Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Full of philosophy, War and Peace is written beautifully by Leo Tolstoy--a genius writer. At times of war and then after are ideal times to think of the meaning of life and what are we doing to make this time on earth enjoyable. Each character is described in sufficient detail. I especially liked getting to know Pierre. After years of starting and stopping, I'm glad I finally finished this classic.
I read this in a Russian Lit course and I'm not sure how I would have done on my own. Having the professor there to guide me through it helped the experience, as this is a big book with a lot going on. It was nice to have a guide.
Second attempt, made it 80% through about 6 years ago...
4.5 ⭐
Listened via a BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the book. Was always put off reading the book due to the commonly used phrase 'what are you writing? war and peace'. The book isn't even that long for modern standards!
Can see now why Leo Tolstoy's books are held in high regard. Bridgerton-esque mixed with battle retellings and historical war intrigue and complicated relationships. This book gave me so many feels.
Occasionally found myself getting the characters mixed up, will definitely reread a physical copy and see if I can follow the characters more accurately and get more from the story.
Listened via a BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the book. Was always put off reading the book due to the commonly used phrase 'what are you writing? war and peace'. The book isn't even that long for modern standards!
Can see now why Leo Tolstoy's books are held in high regard. Bridgerton-esque mixed with battle retellings and historical war intrigue and complicated relationships. This book gave me so many feels.
Occasionally found myself getting the characters mixed up, will definitely reread a physical copy and see if I can follow the characters more accurately and get more from the story.
It's War and Peace, I can't say anything about it that hasn't already been said. Tolstoy's writing is economical and the book is long not because he wastes time (though I could have done without his philosophizing, which, unlike the fictional sections, is repetitive and does not contain any ideas that will be new to somebody who has taken a collegiate history course) but because he has a lot of material to cover. The most impressive aspect of War and Peace in comparison to other works of literature is Tolstoy's ability to portray happiness, sadness, and angst all at once and within the same characters without any of them seeming affected.
The Penguin Classics edition that I read is good and has a sufficient but not overwhelming number of endnotes which should have been footnotes. Briggs' translation is natural and unpretentious. The evidence of it being a good translation is that magazine "critics" dislike it. My one nitpick is that in a long book like this, a real table of contents would be very helpful, and as usual it is absent. Still, it is a fine edition.
The Penguin Classics edition that I read is good and has a sufficient but not overwhelming number of endnotes which should have been footnotes. Briggs' translation is natural and unpretentious. The evidence of it being a good translation is that magazine "critics" dislike it. My one nitpick is that in a long book like this, a real table of contents would be very helpful, and as usual it is absent. Still, it is a fine edition.
Some seasons in the lives of the characters in this book nearly take on the quality of memories.
If you're considering reading it don't be daunted - it moves along well.
If you're considering reading it don't be daunted - it moves along well.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No