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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Perhaps the greatest novel ever written, reaching beyond the liberal/individualist trappings of the novel form and producing a theory of history and human action, not too far removed from the materialism of the new Hegelians. The novel's dramatic components are great too, of course: the characters, setting, narrative execution, spectacular adaptation of historical events. But what sets War and Peace apart is its philosophical musings later on in the book, where it pulls the reader away from the narrative to consider the difficult of narrativization as such.
Why did he have to go on and on about his theory of history?! I enjoyed the characters and their narratives and would have given this a 4 if there was less on what is history.
There were parts of this book that I found profound and meaningful, but for the first 2/3 of the book I had a hard time being interested in the characters or appreciating the significance that I'm sure was there, but just not for me; at least not this time.
Apparently Tolstoy once wrote to Afanasy Fet that he was glad not to have to write such wordy nonsense like War and Peace anymore. For my part I am glad I do not have to read such wordy nonsense anymore.
I was really excited about this book when I started it. I started it as part of the reddit group /r/ayearofwarandpeace, albeit a month late in February. No worries, though: I was enjoying it and reading the chapter discussions and the accompanying Medium posts diligently. I was even ahead of schedule for a while.
But I just couldn’t keep it up. The book started to lose my interest about halfway through, probably about the time the “war” bits pick up and the novel shifts to discussing battles and military strategy much more. I ended up putting it down for six months, and when I picked it up again I was never as diligent about outside readings and really just wanted to finish it. To paraphrase another review, I read classics out of a sense of obligation and finishing them is like climbing a mountain (it’s not always enjoyable but I gain a sense of accomplishment from doing it), and I think that is what pushed me through to the end. I really wanted to enjoy this experience, but it became a chore by the end of it and I am happy to be done with it.
Anyway, this book hasn’t put me off Tolstoy altogether, as I still have Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich on my TBR list. Tolstoy himself seemed to like the latter better than War and Peace, so I’m hoping I will as well.
I was really excited about this book when I started it. I started it as part of the reddit group /r/ayearofwarandpeace, albeit a month late in February. No worries, though: I was enjoying it and reading the chapter discussions and the accompanying Medium posts diligently. I was even ahead of schedule for a while.
But I just couldn’t keep it up. The book started to lose my interest about halfway through, probably about the time the “war” bits pick up and the novel shifts to discussing battles and military strategy much more. I ended up putting it down for six months, and when I picked it up again I was never as diligent about outside readings and really just wanted to finish it. To paraphrase another review, I read classics out of a sense of obligation and finishing them is like climbing a mountain (it’s not always enjoyable but I gain a sense of accomplishment from doing it), and I think that is what pushed me through to the end. I really wanted to enjoy this experience, but it became a chore by the end of it and I am happy to be done with it.
Anyway, this book hasn’t put me off Tolstoy altogether, as I still have Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich on my TBR list. Tolstoy himself seemed to like the latter better than War and Peace, so I’m hoping I will as well.
adventurous
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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
So much easier to read than I expected. Tolstoy switches between personal stories and descriptions of the wars in Russia - by the end of the novel those war sections start getting repetitive and tedious, in my opinion. It's certainly long but by no means impossible, and the characters remain interesting throughout.
Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky
I still like it as much as when I read it over 25 years ago, but I just didn't have the time to stick with it.
I still like it as much as when I read it over 25 years ago, but I just didn't have the time to stick with it.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
leo tolstoy i’ve always been familiar with your game