Reviews

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

huh_what's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

fakk3uzi's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Es inclasificable y voy a tener que releerlo. El tema de fondo es la voluntad individual y su influjo en los acontecimientos, pero hay tantas cosas… Lo recomiendo a quien se anime a leerlo

kateandherlibrary's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jasminh's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 My favourite quote that I never expected to read in this book is: 
' You shameless little hussy'.  Loved this. 
This book is like an antique version of 'Love Island'. The drama around everyone's relationships and popularity is very entertaining. 
I'm absolutely furious that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I started reading this book to prove my husband wrong, as he said I would never read it. I didn't want to like it, but it is so good! I irritatingly want to read it again at some point in the VERY DISTANT future. 
The book is surprisingly funny, and easier to read that you would think. The epilogue 2 is terrible! It is genuinely like Tolstoy is testing you to see if you have the sheer will and determination to actually finish the book. Those 50 pages will feel like a slow descent into madness and you will hate every second of it. 
Apart from the epilogue 2, this book was amazing, and I would 100% recommend. 

diecryread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Had me sobbing like a baby at the death of Princess Maria’s father. Excellent character study. Tolstoy masters the nuances of relationships, hope, and love. Worth the effort and time to read for sure. 

kas_1's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

naemi's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

sonofatreus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The first time I read War and Peace was some 15 years ago. That summer, before my junior year of college, I read W&P in 12 days, doing pretty much nothing but reading (and selling Dippin’ Dots at county fairs). The next fall, I read my first Dostoevsky. By the spring, I was in a Russian literature class. To say that W&P impressed me would be an understatement. 

 

That said, the only quote I remember from my firs time reading it is, “Pierre was right when he said that one must believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy, and I now believe in it. Let the dead bury the dead, but while I'm alive, I must live and be happy.” Beyond that, I remember it more in terms of scenes and sentiments. 

 

I remember Pierre’s existential dread and his flirting with becoming a Mason. I remember Natasha and her romantic development. I remember Napoleon — that genius Napoleon — being really nothing more than a lucky POS. I forgot Denisov, and his speech impediment, which really threw me when I started reading W&P again. 

 

On this read, what struck me was 1) how effectively Tolstoy renders characters’ thoughts/feelings, and 2) just how much detail he gives to seemingly everything. Now, this isn’t some novelistic version of Synecdoche, New York or anything, it’s just that Tolstoy has a remarkable talent for directing the reader’s attention where and when he wants. Part of that may be, simply, because he has so many stinkin’ characters (the count I saw was 580), so he can “easily” jump from POV to POV when needed. But it’s more than that. He often takes big, sweeping views of his world and its history. 

 

Now, as far as Tolstoy’s version of history goes, I’m not a historian of the period by any stretch. I’ve read one or two histories even remotely related; none published before Tolstoy. I don’t have any real sense of whether his assessments (and correctives) hold any serious weight or if he’s setting up and knocking down straw men. That said, I can understand him and appreciate him enough to see that he really, deeply hates the Great Man theory of history, as well as the scientific understanding of military strategy. For each, he argues that there is too much unknown — too much X variable, basically — to speak definitively. We don’t really know what caused certain momentous events or outcomes on the battlefield. We can only make approximations and speak in overly simplistic terms. That genius, Napoleon, is his favorite target, since he made several tactical blunders but doesn’t get the blame for them. 

 

That brings me back to my first big observation on this read: Tolstoy loves to sit in his characters’ heads and present for the reader plausible thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Even when he may have disagreed with the idea (like the Masons and their whole schtick), it’s nevertheless easy to understand why Pierre might be tempted by them. Or at the end, when God becomes a motivating factor for some characters, it doesn’t read as preachy (to me) but revelatory to those characters. 

 

I hate to say it, but I loved reading W&P so much here that I almost, kind of, a little bit want to try Anna Karenina again. I really didn’t enjoy reading that one, and apparently Tolstoy didn’t love writing either, so I hope I don’t. W&P, on the other, is much more enjoyable (and easier) to read than its reputation may let on. Sure, Charlie Brown has to write a book report for it overnight, but the only challenge there is reading it that fast. It’s easily readable in a couple months (or weeks). And once you get going, the thoughts come easy. 

 

   

sohva's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

That was an experience! It obviously took me some time to get familiar with the relevant characters, and I still occasionally needed to remind myself of how they were related. Many parts of the book were quite slow, but when things get interesting, I really cared of what was going to happen. There are some beautiful meditations on life too.

Valitettavasti Gutenbergistä löytynyt käännös oli aika kömpelö. Saatan lukea tämän uudestaan eri käännöksenä.

micaela173's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5