War and Peace in Reading the Chunksters

Jun 12, 2021 Jaclyn~she lives! catching up on reviews~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, genre-historical, 1800, country-russia, authors-tolstoy

Our actions belong to us until they are past, and then they belong to history, shaping the present.

Whom the gods would destroy, they first drive insane.

From the introduction by Amy Mandelker -- "What was the book about? Was it a historical novel about the Napoleonic invasion of Russia? Was it a family chronicle about the Rostovs and Bolkonskys? Was it a social satire? A standard critical line emerged that divided War and Peace into three separate components – a philosophical essay, a family chr ...more

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

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

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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Dec 22, 2017 Andrea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-sorted

June 24, 2017:

"Было морозно и ясно. Над грязными, полутемными улицами, над черными крышами стояло темное звездное небо. Пьер, только глядя на небо, не чувствовал оскорбительной низости всего земного в сравнении с высотою, на которой находилась его душа. При въезде на Арбатскую площадь огромное пространство звездного темного неба открылось глазам Пьера. Почти в середине этого неба над Пречистенским бульваром, окруженная, обсыпанная со всех сторон звездами, но отличаясь от всех близостью к земле, June 24, 2017:

"Было морозно и ясно. Над грязными, полутемными улицами, над черными крышами стояло темное звездное небо. Пьер, только глядя на небо, не чувствовал оскорбительной низости всего земного в сравнении с высотою, на которой находилась его душа. При въезде на Арбатскую площадь огромное пространство звездного темного неба открылось глазам Пьера. Почти в середине этого неба над Пречистенским бульваром, окруженная, обсыпанная со всех сторон звездами, но отличаясь от всех близостью к земле, белым светом и длинным, поднятым кверху хвостом, стояла огромная яркая комета 1812-го года, та самая комета, которая предвещала, как говорили, всякие ужасы и конец света. Но в Пьере светлая звезда эта с длинным лучистым хвостом не возбуждала никакого страшного чувства. Напротив, Пьер радостно, мокрыми от слез глазами смотрел на эту светлую звезду, которая как будто, с невыразимой быстротой пролетев неизмеримые пространства по параболической линии, вдруг, как вонзившаяся стрела в землю, влепилась тут в одно избранное ею место на черном небе и остановилась, энергично подняв кверху хвост, светясь и играя своим белым светом между бесчисленными другими мерцающими звездами. Пьеру казалось, что эта звезда вполне отвечала тому, что было в его расцветшей к новой жизни, размягченной и ободренной душе."

What an incredible passage to conclude the first two volumes of the greatest novel ever written! So many interpretations can be formulated from the contrasting feelings of dread by the general public and Pierre's sudden inspiration upon seeing the comet of 1812. What is to happen next? We know that superstitious feeling of doom is to be proven correct soon, when Napoleon invades Russia once again in near future. But what is to come for Pierre?

Natasha, Natasha.... I really disliked her character at first because of her endless childishness, but it is her naïveté and tendency to follow her every changing mood with reckless abandon that gets her in a lot of trouble. Now I just feel very sorry for her, and I'm anxious to see how her destiny unfolds. Part V of Volume 2 is an incredible piece of melodrama done right. I'm so in love with Tolstoy's writing.

September 4, 2017:

I finally finished War and Peace!! That's an incredible feeling of accomplishment. Volumes 3 and 4 definitely contained many more war segments, compared to the previous two. Sometimes it was trying to get through them, but once in a while a brilliant scene would emerge and capture my attention once more (ie. Pierre as a French captive). I loved how Tolstoy brought one of the most famous Russian generals, Kutuzov, to life through his field strategy and defiant nature.

I'm a bit disappointed about Natasha's marriage in the end. (view spoiler) Contrary to popular opinion, I disliked Pierre very much. He was awkward and, frankly speaking, stupid, easily manipulated by all around him, and unable to think for himself. It was much more interesting to see the love triangle between Princess Maria, Nikolai, and Sonya unfold.

The epilogue was the most painful part, of course. Tolstoy just endlessly rambled on about his philosophical ideas, and it felt like it would never end.

