Anna K. by Jenny Lee

Content Warning: I want to be 100% clear, this is a YA novel, but heavy emphasis on Adult; these are teens but there's a LOT of sex, drugs, and alcohol involved in their lives. If this were a TV show I'd def put it into the HBO type of show, not like the CW.

There are also light content warning spoilers below [no specifications as to what happens to which character]. These below are most that I could think of but there could be more, as triggers are very personal. I would say none of this is too graphic, but again, what could be graphic for me could be considered as mild for someone else. Take care of yourself and your mental health first if you get triggered by any of the following and still want to proceed with reading.

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sex, drug abuse, drug overdose, alcohol, underage revenge p*rn, death and subsequent euthanization of an animal, implied self-harm, rehab, thoughts/contemplation of suicide

Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather a sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K.: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina―but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Feel free to answer any or all of these questions! Some overlap but these are just to get you started!

• To those of you who have read Tolstoy, how well did it track with Anna K?
  
• This book definitely mentions racial stereotypes etc. -- what do you think the importance of these being mentioned, as well as how people of color are at front and center of a YA novel?
  
• What was your first impression of Alexander and how did his arc end up influencing your thoughts on his character at the end?
  
• A lot if not most of these characters are certainly going through puberty; what advice would you give to one of them if you had them right in front of you?
  
• Your favorite moment in the book?
  
• Least favorite?
  
• Favorite Character
  
• Least Favorite Character
  
• Favorite Relationship [platonic, familial, antagonistic etc]
  
• What are your overall thoughts?
  

SPOILER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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• Vronsky's Death: Did you see it coming? Did you read Tolstoy's Anna K and think Jenny Lee would deviate for the sake of the continuation of the story?
  
• Lolly's Redemption: when Lolly confronted Vronsky, what was your knee-jerk reaction? After dwelling upon it, did you think otherwise?
  

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This is a discussion thread for people who have read or are reading the book in question. With that in mind, there are likely to be spoilers throughout. However, in the event of major twists or “how it ends”, please wrap content in spoiler tags.

Code:

[spoiler]Surprise!content here[/spoiler]

  

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I am finished the first six chapters. Thus far I am... underwhelmed. I think I was expecting something with more charm (To All the Boys) and wound up with a low-stakes Gossip Girl? Knowing how the actual story goes, I really am skeptical that it will be able to pull off a realistic level of gravity.

  

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

I’m now on chapter 25—I don’t love it, but it has definitely grown on me! One thing that hasn’t is Eleanor, and if no one punches her damn face I will be back to rant about her when I finish reading.

  

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Phone post, will reply in full tonight

You’re gonna forking HATE her by the end and I for one cannot wait until I receive your texts about her >DDD

  

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OKAY SO I finished this on vacation and forgot to check back in #oops

To those of you who have read Tolstoy, how well did it track with Anna K?

I have never read it but am obsessed with the Kira Knightley film version and it did hit all the major points. I particularly liked how they still managed to make the brother (Nick?) an outcast in a similar fashion while making it believable for the setting.

This book definitely mentions racial stereotypes etc. -- what do you think the importance of these being mentioned, as well as how people of color are at front and center of a YA novel?

If anyone other than the Ks are POC I somehow did NOT pick up on it. I have definitely (and not deliberately!) been reading a lot more BIPOC content of late so I did appreciate it. The casual racism out of the teenagers felt incredibly realistic and added a nice layer to the characters that often felt one-dimensional otherwise.

What was your first impression of Alexander and how did his arc end up influencing your thoughts on his character at the end?

NGL he read like an abusive boyfriend throughout SO.

A lot if not most of these characters are certainly going through puberty; what advice would you give to one of them if you had them right in front of you?

The fuck is wrong with you children. KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS.

Your favorite moment in the book?

Uhhhh

Least favorite?

Any time Eleanor existed

Favorite Character

Stephen and Dustin were the only ones I even liked >.>

Least Favorite Character

ELEANOR.

Favorite Relationship [platonic, familial, antagonistic etc]

Stephen and Dustin <3

What are your overall thoughts?

Sorry Lady, I just didn't care for this one! I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads because at the end it was fine rather than actively disliking, but I think I have finally evolved past the stage of my life where I enjoy reading about the sex lives of rich teenagers xD

As an adaptation, though, I think it did fairly well. It definitely and realistically captured the social fallout of Anna's decisions (which I was skeptical it would be able to do) and I think it would definitely appeal to a YA audience. Lee was a good author, just not for me in this instance <3

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Vronsky's Death: Did you see it coming? Did you read Tolstoy's Anna K and think Jenny Lee would deviate for the sake of the continuation of the story?

This did NOT MAKE SENSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS STORY teenagers man.

  

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— pretties by lady! —