This novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was first published in 1878 and is widely regarded as the greatest work of realist fiction. It remains popular, as demonstrated by a 2007 Time poll of 125 contemporary authors, who voted Anna Karenina “the greatest book ever written.” There are scenes — in particular when a wealthy landowner takes to cutting wheat with his serfs — that border on transcendence.
The book is available for purchase online.