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War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy, Richard Pevear , Larissa Volokhonsky
by Leo Tolstoy, Richard Pevear , Larissa Volokhonsky
Julie's review
bookshelves: classic, best-of-2011, east-central-europe, historical-fiction, read-2011
Nov 07, 11
bookshelves: classic, best-of-2011, east-central-europe, historical-fiction, read-2011
Read from July 11 to November 06, 2011 — I own a copy
How does one review War and Peace. One does not. But one shall collect her thoughts and report back on the experience. Astonishing read.
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Reading Progress
| 07/11/2011 | "Well, here goes nothing. I don't intend to read it straight through; in fact, my reading deadline is December 31, 2011!" 4 comments | |||
| 07/17/2011 | page 298 |
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23.0% | "Volume I, completed. Time for a respite. Hugely entertaining, though the War strategery is tedious (battles good, though- the image of Napolean, standing on a hilltop above the fog is unforgettable)." |
| 08/07/2011 | page 503 |
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40.0% | "Of duels and Freemasons, of balls and wolf hunts, of gambling debts and death in childbirth, of love and indifference. Of extraordinary storytelling..." |
| 08/24/2011 | page 593 |
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47.0% | "Russian aristocracy embracing a sparkling, cozy winter. Divine on a hot summer's day." |
| 08/27/2011 | page 674 |
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53.0% | "Dawn has broken on 1812. Hearts have broken in Moscow. And I have broken the halfway mark. NOt that I'm counting. This is a delicious read." |
| 09/29/2011 | page 723 |
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57.0% | "Haven't spent quality time with Leo in a few weeks. I'm in between reads, so it appears we will be together for the weekend." |
| 11/05/2011 | page 955 |
|
75.0% | "The time has come to finish War and Peace once and for all. Let's roll, baby." |
Comments (showing 1-15 of 15) (15 new)
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Julie
(last edited Dec 19, 2010 08:26pm)
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rated it 5 stars
Dec 19, 2010 08:25pm
So, 2010 Monster Classic read was "The Magic Mountain"- which took me 4 months to plow through. At 706 pages, it's a bantam-weight, compared to my 2011 Monster Classic pick: War and Peace. I bought this edition over the weekend. Weighing in at 1273 pages, this is one hefty tome. I foresee weary wrists and a beleaguered brain. And I'd better get started by St Patrick's Day if I hope to finish it by year's end...
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Curiously enough, I am tentatively thinking of reading this next year too! A podcast I listen to, "Books on the Nightstand" is going to have a readalong starting in Feb. or March. I was intrigued, then I picked up the book. The length doesn't bother me, I'm just wondering if I will get totally bored. My copy had maps and teeny tiny print. But we've both read "A Suitable Boy," so what's another couple hundred pages! :-)
Chris- I will seek out the BOTN podcasts- if I'm not ready to follow along, at least I can save them for later. I'd love it if you joined me in this reading Odyssey!BTW, Here's some upcoming Great Big Sea dates for ya: Feb 15/11 - Tupelo Music Hall, White River Junction, VT
Feb 16/11 - Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT :D
Julie wrote: "Chris- I will seek out the BOTN podcasts- if I'm not ready to follow along, at least I can save them for later. I'd love it if you joined me in this reading Odyssey!BTW, Here's some upcoming Grea..."
Ok, I'm starting with Step 1. Putting the book on the nightstand! :-)) I actually had thought about reading "Anna Karinina" as my winter tome this year, since I love the story so.
Just looked at the calendar. Shoot! WRJ is about two hours away on the NH border, not a bad drive at all, yet it's a Tuesday night. But I have a feeling they may be making it to the Burlington area again, hopefuly soon!
I LOVED your solstice piece! I'm looking at the season with a whole different perspective now! :-)
Volume III Parts 1&2- extraordinary treatise on the nature of war in general and examination of War of 1812. I love this book. Love. Tolstoy is da man.
War and Peace and Joyce's Ulysses are on my book bucket list. I hope I get them read before my "end of times."
Jay wrote: "War and Peace and Joyce's Ulysses are on my book bucket list. I hope I get them read before my "end of times.""Jay, It's well worth the effort- a beautiful book. Though if you have an e-reader, you will be all the saner for it. I think I strained my rotator cuff reading this in bed ;-)
I need to start a "Monster Classic To Read" shelf and add "Ulysses"
Monster Classic for 2012: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Or possibly the Odyssey AND the Iliad. Just can't seem to get enough of war, it appears.
Jill wrote: "I haven't read it since grad school. I remember being entranced..."Would love to have taken this as part of a class. I started to add post-its to mark the passages I wanted to remember/refer back to, but it became too cluttered.
Believers have the Bible. Readers have Literature :)
Julie wrote: "Believers have the Bible. Readers have Literature."I wish there was a like button for this!
Julie,You’ve inspired me. I’ve been embarrassed for some time about this big hole in my education, never having read War and Peace. I’ve been intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the thing. But seeing so many raves, I need to get to it. So it’s official, I’m going to read War and Peace. As soon as I read the Iliad. I’ve had a copy of that one on my coffee table since October and it’s taken me nearly a week to get halfway through the introduction. So many books! (That’s what my pictograph on GR means, in case it’s too small to be clear: “So many books, so little time!” Or, expressed another way, “I’m reading as fast as I can!”) And yeah, what’s up with all the war stories? But it will be interesting to get an ancient Greek perspective, then a 19th century Russian perspective of something that, unfortunately, never goes away.
Thanks for the kick in the pants.
I was sitting here looking at the comments and I thought, Holy Cow! Julie finished WAR AND PEACE! And I didn't even congratulate her! We should be jumping up and down and throwing confetti! Julie, you've been persevering with this for so long, and it's a big accomplishment. YAY for Julie!
:-) It was physical journey almost as much as an intellectual, mental one. Seriously though, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, which opens up the whole huge question of translations. I think I had a very user-friendly, engaging version. There's just so much I know I missed or didn't take the time to think through. But I did it! Thank you for celebrating with me!!!
Suzanne wrote: "Julie,You’ve inspired me. I’ve been embarrassed for some time about this big hole in my education, never having read War and Peace. I’ve been intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the thing. Bu..."
Ah- just passing along all the inspiration I've found here.
I know, right? What is up with the war themes? It speaks to my inner turmoil.
I think in general I need to devote more time and effort to reading classics. I have huge holes in my own intellectual library/bibliographic experience. I'm with you- there just isn't enough time. A gorgeous conundrum to have.
