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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Epilogue way too long, otherwise a great book with a great stort of the invading and retreat by France (Napoléon) to/from Russia. Story telling and ‘drama’ was also nicely ++added to the story.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
content warning for PHILOSOPHY no one told me about the PHILOSOPHY.
Something was a bit off about the translation - maybe too literal in places where they could have played more?
Something was a bit off about the translation - maybe too literal in places where they could have played more?
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tołstoj pisał na najwyższym poziomie. Opisy są wyraziste, a istotne szczegóły wystarczająco opisane. Po mimo tego, książka nie jest szczególnie wciągająca. Czasami ciężko było mi się zmotywować do czytania dalej. Przeplatanie perspektyw różnych ludzi wraz z wstawkami opisującymi z militarno-historycznego punktu widzenia poczynania zarówno Napoleona jak i Aleksandra I, zmniejszyło dynamikę akcji. Książka jednakże warta przeczytania, klasyk literatury.
3.7?
3.7?
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The rare 1000+ page novel that leaves you wanting more. Truly epic and unputdownable.
This took me so long! It is so much book.
Tolstoy’s thoughts on Why Things Happen begin more as thoughts about the science of warfare. I do like how those passages evolve throughout the book. We start with why you cannot predict war and strategize for a sure outcome, then move on to disproving the supposed causes for developments in the war, and then move on to disproving the causes for anything in history. If I’m understanding correctly, his idea is basically that it is not individuals who cause things—their importance is usually overstated—and it isn’t social conditions—there are infinite conditions to point to and all can be reasonably argued as a cause. Instead, Things Just Happen and we don’t know why. His idea on the spirit of the army is interesting and, I think, a concrete reason he presents, but I don’t recall that he extended it any further than a reason for outcomes in warfare.
It features a very realistic depiction of a young girl in an abortive breakup, but also a very troubling depiction of women in general. The male characters are incredibly dimensioned and I loved following them. The zillions of pages age a very annoying young man into a character I love very much.
He also writes such precise, detailed explanations of complex physical structures, such as a bee hive. Anyone else would have fallen asleep writing them. It’s extraordinary.
I will always remember reading one of the very few times the narrator uses an exclamation mark in the book. It might even be the only time it appears out of dialogue. It was so perfectly placed. So horrifying. So good.
I only cannot give it 5 stars because it didn’t move me too much. It impressed me and excited me, but I don’t know if I’d call it a favorite. I think it will grow on me in hindsight and once I’ve gone over my notes again.
Tolstoy’s thoughts on Why Things Happen begin more as thoughts about the science of warfare. I do like how those passages evolve throughout the book. We start with why you cannot predict war and strategize for a sure outcome, then move on to disproving the supposed causes for developments in the war, and then move on to disproving the causes for anything in history. If I’m understanding correctly, his idea is basically that it is not individuals who cause things—their importance is usually overstated—and it isn’t social conditions—there are infinite conditions to point to and all can be reasonably argued as a cause. Instead, Things Just Happen and we don’t know why. His idea on the spirit of the army is interesting and, I think, a concrete reason he presents, but I don’t recall that he extended it any further than a reason for outcomes in warfare.
It features a very realistic depiction of a young girl in an abortive breakup, but also a very troubling depiction of women in general. The male characters are incredibly dimensioned and I loved following them. The zillions of pages age a very annoying young man into a character I love very much.
He also writes such precise, detailed explanations of complex physical structures, such as a bee hive. Anyone else would have fallen asleep writing them. It’s extraordinary.
I will always remember reading one of the very few times the narrator uses an exclamation mark in the book. It might even be the only time it appears out of dialogue. It was so perfectly placed. So horrifying. So good.
I only cannot give it 5 stars because it didn’t move me too much. It impressed me and excited me, but I don’t know if I’d call it a favorite. I think it will grow on me in hindsight and once I’ve gone over my notes again.
The rumors are true. I read it all
Now it's a week later and I've had a bit more time to think. This book was obviously ginormous but after a while I did not mind at all. It occupied my every thought and I had many dreams loosely based on the trials and tribulations of the characters. My favorite character by far was Prince Andrei because we share many of the same revelations (except for his last most tragic and eerie one which was a huge bummer and not very Tolstoy at all to me) and seem to have them at similar moments, for example when looking at a cloud or perhaps looking at a tree. I have never been attacked by cannonballs or thrown off a horse but I look at clouds and trees and feel strongly about being the age that I am all the same. I also had a fondness for Pierre because we see him in so many stupid little iterations. It was interesting to be so close to someone who was so into his own journey. Boy what a quest for self-fulfillment! I loved the parts where someone would come into a lot of money and then feel as if everyone had finally realized how interesting and funny they are. I bet this happens a lot to this very day. Age gaps remain perturbing to me. So many times people describe Natasha as the heroine, the central character, but we barely got anything interesting from her perspective. She just served as this point that her well-defined, nuanced, and complex suitors rotated around while she did classic boring things such as sing and fall ill.
Four stars because I could do without the hundreds of pages of intermixed essays on how Napoleon wasn't the reason for the war, history is made up of hundreds of choices, history happens while everyone is living their lives... shocking how many times he can make these points with different metaphors about bees and plants. (I did like when he threw out the word cotelydon. Shoutout botany!)
Also loved the Berg slander. I love when he writes losers and idiots!
Now it's a week later and I've had a bit more time to think. This book was obviously ginormous but after a while I did not mind at all. It occupied my every thought and I had many dreams loosely based on the trials and tribulations of the characters. My favorite character by far was Prince Andrei because we share many of the same revelations (except for his last most tragic and eerie one which was a huge bummer and not very Tolstoy at all to me) and seem to have them at similar moments, for example when looking at a cloud or perhaps looking at a tree. I have never been attacked by cannonballs or thrown off a horse but I look at clouds and trees and feel strongly about being the age that I am all the same. I also had a fondness for Pierre because we see him in so many stupid little iterations. It was interesting to be so close to someone who was so into his own journey. Boy what a quest for self-fulfillment! I loved the parts where someone would come into a lot of money and then feel as if everyone had finally realized how interesting and funny they are. I bet this happens a lot to this very day. Age gaps remain perturbing to me.
Spoiler
The loss of Anatol was a shame as I liked having a handsome rascal in the mix. Even worse was the death of Natasha's character. The light left her eyes? She became nothing if not for Pierre?Spoiler
She was ill for so long! Longer than Andrei and he was supposed to be dead twice! And Marya was no better either. I was glad to see Rostov got his happy Levin/Tolstoy serf-cosplay ending I guess, except for the part where he attacks people when he's angry and will apparently never change.Four stars because I could do without the hundreds of pages of intermixed essays on how Napoleon wasn't the reason for the war, history is made up of hundreds of choices, history happens while everyone is living their lives... shocking how many times he can make these points with different metaphors about bees and plants. (I did like when he threw out the word cotelydon. Shoutout botany!)
Also loved the Berg slander. I love when he writes losers and idiots!