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War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

Start date: April 1, 2018

Finish date: June 30, 2018

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What Members Thought

Oct 11, 2020 Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-trad-and-modern, books-i-own, 2020-read, russian-lit

I don't really know how to write a review of this book. I've lived with it for almost 3 months - 11 weeks/77 days of daily readings. I made myself a schedule so it wasn't an overwhelming task each day so every evening for the last 11 weeks I've sat and read about Pierre, Natasha, Andrey, Nicolas, Mary etc.
I think I'll miss them!
It's hard to describe this book - it's about life - love, life, family, friendship, philosophy, religion and of course war. Tolstoy takes us by the hand and show us Russi ...more

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Dec 08, 2023 Alexander rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, history

What to say that hasn't already been said. The status of this book is well deserved, and although it's extremely long, the only part the dragged were the last few chapters of the epilogue. Partly that's because the book is interspersed with Tolstoy's philosophical, and social tangents, the last few chapters of which are not insignificant. But we must oblige Tolstoy his contemporary tangents and thoughts because everything else in the novel is an extremely rich, and erudite exploration of human n What to say that hasn't already been said. The status of this book is well deserved, and although it's extremely long, the only part the dragged were the last few chapters of the epilogue. Partly that's because the book is interspersed with Tolstoy's philosophical, and social tangents, the last few chapters of which are not insignificant. But we must oblige Tolstoy his contemporary tangents and thoughts because everything else in the novel is an extremely rich, and erudite exploration of human nature, relationships, emotion, and our place in the wider world and broader history.

I laughed, I wept (a number of times), I gasped, I pounded my fist. Rarely can a novel elicit such varied, and regular physical outbursts, but Tolstoy's mastery of language, allows him to highlight things we all feel but have a hard time expressing in words. It's like shining a light on our innermost thoughts and expressions and being able to communicate those with an alarming clarity. There were times I had to just shut the book and breathe because a 19th century Russian author, dead for 150 years gave voice to things I've carried with me my whole life.

The spectrum of characters, the variety of settings, time, and so much more contribute to the book being truly epic. The flux between war/combat and peace/homefront has a nice cadence to it.

A word on the translation: Anthony Briggs did an incredible job. This was eminently readable, and had a significant amount of historical end notes, and additional material/maps explaining the military campaigns for those of us who don't have any knowledge of the Napoleonic Wars. There's a list of characters, and their relationships (and patronymics) so that launching into the book isn't difficult after a few pages of introductions.

I would choose to read Briggs' translations of any works that he had done over others, as it stands. His liberties with the way he converted Russian peasants to English west country accents, and common soldiers/serfs to cockney style accents made the book very approachable and familiar as an Englishman. Although that in and of itself is a social commentary that Briggs makes, rather than Tolstoy, obviously.

Whilst it took me a calendar year to read, it took only four months of actual dedicated reading to complete (I had a half year reading slump).

10/10 would recommend. ...more

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