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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Ahhh!!! I finished it!!!
Did you know you can take a lot of what Tolstoy says about Napoleon and sub in DJT and it makes sense?
Did you know you can take a lot of what Tolstoy says about Napoleon and sub in DJT and it makes sense?
I think back on the book in all in all its internally, I feel as though it will be with me forever as it is not just about War and Peace. Its about life and why and how we exist and love and family and a look at coming of age and philosophy and question on what and how humanity and life is lived and experienced.
The book is about War in the Napoleonic era and also that part is mostly true as Tolstoy dedicated research about the Napoleonic wars of Russia and Five Russian aristocratic families but is see mostly though three main characters.
Prince Audrey : A budding solider and has a pregnant wife but is still not satisfied and wants to make a respectable name in the army.
Pierre: Is the illegitimate son of a wealthy count that is dying and is not really caring about how or why he lives he's life as a sort of young man with money but no sense of respect for his name or himself.
Natasha: who at the start is a young girl of 12/13 and is in love or so she thinks and is looking forward to the day she can enter society and attend balls and glamorizes dances and dinner parties.
As the book progresses you learn of the war in Russia between France and how it veritably affects each characters and families lives. You learn of the love, coming of age, betrayal, loss of self , the Questioning of life and the means and Religion and how with time and age you can grow and change dramatically and how war can change your life and take everything from you but at the same time give you everything your heart desires.
I can not recommend this book enough as Tolstoy way of writing and such philosophical views of life, and love and the humanity of people is such diverse and meaning full of that it has captured my heart, mind body and soul. It makes you think about your life and what dose it really mean?.
The book is about War in the Napoleonic era and also that part is mostly true as Tolstoy dedicated research about the Napoleonic wars of Russia and Five Russian aristocratic families but is see mostly though three main characters.
Prince Audrey : A budding solider and has a pregnant wife but is still not satisfied and wants to make a respectable name in the army.
Pierre: Is the illegitimate son of a wealthy count that is dying and is not really caring about how or why he lives he's life as a sort of young man with money but no sense of respect for his name or himself.
Natasha: who at the start is a young girl of 12/13 and is in love or so she thinks and is looking forward to the day she can enter society and attend balls and glamorizes dances and dinner parties.
As the book progresses you learn of the war in Russia between France and how it veritably affects each characters and families lives. You learn of the love, coming of age, betrayal, loss of self , the Questioning of life and the means and Religion and how with time and age you can grow and change dramatically and how war can change your life and take everything from you but at the same time give you everything your heart desires.
I can not recommend this book enough as Tolstoy way of writing and such philosophical views of life, and love and the humanity of people is such diverse and meaning full of that it has captured my heart, mind body and soul. It makes you think about your life and what dose it really mean?.
Tolstoy really shines when weaving together the stories of all of these characters, developing those characters, and making his points through them. The story is epic, the ending is satisfying, and the transformations of the various characters ended up feeling satisfying, heartwarming, and real. (though I'm like... Can someone make a match for Sonya please? Poor girl...) I had a little more trouble getting into some of the "war" sections, but I really did learn a lot and am glad I stuck through.
That being said, I could have done with less lecture. Some of Tolstoy's writings about the context of the times gave me a good historical overview that helped me understand the story, but he REALLY lost me on the huge section on free will near the end. I love discussing this sort of thing, but his writing became so incredibly dry when he stopped writing through his characters. From a writing and editing standpoint, his points in the essay at the end could have landed with much greater impact with a much, much shorter length. Especially if some feeling and drama were added to his explanations of his ideas, rather than approaching it like a school lecture endlessly reproaching historians. Frankly, he comes off as arrogant and I rolled my eyes several times in this last section.
But still... Worth it overall. I really fell in love with the characters, and the story and its telling was often gorgeous.
That being said, I could have done with less lecture. Some of Tolstoy's writings about the context of the times gave me a good historical overview that helped me understand the story, but he REALLY lost me on the huge section on free will near the end. I love discussing this sort of thing, but his writing became so incredibly dry when he stopped writing through his characters. From a writing and editing standpoint, his points in the essay at the end could have landed with much greater impact with a much, much shorter length. Especially if some feeling and drama were added to his explanations of his ideas, rather than approaching it like a school lecture endlessly reproaching historians. Frankly, he comes off as arrogant and I rolled my eyes several times in this last section.
But still... Worth it overall. I really fell in love with the characters, and the story and its telling was often gorgeous.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
This is the second book by Tolstoy I've read,the first being Anna Karenina. Of the two books I prefer Anna Karenina.
This felt like a books of two halves.
The peace parts and the war parts. For about half the book they feel very separate and it's only later that we see all the characters fall under the shadow of war.
The character focused sections were more my cup of tea. There were long sections relaying the history of the Napoleonic war that were incredibly dry for me.
The character centred parts were much more interesting but even then there's a lot in Pierre's storyline about personal happiness that's very monologue heavy.
The book was published as several volumes and even has two epilogues. One for the characters one for the war itself.
I've seen in a view reviews people struggled with the Russian naming conventions but I found the names and number of characters fairly manageable.
Overall this is one of the few times I'd say just watch the t.v. show. I felt the BBC mini series did a good job and contained many scenes that were word for word the same as the book.
This felt like a books of two halves.
The peace parts and the war parts. For about half the book they feel very separate and it's only later that we see all the characters fall under the shadow of war.
The character focused sections were more my cup of tea. There were long sections relaying the history of the Napoleonic war that were incredibly dry for me.
The character centred parts were much more interesting but even then there's a lot in Pierre's storyline about personal happiness that's very monologue heavy.
The book was published as several volumes and even has two epilogues. One for the characters one for the war itself.
I've seen in a view reviews people struggled with the Russian naming conventions but I found the names and number of characters fairly manageable.
Overall this is one of the few times I'd say just watch the t.v. show. I felt the BBC mini series did a good job and contained many scenes that were word for word the same as the book.
This book gets a bad rap. Yes, it is long, and yes, it has lots of Russian names. But at its heart, it's really just a soap opera with lots of fascinating detail about wartime in the Napoleonic era. Really, really good.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every evening I would pick up this book and be transported to Russia. His writing is so beautiful. It is a slow read, yes (took me 3 months) but I didn't mind that at all because every night I was excited to see what happened next. I found the history of the war with Napoleon and Tolstojs views on it fascinating. Towards the end Tolstoj does become too reflective and repetitive so I skimmed those pages:) I recommend this to anyone who likes epic stories about love and war.