where Anna tells Vronsky she’s pregnant, and honestly I absolutely hate both of them as characters.

I understand the nuance. I understand Anna is stuck in a loveless marriage, feels emotionally trapped. But I personally can never get behind infidelity, so it’s making the entire situation difficult for me to invest in.

Vronsky especially annoys me. He's your classic vain playboy who’s used to admiration and acts impulsively without considering the consequences. Poor Kitty (ofc the fault lies with her and her mom too)

And Anna’s avoidant behavior toward her husband especially when he tries to warn her after the party is just frustrating.

Anna and Vronsky are selfish hedonists who are prioritizing desire over everyone around them. Maybe, I am reducing them to some one dimensional caricatures with that sentence but that's how they've come across to me as for now.

I generally hate cheating tropes in fiction, so maybe this book was always going to be a challenge for me. On top of that, there are moments where the novel feels misogynistic or sexist in ways that leave a bad taste in my mouth.

What keeps me going is Tolstoy’s writing itself. It's brilliant. Also, the social dynamics and psychological observations are incredible (I really like Levin as a character!!) But emotionally, I’m struggling because I actively dislike spending time with Anna and Vronsky characters.

For people who’ve read it:

1. Does the story become more psychologically compelling even if you dislike them?

2)Is it worth pushing through if the cheating aspect is already bothering me this much?

No spoilers please.

okay i am 9 chapters in and OH MY GOD

she's absolutely meddlesome and insufferable

"she still thought herself a better judge of such a point if female right and refinement than he(mr. knightley) could be"

really? you literally took away harriet's agency to choose for herself just to derive the pleasure of seeing your "match-making skills" come to fruition

i've never disliked a protoganist as much as emma at the beginning of a book.

i feel like i am getting ragebaited by everything that comes out of her privileged mouth. honestly, i keep getting annoyed to continue reading. i wanna ask if it gets any better soon or does the book continue the same way till halfway through the story.

apologies if there are any mistakes. english isn't my first language.

edit: after reading all the comments, i have decided to power through it.

if your comment includes some spoiler, please put spoiler alert before you comment. someone just spoiled me the plot about the person emma's gonna marry. i absolutely hate it when people do this. it reduces my interest in reading a book altogether.