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Harpist Sarah Pagé recommends reading Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina

Sarah Pagé, harpist for the folk quartet the Barr Brothers, recently read Leo Tolstoy's classic Anna Karenina for the first time.
Sarah Pagé, harpist in the Barr Brothers folk quartet, recommends reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. (The Barr Brothers website)

Sarah Pagé, harpist for the folk quartet the Barr Brothers, recently read Leo Tolstoy's classic Anna Karenina for the first time. Here's why she thinks you should read it too:

"I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't believe how engaging it was. The main character, Anna, is a Russian socialite who is married but falls in love with another man, and slowly is consumed by her passion for him. This is one of several characters that we follow throughout the novel and Tolstoy basically describes the state of Russia in general and the political changes that it's going through; the changes to the natural world, industry, the modernization of Russia in a lot of ways. It's incredible to see how current the themes are. Tolstoy has an ability to clearly describe the states of mind and souls of human beings from every walk of life and every perspective. I've never read a book that was so powerful that way."

Sarah Pagé's comments have been edited and condensed.