The Return of the Native

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

I remember really liking this book when reading it in high school. It was one of the first "literature" books that really clicked. It gave rise to running home from school and reading a book in a tree.

Alas, I did not seem to get much out of it this time. This is a freely available book from Audible, and it just didn't mean much to me. Maybe this book is best read? There is some tale of escaping small time life, a teacher, some romance that doesn't quite work out. I must have missed the psychological exploration that attracted me before.

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude

Anna Karenina is a long book dealing with marriage and affairs in 19th century Russia. Anna does not like her marriage. Anna has an affair with another man. Her husband considers divorce, but due to culture at the time, that would not be easy, and would create difficulty for Anna. Later Anna's paramore feels bad and tries to commit suicide. Things get weird in their lives. Others have different experiences and various relationships. The book kkeeps going on and on with details.