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0aliceinbookland0's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
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
5.0
bruinuclafan's review against another edition
5.0
What is this book about? The question every one of my friends asked during the two months I devoured Tolstoy's legendary tome. The answer is clear is my mind but hard to put into words. More than anything else, War and Peace is about life and love. It's about being human and humanity itself. It's about society and interpersonal relations. It's about seeing the world from many perspectives. It's about truth.
Here are some of my favorite truth bombs:
"A Frenchman is self-assured because he regards himself personally, both in mind and body, as irresistibly attractive to men and woman. An Englishman is self-assured, as being a citizen of the best-organized state in the world, and therefore as an Englishman always knows what he should do and knows that all he does as an Englishman is undoubtedly correct. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets himself and other people. A Russian is self-assured because he knows nothing and does not want to know anything, since he does not believe that anything can be known. The German's self-assurance is worst of all, stronger and more repulsive than any other, because he imagines that he knows the truth--science--which he himself has invented but which for him is the absolute truth."
"At the approach of danger there are always two voices that speak with equal power in the human soul: one very reasonably tells a man to consider the nature of the danger and the means of escaping it; the other, still more reasonably, says that it is too depressing and painful to think of the danger, since it is not in man's power to foresee everything and avert the general course of events, and it is therefore better to disregard what is painful till it comes, and to think about what is pleasant. In solitude a man generally listens to the first voice, but in society to the second."
"As is often the case with those gifted with an ardent imagination, though he had long known that Moscow would be abandoned he knew it only with his intellect, he did not believe it in his heart and did not adapt himself mentally to this new position of affairs."
"In historic events the rule forbidding us to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is specially applicable. Only unconscious action bears fruit, and he who plays a part in an historic event never understands its significance. If he tries to realize it his efforts are fruitless."
"Let us imagine two men who have come out to fight a duel with rapiers according to all the rules of the art of fencing. The fencing has gone on for some time; suddenly one of the combatants, feeling himself wounded and understanding that the matter is no joke but concerns his life, throws down his rapier, and seizing the first cudgel that comes to hand begins to brandish it. Then let us imagine that the combatant who so sensibly employed the best and simplest means to attain his end was at the same time influenced by traditions of chivalry and, desiring to conceal the facts of the case, insisted that he had gained his victory with the rapier according to all the rules of art. One can imagine what confusion and obscurity would result from such an account of the duel.
The fencer who demanded a contest according to the rules of fencing was the French army; his opponent who threw away the rapier and snatched up the cudgel was the Russian people; those who try to explain the matter according to the rules of fencing are the historians who have described the event."
"Countess Mary listened to her husband and understood all that he told her. She knew that when he thought aloud in this way he would sometimes ask her what he had been saying, and be vexed if he noticed that she had been thinking about something else. But she had to force herself to attend, for what he was saying did not interest her at all. She looked at him and did not think, but felt, about something different. She felt a submissive tender love for this man who would never understand all that she understood, and this seemed to make her love for him still stronger and added a touch of passionate tenderness."
The first 300 pages or so set the stage: Tolstoy introduces most of the characters and their backstories. From there, it's all "downhill." I'll never forget these characters as long as I live. Captain Denisov and his lisp is a literary achievement in and of himself.
I won't go on about a book that thousands have already written, but one additional place where Tolstoy really shines is depicting the positive side of the human emotional spectrum in a completely non-sexual way. Joy, happiness, familial relations, the pleasure of interpersonal relations--Tolstoy shows just how far these emotions can go. I'd like to import some of that into my own experience.
And nothing--NOTHING--can top the experience of imagining a Hussar yelling "HURRAH" with his brothers-in-arms before taking the field of battle.
Here are some of my favorite truth bombs:
"A Frenchman is self-assured because he regards himself personally, both in mind and body, as irresistibly attractive to men and woman. An Englishman is self-assured, as being a citizen of the best-organized state in the world, and therefore as an Englishman always knows what he should do and knows that all he does as an Englishman is undoubtedly correct. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets himself and other people. A Russian is self-assured because he knows nothing and does not want to know anything, since he does not believe that anything can be known. The German's self-assurance is worst of all, stronger and more repulsive than any other, because he imagines that he knows the truth--science--which he himself has invented but which for him is the absolute truth."
"At the approach of danger there are always two voices that speak with equal power in the human soul: one very reasonably tells a man to consider the nature of the danger and the means of escaping it; the other, still more reasonably, says that it is too depressing and painful to think of the danger, since it is not in man's power to foresee everything and avert the general course of events, and it is therefore better to disregard what is painful till it comes, and to think about what is pleasant. In solitude a man generally listens to the first voice, but in society to the second."
