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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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:
Complicated
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
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
A bit on the philosophical side in regards to the topic of war, but a heart-wrenching, beautiful storyline.
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
I'm glad I read this just to get acquainted with it, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. It was dull in a lot of places, particularly the descriptions of battles and Tolstoy's repetitive pontificating about the nature of history. I also found Natasha to be an extremely obnoxious heroine. The book is definitely an achievement, just not one that was really to my taste!
adventurous
informative
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:
Complicated
Like it's good, it's great even at times.... but it's so long
I think Tolstoy is not for me. I really enjoyed Ivan Ilyich but Anna Karenina was a slog. Life is too short to slog through 1200 pages. I think it might be the end of the road for me and Leo.
A real epic. I enjoyed the story, but significantly less enjoyed Tolstoy's pedantic (and, to me, tedious) reframing of Russian/European political and military history.
I understand what he's trying to do, and he raises interesting questions. But in spite of well-developed characters about whom I cared and an actual historical basis, I felt more and more often as the book went on that the characters and the story were being twisted into knots to get his point across.
I wish I'd skipped part two of the epilogue entirely. Part one was important because you can only find out how things turned out for many of the characters by persevering through it. But man, did it ever feel like a slog by the end.
As you can tell, I found Tolstoy's point unpersuasive, but I suspect those already inclined to agree with him will find his writing about destiny, God, and the good life quite moving. My weak rating reflects the fact that I didn't, not that I can't imagine anyone enjoying it more.
I understand what he's trying to do, and he raises interesting questions. But in spite of well-developed characters about whom I cared and an actual historical basis, I felt more and more often as the book went on that the characters and the story were being twisted into knots to get his point across.
I wish I'd skipped part two of the epilogue entirely. Part one was important because you can only find out how things turned out for many of the characters by persevering through it. But man, did it ever feel like a slog by the end.
As you can tell, I found Tolstoy's point unpersuasive, but I suspect those already inclined to agree with him will find his writing about destiny, God, and the good life quite moving. My weak rating reflects the fact that I didn't, not that I can't imagine anyone enjoying it more.