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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
how does one even review a book such as this? a book so entrenched in the literary canon, so widely respected, so pop-culturally referenced. how can you? for me, i am reviewing it based off the massive ego boost having read this gave me. maybe it isn't the correct way, i don't care -- i read freaking war and peace! and what an adventure it was. so long (my version was just shy of 1300 pages, split into two) but never feeling like it drug on, this explores the impacts of the napoleon wars and attempted invasion on the russian people. on the battlefield and off we get numerous character explorations of values, morals, and places in the world. personally, i found the "peace" sections (which i learned generally meant the sections focused on the people + society rather than the battlefields, as there are very few times of "peace") much more interesting: the marriages, the scandals, the deaths, the births, the loves, the hatreds, and overall human compassion and ability to adapt and change. very happy i read this :) (and in just over a month -- that has to be a world record, no?)
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore, Self harm
challenging
medium-paced
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Officially the longest book I've read so far (and it still didn't take me as long as Wuthering Heights did Imao).
The first thing I'd like to say, and stress, and reiterate, is that our boy Leo is the OG Certified Yapper. The introduction/afterword mentions he was partly inspired by Charles Dickens, which puts the yapping in perspective. My mother has read abridged and unabridged versions of Anna Karenina, and mentioned how Tolstoy likes to yap about philosophy, to which I said that he doesn't do that in War and Peace, and then I got to the second part of the epilogue. This man spends the last 12 chapters of this book reiterating the same point — no one can actually explain history, because how does it happen, and what exactly is "power" (valid questions actually).
Given that this is a book primarily about Napoleon's war with Russia, I shouldn't be complaining about how much of the book is about war. Regardless, there is entirely too much War and not enough Peace for a book called War AND Peace. But I do appreciate how Tolstoy shows the absurdity of war, especially the fact that the commanders and the people trying to maneuver the army around end up doing nothing and having the least impact on things. Or how the most self-important people trying to steer history are the ones who change things the least. I think war is silly and I love to see him talk about that, go leo. But, if you were still alive Leo, I'd tell you to be less descriptive about the war in your next book because I don't want to know exactly what direction each unit of the army was supposed to go in but actually went in.
Also whatever peacetime or even wartime civilian happenings there were, I was EATING IT UP. The drama and the TEA! This had so many plot twists and unexpected changes that everytime we went back to war chapters I so desperately wanted to get back to the other plot. And by the epilogue I was so traumatized that I was convinced the characters couldn't be so happy, someone is going to die again for sure.
I was also initially a bit annoyed by the French, and having to read translations every few lines, or for chunks of text, in some chapters. It didn't make sense to me especially since the whole book was translated from Russian. But once you get the context of the perception of the French/Napoleon in the Russian noble circles, it makes sense and I'm glad it was left in.
Solid read overall, 4.5/5 let's say?
The first thing I'd like to say, and stress, and reiterate, is that our boy Leo is the OG Certified Yapper. The introduction/afterword mentions he was partly inspired by Charles Dickens, which puts the yapping in perspective. My mother has read abridged and unabridged versions of Anna Karenina, and mentioned how Tolstoy likes to yap about philosophy, to which I said that he doesn't do that in War and Peace, and then I got to the second part of the epilogue. This man spends the last 12 chapters of this book reiterating the same point — no one can actually explain history, because how does it happen, and what exactly is "power" (valid questions actually).
Given that this is a book primarily about Napoleon's war with Russia, I shouldn't be complaining about how much of the book is about war. Regardless, there is entirely too much War and not enough Peace for a book called War AND Peace. But I do appreciate how Tolstoy shows the absurdity of war, especially the fact that the commanders and the people trying to maneuver the army around end up doing nothing and having the least impact on things. Or how the most self-important people trying to steer history are the ones who change things the least. I think war is silly and I love to see him talk about that, go leo. But, if you were still alive Leo, I'd tell you to be less descriptive about the war in your next book because I don't want to know exactly what direction each unit of the army was supposed to go in but actually went in.
Also whatever peacetime or even wartime civilian happenings there were, I was EATING IT UP. The drama and the TEA! This had so many plot twists and unexpected changes that everytime we went back to war chapters I so desperately wanted to get back to the other plot. And by the epilogue I was so traumatized that I was convinced the characters couldn't be so happy, someone is going to die again for sure.
I was also initially a bit annoyed by the French, and having to read translations every few lines, or for chunks of text, in some chapters. It didn't make sense to me especially since the whole book was translated from Russian. But once you get the context of the perception of the French/Napoleon in the Russian noble circles, it makes sense and I'm glad it was left in.
Solid read overall, 4.5/5 let's say?
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I’ll start by saying: I’m glad I read this. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
War and Peace is definitely a product of its time - It is excessively long, like many other classic novels originally published in serial format. Many of the female characters are vapid and the story mostly revolves around the male characters. It has an omniscient narrator who waxes on about religion, morals, and perspectives on history that felt very 1867.
I found this book to be both exhausting and extremely engaging. I cared about several characters and wanted to know what would happen to everyone. The relationships and human connections were well written and I was hooked by the various storylines. I found the descriptions of battle interesting and the depictions of Russian culture fascinating. Also, I just wanted it to be over already because it is so long and so verbose and at times so preachy.
And a yet, I am happy to have this classic under my belt. I think pieces of it will stick with me forever.
War and Peace is definitely a product of its time - It is excessively long, like many other classic novels originally published in serial format. Many of the female characters are vapid and the story mostly revolves around the male characters. It has an omniscient narrator who waxes on about religion, morals, and perspectives on history that felt very 1867.
I found this book to be both exhausting and extremely engaging. I cared about several characters and wanted to know what would happen to everyone. The relationships and human connections were well written and I was hooked by the various storylines. I found the descriptions of battle interesting and the depictions of Russian culture fascinating. Also, I just wanted it to be over already because it is so long and so verbose and at times so preachy.
And a yet, I am happy to have this classic under my belt. I think pieces of it will stick with me forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Incredible mixing of historical narrative and fictional story centered on Napoleon's sacking of Moscow in 1812. The story and historical analysis support the authors point of view and disdain for the contemporary points of view of that war as driven by leaders like Napoleon. Tolstoy seems to take the point of view that the wars all happened due to aggregate trends and feelings of the peoples, essentially for no reason.
The audio book on audible narrated by Thandiwe Newton is phenomenal. I strongly recommend it.
The audio book on audible narrated by Thandiwe Newton is phenomenal. I strongly recommend it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes