War and Peace (Signet Classics)
by Leo Tolstoy
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Book Summary Information
Author: Leo TolstoyTranslator: Ann Dunnigan
Introduction: John Bayley
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); Russian (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1968-08-01
ISBN: 0451523261
Number of pages: 1456
Publisher: Signet Classics
Book Reviews of War and Peace (Signet Classics)
Book Review: It was great until the last 40 pages
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many books that one is led to believe are great books and classics beyond reproach even before one has actually read those books. This is one of those books that manages to live up to the hype, whose reputation as an undisputed classic is well-earned instead of just being something that generations have been indoctrinated into believing is great without any real supporting evidence. I'm sorry it took me so long to finally read it, but whatever your age when you read it, it's still one of those books that makes you grown-up, at least intellectually, and when you finish reading it, you finally understand why so many other people have been singing its praises for so long. I was left too exhausted to read much of anything for some time after the 19 days I spent reading it, it was that much of an investment of time and emotion. It is THE book among books, simply put.
This novel emcompasses so many different characters and storylines it's really hard to summarise it neatly and tersely. It truly lives up to the title, though I personally liked the parts set in peacetime or at the homefront during wartime over the battle scenes. Yet for all the characters we're presented with to digest, the great majority of them are aristocrats or of the Royal Family, being princes, princesses, counts, countesses, and other titled people. They are also more French than Russian, which is surprising given the level of hostility towards Napoleon and the French; it only becomes dangerous and illegal in 1812 to be caught speaking French. Many of these people speak French easier and more fluently than they speak Russian, though they firmly consider themselves Russian and are very patriotric towards their nation's side in the Napoleonic wars. My favourite character was Pierre all of the way; you can just picture this comical figure with his huge red hands, increasingly stouter body, spectacles, waddling walk, incredibly tall, long hair, a very hot temper, unafraid to speak his mind no matter whose company he's in, and horrible social graces. This book is so well-written that I really felt strongly for all of the major characters, whether I loved or hated them, whether I liked their actions or despised them; the characters are that incredibly real. As much as I loved Pierre, I despised the old Prince Bolkonskiy, and barely thought better of his overly religious and forgiving daughter Mariya and Pierre's annoying and smug wife Helene. I was hoping that the old Prince would lose the few marbles he had left and ride off to war when Napoleon invaded in 1812 and die in battle, I hated him so much.
The book was going great, with only a few less-interesting moments (like the hunting chapters), but what ruined my formerly totally uninterupted enjoyment was Part II of the Epilogue. (Just like in AK, the final two parts of this book would have made more sense and been a more appropriate end had they been switched around too.) Tolstoy rambles on and on about God knows what; I soon lost track of what he was going on about. It was by far the longest and most boring part of the book for me; it was like he didn't know when to call it quits. It had nothing to do with anything that had happened in the previous 1400+ pages; at least the chapters that had discussed the course of history, why so and so won a certain battle, or why that battle was fought in the first place actually were relevant, since they were about the historical figures in the book. It contributes nothing to the novel, and takes away its formerly unsullied brilliance. And a lot of Tolstoy's theories about history are now just plain dated; the social science of history has come a long way since 1869. Evolution is now an accepted scientific fact instead of a brand-new theory that most people didn't believe, and well-off white Christian men no longer own history as they did in 1869. I'm going to skip that whole section when I reread it. Still, in spite of the final 40 pages, the book has well earned its stellar reputation.
Summary of War and Peace (Signet Classics)
Details the invasion of Russia by Napoleon and his army.Classics Books
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