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kimthomp 's review for:
War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy
Oh my word, this book has everything! (It should, it's long enough.) You certainly have to live in this one because it takes a good long while to read. My advice is to not set it down for too long between reads or you will forget who is who among the many, many secondary characters. This was my problem as I put it aside for a few months a couple of times, and it was always a struggle to find the thread again.
You've got to admire a book that doesn't skimp on time and space to fully explore its ideas and characters, and there's a reason why War and Peace is perhaps the most famous of the really long reads. The interior worlds of the characters are so richly and insightfully explored, the characters themselves change and morph substantly over the years of the novel, and the social situations are rich with commentary and humour. (Yes! The book is devastatingly funny at times!) From the most intimate colourings of the human heart to the largest brushstrokes of historial events, this book has it all. I highly recommend you ambitious souls to dive in to this one - your efforts will be rewarded!
P.S. And when you are done, reward yourself further by watching the spectacular 1960s movie version - 7 hours of it - by Soviet filmmaker Sergey Bondarchuk. Stunning!
P.P.S. I now wish I'd read this before puzzling my way through Dr. Zhivago a couple of years ago. Zhivago would have made a lot more sense, as its themes, structure, and lessons are so reminiscent of the towering work of Tolstoy that preceded it.
You've got to admire a book that doesn't skimp on time and space to fully explore its ideas and characters, and there's a reason why War and Peace is perhaps the most famous of the really long reads. The interior worlds of the characters are so richly and insightfully explored, the characters themselves change and morph substantly over the years of the novel, and the social situations are rich with commentary and humour. (Yes! The book is devastatingly funny at times!) From the most intimate colourings of the human heart to the largest brushstrokes of historial events, this book has it all. I highly recommend you ambitious souls to dive in to this one - your efforts will be rewarded!
P.S. And when you are done, reward yourself further by watching the spectacular 1960s movie version - 7 hours of it - by Soviet filmmaker Sergey Bondarchuk. Stunning!
P.P.S. I now wish I'd read this before puzzling my way through Dr. Zhivago a couple of years ago. Zhivago would have made a lot more sense, as its themes, structure, and lessons are so reminiscent of the towering work of Tolstoy that preceded it.