I have finally finished the novel and although there are slow parts you must trudge past, the humanity necessary to make great works of art is ever present in Tolstoy's writing and attention to character. There is not a single character you can fully love all the way through or hate all the way through, as it is in life. These characters display vulnerability and provide moments of honesty (such as shown in the quote above). Even Anna Karenina, who for the most part is a weak, self-pitying character induces one's sympathy at one point or another. As I was reading the final part I wasn't quite sure what to make of the seemingly out-of-place attention to Levin's questioning of faith and existence, but by the end it seemed as though this was the only and perfect way to end a novel based on human relationships and suffering. After all, existence and relationships depend on some form of faith, whether it be faith in a god, an art form, or yourself. In the end, what I appreciated most about this classic is that Tolstoy's voice is so effortless it's as if this story is not being written but actually lived.
plus, favorite purchase of late (the picture doesn't even do it justice):