From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

Start date: March 1, 2024

Finish date: August 31, 2024

Discussion: LONG READS

Why we're reading this: March to August 2024 - Read-A-Long

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What Members Thought

Apr 05, 2020 Laurel Bradshaw rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: translations, kindle, ebooks-owned, color-rating-blue, classics, 19th-century, nook, russia, napoleonic-wars, chunky-monsters

Despite the length of this classic, it is surprisingly readable. The characters are just so marvelously described and developed. Yes, there's a lot of extra sometimes tedious exposition and interpolation of Tolstoy's philosophies, which kept me from giving it a purple or gold star. My sister asked me "What is it about?" and I struggled to give her a brief answer. But this summary from Penguin Random House is as good as any: "War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 Despite the length of this classic, it is surprisingly readable. The characters are just so marvelously described and developed. Yes, there's a lot of extra sometimes tedious exposition and interpolation of Tolstoy's philosophies, which kept me from giving it a purple or gold star. My sister asked me "What is it about?" and I struggled to give her a brief answer. But this summary from Penguin Random House is as good as any: "War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men. As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature." And even more briefly, I suppose I would say it is about the search for spirituality and meaning. People go through life, and things happen, and they make choices, and they change.

Reading update (April 2020): I've abandoned my Barnes and Noble Classics edition in favor of this Oxford World's Classics edition. Both translated by the Maudes, but this edition restores the French language passages (with translation) and the Russian forms of names. And I think this editor has made some changes with the dialects too. I'll have to compare some passages. I reset the date started to today - I wasn't so far that I couldn't start over. I also have the Pevear translation and I may or may not keep reading that one alongside. That makes a lot of extra reading! My problem with the Pevear is that on the Kobo version I bought long ago, there are two sets of footnotes and one of them is not highlighted, which means going back and forth in a convoluted manner and it's very annoying. I do like the translation though.

Reading update (January 2021): Reading the epilogues, I am particular struck by how current Tolstoy's comments are. I could draw multiple parallels between our political situation here in the U.S. following the election, the insurrection attempt, the divide between Trumpism and the truth. Not hard to replace Napoleon with Trump in his analysis.

Description of this edition: Published to coincide with the centenary of Tolstoy's death, here is an exciting new edition of one of the great literary works of world literature. Tolstoy's epic masterpiece captures with unprecedented immediacy the broad sweep of life during the Napoleonic wars and the brutal invasion of Russia. Balls and soir�es, the burning of Moscow, the intrigues of statesmen and generals, scenes of violent battles, the quiet moments of everyday life--all in a work whose extraordinary imaginative power has never been surpassed. The Maudes' translation of Tolstoy's epic masterpiece has long been considered the best English version, and now for the first time it has been revised to bring it fully into line with modern approaches to the text. French passages are restored, Anglicization of Russian names removed, and outmoded expressions updated. A new introduction by Amy Mandelker considers the novel's literary and historical context, the nature of the work, and Tolstoy's artistic and philosophical aims. New, expanded notes provide historical background and identifications, as well as insight into Russian life and society. ...more

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Feb 08, 2016 Amanda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, 5-stars-aren-t-enough

Some preliminary thoughts:
So now what? I'm finished with this book but I'm not, or it's not finished with me. I read the last page and put the book on the shelf, and I miss it. I miss seeing it on my nightstand, on my coffee table, and on the passenger seat of my car. I was struck earlier today by the depressing thought that I've probably just finished the best book I'll ever read in my life and that it's all down hill from here. lol ...more

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Apr 03, 2023 Ketutar Jensen rated it liked it · review of another edition

"Once she had a talk with her friend Natásha about Sónya and about her own injustice towards her.
‘You know,’ said Natásha, ‘you have read the Gospels a great deal – there is a passage in them that just fits Sónya.’
“What?’ asked Countess Mary, surprised.
“‘To him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away.” You remember? She is one that hath not; why, I don’t know. Perhaps she lacks egotism, I don’t know, but from her is taken away, and everything has been taken aw

"Once she had a talk with her friend Natásha about Sónya and about her own injustice towards her.
‘You know,’ said Natásha, ‘you have read the Gospels a great deal – there is a passage in them that just fits Sónya.’
“What?’ asked Countess Mary, surprised.
“‘To him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away.” You remember? She is one that hath not; why, I don’t know. Perhaps she lacks egotism, I don’t know, but from her is taken away, and everything has been taken away. Sometimes I am dreadfully sorry for her. Formerly I very much wanted Nicholas to marry her, but I always had a sort of presentiment that it would not come off. She is a sterile flower, you know – like some strawberry blossoms. Sometimes I am sorry for her, and sometimes I think she doesn’t feel it as you or I would.’
Though Countess Mary told Natásha that those words in the Gospel must be understood differently, yet looking at Sónya she agreed with Natásha’s explanation. It really seemed that Sónya did not feel her position trying, and had grown quite reconciled to her lot as a sterile flower. She seemed to be fond not so much of individuals as of the family as a whole. Like a cat, she had attached herself not to the people but to the home. She waited on the old countess, petted and spoiled the children, was always ready to render the small services for which she had a gift, and all this was unconsciously accepted from her with insufficient gratitude."

You see, Sonya is poor, so she doesn't have any feelings.

This book is mostly about Pierre Bezukhov, his thoughts, adventures, friends and marriages, and about the war with France. That bit is OK. What is not OK is Natasha. She is a f-ing spoiled drama queen. In this book she manages to fall "unconditionally and irrevocably" in love with three different guys, get engaged four times before she's 20, get her heart "unconditionally and irrevocably" broken 2 times, tries to kill herself because of it, and everyone loves her, tries to save her, coddle her, comfort her... and... I just hate her. I f-ing hate her!

After having read this book I am convinced Tolstoy didn't much like women.
...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Genevieve rated it did not like it

Listened to the abridged version on CD. How dull and ridiculous. I wonder if the full version is better, but I can't see how. There's a bunch of subplots and nothing of real consequence happens. So many mindless details with no point to having them. ...more

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