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devonforest's review against another edition
4.0
This was better than I expected it to be. I expected Tolstoy to be a daunting undertaking but overall it was a fairly easy read. There were times I still got confused on the characters and who was who and who was related to who. I think some of that had to do with the Russian tendency to have several different versions of the same name based on who was talking. I tended to skim a bit through the battle scenes just because it's not exactly my cup of tea, but I was never overly confused about the plot in general. Overall it was more interesting than I thought it would be.
svensilver's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.5
greta595's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
catreynolds28's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
julienh's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In the epilogue of War and Peace, Tolstoy argued that « History examines the manifestations of man’s freewill in connection with the external world in time and in dependence on cause. » War and Peace is Tolstoy’s ode to the human lives that shape the sweeping movement of history. Tolstoy’s characters weave through a web of historiography and intimate reflections on humanity. With over 600 characters, Tolstoy’s epic at the surface could be read as an artistic interpretation of a people’s history of Russians’ experience during the Napoleonic Wars. I’m sure that people have spent hours analyzing the themes of faith, power, love, humanity, purpose, and patriotism that permeate this work. Yet, I believe that Tolstoy’s definition of history indicates that he would not have wanted us to think of War and Peace as a rolling epic or an intentional work exploring these themes. Rather, he would have preferred that we understand this book as just one drop within the ever-fluctuating fabric of « freedom » and « reason » that constitute the human experience and our interpretation of that experience. What a wild ride.
davidsansun's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
rcsreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
smithh65's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75