"As is often the case with those gifted with an ardent imagination, though he had long known that Moscow would be abandoned he knew it only with his intellect, he did not believe it in his heart and did not adapt himself mentally to this new position of affairs."
"In historic events the rule forbidding us to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is specially applicable. Only unconscious action bears fruit, and he who plays a part in an historic event never understands its significance. If he tries to realize it his efforts are fruitless."
"Let us imagine two men who have come out to fight a duel with rapiers according to all the rules of the art of fencing. The fencing has gone on for some time; suddenly one of the combatants, feeling himself wounded and understanding that the matter is no joke but concerns his life, throws down his rapier, and seizing the first cudgel that comes to hand begins to brandish it. Then let us imagine that the combatant who so sensibly employed the best and simplest means to attain his end was at the same time influenced by traditions of chivalry and, desiring to conceal the facts of the case, insisted that he had gained his victory with the rapier according to all the rules of art. One can imagine what confusion and obscurity would result from such an account of the duel.
The fencer who demanded a contest according to the rules of fencing was the French army; his opponent who threw away the rapier and snatched up the cudgel was the Russian people; those who try to explain the matter according to the rules of fencing are the historians who have described the event."
"Countess Mary listened to her husband and understood all that he told her. She knew that when he thought aloud in this way he would sometimes ask her what he had been saying, and be vexed if he noticed that she had been thinking about something else. But she had to force herself to attend, for what he was saying did not interest her at all. She looked at him and did not think, but felt, about something different. She felt a submissive tender love for this man who would never understand all that she understood, and this seemed to make her love for him still stronger and added a touch of passionate tenderness."
The first 300 pages or so set the stage: Tolstoy introduces most of the characters and their backstories. From there, it's all "downhill." I'll never forget these characters as long as I live. Captain Denisov and his lisp is a literary achievement in and of himself.
I won't go on about a book that thousands have already written, but one additional place where Tolstoy really shines is depicting the positive side of the human emotional spectrum in a completely non-sexual way. Joy, happiness, familial relations, the pleasure of interpersonal relations--Tolstoy shows just how far these emotions can go. I'd like to import some of that into my own experience.
And nothing--NOTHING--can top the experience of imagining a Hussar yelling "HURRAH" with his brothers-in-arms before taking the field of battle.
james_forster's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
josh_fosse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Weird book. Tolstoy himself didn't consider it a novel, and it's easy to see why.
susi_sorglos's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This would have never gone past an editor nowadays
sokhiengtim's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I made it as finish after I'd read study guide. I was definitely struggling with characters and story line. I couldn't bear myself the boredom while I was reading this book. I will read it again when my English proficiency is strongest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
spenkevich's review against another edition
5.0
The holidays always remind me of this book and the snow falling out my window onto the trees is the perfect backdrop for thinking about everything that goes on in Tolstoy's big epic. When I finished this book I found myself missing the characters as one would a friend. It's been a decade now and they haven't called, so maybe I should pick this up and visit them again. A pretty much perfect book, Tolstoy brings his narrative to life from so many angles and opinions that you feel like you've been there, lived with this characters and, in turn, become part of the the epic yourself.
matte_babygirl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
War and Peace is probably not what you were expecting unless you’ve learned a lot about the book before you’ve started. This was not some tremendous slog but actually a quite engrossing book that has its moments of feeling like a page turner. It manages to produce a very comprehensive retelling of the historical events surrounding Russia’s role in the Napoleonic Wars with a pinnacle of its invasion and burning of Moscow. The depth of the non-fictional parts of the book and their impressive accuracy for a book written in 1869, combined with the extremely detailed psychological and varied fictional character developments are truly what make it unique and worth of being called a masterpiece. It has a very interesting context, written at a time by “Count Lev Tolstoy” at a time when Russia has just finally emancipated its serfs having the same rights as american slaves and comprising 38pct of the population. While I was reading the book, I felt it failed to humanize anyone who was not a member of the nobility and didn’t add much of a critique to the brutal social hierarchy of Russia. Tolstoys perspective was clearly limited being a part of this nobility himself. Reading the critique of the novel afterwards it seems there was an intelligentsia and/or lefter wing of society who also felt at the time this was the book’s failing. Consequently, the depictions of the nobility as being real people with real faults also seemed to irk the conservative society at the time. Perhaps the mark of a great masterpiece is something that upsets the most amount of people whilst still influencing a profound awe.
stardustnia's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0