However, all the human drama, so wonderfully and realistically captured in this book, made it absolutely worthwhile to persevere through the slow bits. 4.5 stars overall. ...more

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Jan 11, 2021 Nina rated it it was ok

Shelves: chunksters, bbc-book-challenge

Some books achieve such a special status in the Canon of Classic Literature that it feels almost presumptuous to review them; who am I, a mere mortal, to write down my thoughts about this great piece of literature? Have I even grasped all the themes and general profundities that Tolstoy put on display in this brick? Doesn't it require more than one reading to fully grasp and appreciate this astounding work of staggering genius?

The answers, of course, are: "my thoughts are just as valid as any ot Some books achieve such a special status in the Canon of Classic Literature that it feels almost presumptuous to review them; who am I, a mere mortal, to write down my thoughts about this great piece of literature? Have I even grasped all the themes and general profundities that Tolstoy put on display in this brick? Doesn't it require more than one reading to fully grasp and appreciate this astounding work of staggering genius?

The answers, of course, are: "my thoughts are just as valid as any other reader's", "no, I probably haven't" and "you can say that about most books, but I don't think it is more true for War and Peace than it is for Pride and Prejudice."

So, my thoughts:

a) It's long. It's also too long and the finishing chapters are boring.

b) Tolstoy's view of women doesn't impress me. I am not surprised by his misogyny and old-fashioned viewpoints, but he really doesn't come out well here. He says of Marya Bolkonskaya that it doesn't matter that she changes dresses or does her hair in a new way in order to look well - she is ugly and like a painting doesn't become prettier by changing the frame, a woman doesn't improve by changing her dress. She is ugly and that's that. Also, the role of women is to marry and have children. They are also jealous and unsteady, and the kind, self-sacrificing Sonya "isn't made to be loved." Again, I'm not surprised, but he hasn't aged well.

c) The characters aren't all that engaging. I love big books with lots of characters and storylines, but you need to be invested in them to make the book a joy to read. I don't get that with Tolstoy. His characters are two-dimensional and I don't care overmuch whether they live or die.

d) He is unashamedly biased. Of course he is on the Russians' side in the war against Napoleon, but his hatred of Napoleon and the French in general is showing. His bias is understandable and even forgivable, but he could have toned it down a bit. His dislike of Napoleon/the French borders on cruelty and a savage joy in their misfortune. He lacks subtlety when expressing his opinion, is what I am saying.

e) He is preachy and most of the book can be boiled down to: "If you find God, you'll find peace and joy and contentment in this life". I don't need that preachiness in my life, and if I do, I'll choose Victor Hugo to do the preaching, thank you very much. He does it better and his characters and plots are loads more interesting than Tolstoy's.

f) The BBC adaptation from 2016 is much better than the book.

g) For all the above, I never found myself so bored that I considered not finishing the book. I wasn't ever gripped by it, but I didn't hate it either. All the way through it was just very... mellow.

h) I did like the scenes set in burning Moscow, Pierre as a POW and the budding romance between Nikolai Rostov and Marya Bolkonskaya. Natasha was also fine. Andrei was boring but in my head he looked like James Norton so that made his scenes more interesting that they otherwise would have been.

I'm glad I've read it, but I am left with the same "meh" feeling I had after reading "Anna Karenina". No, that's a lie: "Anna Karenina" made me angry, I disliked the heroine and Levin so much. This one is better, but not good. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know. But I've read it and that's a sort of achievement in itself, right? And now I am never going to pick up any of Tolstoy's books again. Ever. ...more

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Nov 28, 2018 Kelsey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Part of me wants to drop from 5 stars down, but how dare I in the face of such a brilliant work? Yes, Epilogue 2 was crushingly dry and repetitive and wtf and honestly, pointless. Tolstoy bb what is u doin? Could you not have finished the novel after Epilogue Part 1 and just written the second part of the epilogue as something separate so it didn't feel mandatory to read that tedious philosophical polemic to have actually read the book? Free will doesn't really exist. Boom, all those pages summe ...more

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