Anna K" is a modern retelling of "Anna Karenina

#ReadWithMC (opens in new tab)-Welcome to Marie Claire's virtual book club. It's a pleasure to meet you, and for the month of March, we'll be reading Jenny Lee's highly anticipated YA debut, Anna K. (opens in a new tab) (March 3). The book, a modern retelling of Anna Karenina, has been compared to Gossip Girl and will be an HBO Max series with a Korean-American protagonist. Read an exclusive excerpt below and learn how to join the book club (opens in a new tab). (Steven stared up at the arrival and departure boards at Grand Central. 'Hey, what are you doing here?' [Vronsky gave him a big smile. 'I'm recovering from a broken ankle and I'm still on a cane. She attended a dinner party at my uncle's house in Greenwich, gave the driver the night off, and is now taking the train home alone. She did not ask me to pick her up.

Stephen smiled back, and on closer inspection Count Vronsky was as handsome as everyone said he was. Since they were both new to the College and Stephen was a senior, everything they knew about Vronsky was strictly based on reputation. "If I were a betting man, I'd wager there's another reason. I'm trying to save my 'good girl points' for the future. As long as I am blessed with a woman who is a formidable mother, I have no choice."

Vronsky laughed in response and patted Stephen on the back. Instead, he answered the question in his own words. 'Why would you go out on a snowy night without a proper overcoat? Steven looked down and realized that Vronsky had told the truth. He was so preoccupied with getting Dustin out the door and making sure he wasn't late himself that he left the house wearing only a Loro Piana cashmere cardigan and a black cashmere beanie from Burberry.

"She's a beautiful girl," Stephen replied, but quickly realized that now was not the time to be so indiscreet and said, "This is my sister Anna. She's coming from Greenwich, too."

Vronsky frowned. 'Did I know I had a sister? [Anna is a junior at Greenwich Academy. She is the equestrian of the family and lives mostly at home in Greenwich because she can't bear to be too far from her precious horses. In addition, she has two huge dogs that she is obsessed with. She always says it is her duty as a mother to give her fur babies a decent backyard to romp in."

"I love a girl who likes to ride," Vronsky said with a huff, quickly adding, "Horses."

Normally, Steven would have been pleased or sad at Vronsky's comment and would have piled on the corny jokes, but he restrained himself because he was talking about his sister. I think I might know her boyfriend, Alexander W."

Now it was Vronsky's turn to add the flourish of standing tall and wearing an imaginary tie. 'Your sister is the girlfriend of a Greenwich OG. Interesting."

"Not really."

"Honestly," Steven thought, "if I never hear another word about Anna's Umchina boyfriend, that's fine. Umchina was one of the few Korean words Steven had learned from his Korean grandmother. There is no English translation, but it basically means the perfect son of his mother's friend, the one to whom he is always compared. For Steven, the OG of Greenwich was his umchina. Because his mother could not help but mention each and every one of Alexander's many accomplishments in front of Stephen. Because his mother could not help but mention each and every one of Alexander's accomplishments in front of Steven.

Alexander W. In his senior year, he was accepted to all eight Ivy League schools, earning the nickname Greenwich OG for being the only privileged white male in the country. He came from a good family in Connecticut, published his first op-ed in the New York Times at age 16, was valedictorian at Brunswick University, and spent two weeks each summer teaching sailing to disadvantaged youth (Stephen wished poor kids could (Stephen used to make fun of the poor kids for sitting around wishing they could sail.) He will undoubtedly be the Democratic presidential nominee in another 20 years, if the current president does not destroy the American democratic system forever. Alexander was currently a freshman at Harvard, but he frequently returned to Greenwich to be Anna's devoted boyfriend. Only a formidable Greenwich OG could still be a college student with a high school girlfriend.

Anna was 17, two years younger than Alexander, but always poised for her age. The perfect couple's "cute encounter" happened at the White House Easter Egg Hunt when she was 13. Alexander was there because his father was a big Obama supporter, and she was there because she played violin in an award-winning string quartet when she was 13. If the story is to be believed, Alexander had an overwhelming sense of deja vu when he saw Anna play. What he knew was that he no longer cared about helping little children find Easter eggs. His only goal was to meet a beautiful little girl who played the violin as if it had been sent from heaven.

Alexander introduced himself to Anna at the dessert buffet and was so taken by her delicate beauty up close that he dropped a cherry pie on her white dress. Appalled by this mishap, he immediately arranged to borrow a dress from President Obama's second daughter, Sasha. (We later learned that Alexander had seen Anna play the violin at his aunt's second wedding the previous summer at the Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club in Westport. Completely enchanted, Alexander pleaded with his father and stepmother, inviting them to fly home with him on a private plane instead of taking Anna on the train. Her stepmother had never seen Alexander behave in such a way, so she called Anna's mother and arranged everything, hoping to impress her husband's only son.

By the time Anna arrived home, she had an "appointment" with her first boyfriend. Alexander had no problem waiting and they were the perfect couple from then on. The long-term plan, of course, was marriage, but the plan after high school was for Anna to go to Harvard or Yale and Alexander to go to law school, wherever that might be.

Stephen once asked Anna if she was afraid to plan everything in her life at such a young age. She replied, "We live in America now, we don't have to have a Korean arranged marriage for the sake of family status. [She smiled at her brother's sarcasm and said, "Alexander is a good man. He needs me, and I'm happy to be around him." Stephen reminded her that Alexander is not a dog and asked about her own needs. She was relieved that she didn't have to deal with the drama of dating for which she had little time or patience. Alexander was everything the girl wanted, and it also helped that her parents approved of their relationship. There were few boys whose fathers would entrust their precious daughters to them. In fact, Alexander may have been the only boy who fit the bill. Social status was paramount in Korea, and Alexander's father was at the top of Greenwich's elite. What Stephen objected to most was his parents' emphasis on social status.

"Track 27," Vronsky said.

"What did you say? Stephen asked. [Vronsky said. [Stephen nodded and hurried after Vronsky, who was wearing a Brioni camel overcoat and walking toward the escalator.

Excerpted courtesy of Flatiron Books from ANNA K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee.

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