("And the worst of it is, you understand, that I can't leave him: there are children, and I am bound. Yet I can't live with him . . ."

Immediately the words from Anna Karenina take on a significance for the women who have gathered over good food and good wine for their first book club meeting of the year. These six very different women are not quite friends, not quite strangers but, bonded by their love of literature, they share a deep understanding of one another -- or so they think.

On this night they are stunned when the most envied and privileged member of the group announces that she is divorcing her perfect husband for reasons she cannot, will not share. That such an idyllic marriage could be so vulnerable mystifies them, leaving them to speculate about what happened -- and what, in their own imperfect relationships, would constitute the ultimate betrayal.

Over the course of a year, through cathartic discussions about their favorite novels, they reveal the burdens, bitterness and painful truths they have long been hiding, and in doing so, try to find the courage to open a new chapter in their own lives.

Written with a refreshing insight, Dinner with Anna Karenina takes an absorbing look at the complex lives and friendships of modern women. From their concealed rivalries with each other to their ongoing trials with husbands and lovers, award-winning author Gloria Goldreich's lyrical narrative captures their individual voices and struggles, with poignancy, humor and truth.

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.