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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
A tough read to start with, a lot of characters to get my head round but I did start to really enjoy it and looked forward to picking it up each time. I'm glad I stuck with it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
just finished the second volume of French 1964 Livre de Poche edition. It is less of a classic than the first one, less finished, more raw material. the epilogue is the most curious thing, the first part being Tolstoy's La Nouvelle Eloise, the second part a dissertation in the philosophy of history. The characters thread let's itself be seen throughout.
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Too much war! And if I’m honest, there was also too much peace.
War and Peace TL:DR - probably the longest Napoleon hate-mail ever written.
Whenever people asked what book I was reading at the moment, and I said War and Peace, they all - without fail - replied with the same shock horror. Like a lot of classic books of this age and size, they seem to have a reputation for being slow, dry and ponderous. I was therefore very surprised that I found War and Peace to be not only the greatest novel I’ve ever read, but an absolute page-turner that I could not put down. I devoured this book largely over the course of a month, often reading hundreds of pages in a day. I really connected with this novel and its characters and was sad to see its end. It was an absolute pleasure to grow close to these characters, to see their lives develop as they are swept along the tide of history. The novel is not structured in the traditional sense, being historical fiction - we are not waiting for Tolstoy to invent 1400 pages of unique situations for our characters to experience, but rather watching them change (for better or worse) as people as time and history marches over them. This makes the novel flow fantastically and it doesn't really grow dull after an admittedly slow opening.
The prose is immaculate, seeming simplistic on the surface but in reality hiding deep and meaningful themes. There were so many profound passages in this book that reflected the human soul in interesting and unique ways. I can’t really do justice to the scope and genius (though Tolstoy hates that word) of this book - its value has been long since cemented in the history of literature. All I can say is that I adored it.
My only criticism, which seems to be a common one, is that the second epilogue is rather ponderous and deflating. It is certainly interesting but does not follow a consistent throughline as a great essay should, and ends rather abruptly. This is rather an anticlimactic way to end the book, considering we have already said goodbye to our characters in the previous epilogue.
Regardless, this book is undoubtedly a masterpiece and I look forward to returning to it in future.
Whenever people asked what book I was reading at the moment, and I said War and Peace, they all - without fail - replied with the same shock horror. Like a lot of classic books of this age and size, they seem to have a reputation for being slow, dry and ponderous. I was therefore very surprised that I found War and Peace to be not only the greatest novel I’ve ever read, but an absolute page-turner that I could not put down. I devoured this book largely over the course of a month, often reading hundreds of pages in a day. I really connected with this novel and its characters and was sad to see its end. It was an absolute pleasure to grow close to these characters, to see their lives develop as they are swept along the tide of history. The novel is not structured in the traditional sense, being historical fiction - we are not waiting for Tolstoy to invent 1400 pages of unique situations for our characters to experience, but rather watching them change (for better or worse) as people as time and history marches over them. This makes the novel flow fantastically and it doesn't really grow dull after an admittedly slow opening.
The prose is immaculate, seeming simplistic on the surface but in reality hiding deep and meaningful themes. There were so many profound passages in this book that reflected the human soul in interesting and unique ways. I can’t really do justice to the scope and genius (though Tolstoy hates that word) of this book - its value has been long since cemented in the history of literature. All I can say is that I adored it.
My only criticism, which seems to be a common one, is that the second epilogue is rather ponderous and deflating. It is certainly interesting but does not follow a consistent throughline as a great essay should, and ends rather abruptly. This is rather an anticlimactic way to end the book, considering we have already said goodbye to our characters in the previous epilogue.
Regardless, this book is undoubtedly a masterpiece and I look forward to returning to it in future.
Finalmente!
Aunque las interrupciones ensayísticas de Tolstoi son muy atrapantes, sí sentía que me distraían de la trama. Mucho contexto, muchos personajes y muchas ideas que la convierten sin duda en una obra maestra.
Anna Karenina se mantiene como mi novela preferida pero Pedro, Natacha y Andrés hallaron un lugar permanente en mi corazón.
Aunque las interrupciones ensayísticas de Tolstoi son muy atrapantes, sí sentía que me distraían de la trama. Mucho contexto, muchos personajes y muchas ideas que la convierten sin duda en una obra maestra.
Anna Karenina se mantiene como mi novela preferida pero Pedro, Natacha y Andrés hallaron un lugar permanente en mi corazón.
Surprisingly relatable content on love, family, dating and violence
This was my summer holiday read 'tho it took a week more than that. Did I enjoy it? Largely, and no skipping. But I find Tolstoy's heroines a bit witless and the heroes over privileged and naive. There are, of course, some great set pieces. I shall give long classics a rest for a while.
I can't do it. The writing is terribly mediocre and I simply don't have the time or energy to keep going.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes