War and Peace (1868)

I finally read this in the space of 26 days after it had been sitting on my bookshelf for a decade.

For the most part, War and Peace is simply brilliant. The main characters are wonderfully drawn, and I loved getting inside their heads and rooting for them all the way through. I also felt that I got a good sense of what it was like to be in (or on the edges of) the upper echelons of Russian society in the early 19th century through the descriptions of various social scenes and the viewpoints of minor characters. I also enjoyed the war scenes involving the main characters.

However, I didn't quite get on with some of the other war parts and the various passages ruminating on history in general, especially towards the end. I was also a little let down by some of the main characters' fates as described in the first epilogue (mainly the way in which the female characters are depicted), but I recognise that this is partly due to the era in which the novel is set/was written.

Despite that, I'm really glad I finally read War and Peace, and will be looking up some of Tolstoy's other works in the future. ( )

Epic saga of Napoleon versus Russia ( )

It took me an entire summer to read this. That was while I was in college, working a summer job away from home, with nothing else to do in the evening. And even then, I might not have finished it if I hadn't seen the movie, which helped me picture the characters.
In spite of its length, and the confusing plethora of names for the same character (as Russian novelists like to do) I still enjoyed it. I might read it again someday. ( )

very indepth look at the French invasion of Russia, but the epilogue[about history, free will and necessity] killed it. ( )

There are almost 300 reviews of War & Peace here. I'm not sure that the world needs another review, but there' a review inside me that needs to be written.

Yes, this is probably the best novel ever written. All other epic novels pale in comparison with War & Peace. Yes, it has a lot of obstacles that make this a difficult read. It is very long, and has a lot of characters, and is told on a background of Russian history that may be very familiar to Russians, but are probably completely unknown to most other readers. And the novel seems to run out of energy at the end. I'm not sure the last eighth of the novel was necessary.

In spite of all this, this has got to be the most engrossing and engaging novel of all time, with some of the most memorable characters.

Woody Allen once joking said he took a speed-reading course and he read War & Peace in 20 minutes: it was about Russia. The joke of course is, yes, that about sums it up: this book is about Russia. But it is also about humanity and all the pain and joy of living.

Some say there are over 500 characters you have to keep track of. That might be true, but there are really only 3 main characters that are the focus of the book. Pierre Bezukhov is one of the two main male characters. Pierre is large, overweight, and a dork. A man with a good heart, he is the kind of man you shy away from at parties. If he were alive today, he would be living in his grandmother's basement with his computers and a large collection of science-fiction.

Andre Bolkonsky is the opposite of Pierre: Tall, handsome, athletic, and intelligent, the perfect male. Andre's only problem is that he clearly sees man's shallowness.

It was not clear to me exactly how old these two, but I would say they are in their early 30's. They are long time friends, but when the book opens, they have not seen each other in some time. I sometimes wonder if Pierre and Andre are not just two sides of Tolstoy: Andre as the person he would like to be, and Pierre as the person he is afraid he actually is. Perhaps they are those two sides of me.

The main female character is the unforgettable Natasha Rostov. Only 14 when the book starts, she is Tolstoy's and my perfect female. I must confess I saw two film versions before I read the book, and so, to me Natasha Rostov and Audrey Hepburn are one and the same.

The story concerns these individuals, their families, friends and acquaintances against the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in the early 1800's. Primarily we follow Natasha as she grows up experiencing her first love and then the various suitors who pursue her over the course of the book. We, the reader, get a God's eye view of this period as some character in the book is always at each important historical event.

I would recommend that the best way to enjoy this book is to get a copy the 1973 BBC mini-series, watch about 30 minutes, and then read that portion of the novel, watch some more, then read some more. This will help you get a good grounding on all the unfamiliar Russian names and thus help you keep the characters straight. ( )