Description

In the opening pages we step into the bustling household of the Oblonskys, where a sudden revelation shatters the veneer of domestic bliss. The matriarch discovers her husband’s affair with the family’s former French governess, and the news ripples through every room, unsettling children, servants, and friends alike. Tolstoy uses this crisis to illustrate his famous opening observation that happy families are much the same, while each unhappy one is unique in its misery.

Amid the chaos, Prince Stepan (Stiva) Oblonsky awakens in a daze, half‑dreaming of distant feasts, only to confront the weight of his own guilt. His internal monologue blends humor and despair, setting the tone for a story that weaves personal drama with a broader portrait of Russian society. Listeners will be drawn into the vivid characters and the moral questions that begin to surface, promising a richly layered narrative.

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