Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give it a go...and keep on going!!, 27 Mar 2007
War and Peace is my favourite novel, bar none! It took me several attempts to read it from start to finish, but it more than rewards the effort. It is a work of understated genius, astute characterisation, and profound insight into what makes us human. Tolstoy's canvas is Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, and more partcularly the life experiences of those who lived before, during, and after the Napoleonic wars with Russia. Rather than inhibiting the appeal of the novel, this setting allows Tolstoy to explore the human condition through the highs and lows of his characters.
Rather than bore you with a plot synopsis or my fairly uninteresting insights, here are some encouragements for those who have an ambition to read War and Peace, or who have started but are flagging in the journey:
1. Don't be put off by the huge amount of characters introduced at the beginning of the novel. This is a little like entering a room full of strangers, and you can feel a little overwhelmed. Eventually, however, you will get to know a small group very intimately, and will be able to recognise them the further you read. A little like life really!!
2. Don't let the dimensions of the book put you off. Perhaps you should read sections (it is divided into four books and an epilogue, which might be a good serialisation).
3. Read other shorter books at the same time, just to remind yourself that you have the capacity to finish things you begin.
4. Go to forums and websites where others are engaged in reading it from start to finish.
5. Know that the further you get into War and Peace the better and more deep it becomes. It is a book which demands effort, but abundantly rewards it's reader. Tolstoy's opus literally changes the way you view the world.
I trust that this is of some help to those who are either wavering or flagging over War and Peace...
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The force that moves nations, 25 Aug 2008
(contains spoilers)
There are two themes in War and Peace: one is "What is the force that moves nations", in other words what causes historical events to take place, the motivation that drives all humans; and the second is the particular focussing on a small number of families and their circle.
The sections of the book that deal with warfare and Napoleon are naturally biased towards the Russian viewpoint, with Tolstoy sarcastically referring to "that genius Napoleon." Rules of warfare and theories of battle are expounded and are (surprisingly to me) engrossing. The statistics of this war are staggering: although Moscow was taken by the French, the French army of 600,000 virtually ceased to exist as they struggled to leave Russia.
Tolstoy points out how extraordinary it is, that a country's army, though a tiny percentage of the population, brings about the subjugation of millions if they triumph in battle.
The human element of the novel focuses on a huge cast of characters. People claim they mix up the Russian names; but this edition didn't pose any problems. I loved the picture of Russian life, one of socialising, balls, hunting, serfs, peasants, Cossacks...during a war, life goes on elsewhere in that country as normal. A valued hunting dog is purchased for "three families of house serfs" and one of my favourite chapters describes a wolf hunt with 130 dogs
Pierre and Prince Andrei are tormented by their search for happiness in life, an objective, an aim. It is described as a torment that can never be satisfied. Tolstoy perceives man's restlessness as being a result of the Fall - as a result we can't be idle without feeling guilty. "A secret voice warns that for us idleness is sin". These two men strive against their baser nature, towards "the infinite, the eternal and the absolute".
These two upright, decent men contrast with Anatole, with his moral vacuum, self aggrandisement, vanity and pride. He is a rake, a "male Magdalen" who believes: "all will be forgiven him because he enjoyed himself so much"
Prince Andrei comes to the conclusion that we must have sympathy, love of our brothers, "a happiness beyond the reach of material forces, of the soul alone, the happiness of loving".
Pierre, who was captured by the French and endured dreadful privations, achieved peace and inner harmony through living through the horrors of death, and realising that his wealth had caused such a superfluity of the comforts of life that it had destroyed all the joy in gratifying his needs and choosing his occupations.
Women are central, essential to the male characters, but very much in the Miltonic mould: "he for God only, she for God in him." Initially Prince Andrei advised Pierre against women: "tie yourself up with a woman and like a convict in irons you lose all freedom....selfish, vain, humdrum, trivial in everything". Women such as Helene seem "as it were, covered with the hard polish left by the thousands of eyes that had scanned her person".
Natasha, who loves Prince Andrei but is spurned by him and becomes Pierre's devoted wife, receives one of literature's most romantic declarations: "if I were not myself, but the handsomest, cleverest, best man in the world, and if I were free, I would be on my knees this minute to beg for your hand and your love."
War and Peace is one of those remarkable books where the reader is surprised with the pleasure of recognition of the human situation. The old countess "evinced to a remarkable degree a trait noticeable in the very young and the very old. Her existence had no manifest aim...but was merely...occupied by the need to exercise her various functions."
One of a handful of books to regularly re-read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent Achievement, 18 Oct 2007
"Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the
Buonapartes. But I warn you, if you don't tell me that this means war,
if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by
that Antichrist--I really believe he is Antichrist--I will have
nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend, no longer
my 'faithful slave,' as you call yourself! But how do you do? I see
I have frightened you--sit down and tell me all the news."
- Anna Pavlovna in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
It was 1805 and the novel opens up at a reception given by Anna. With these words she greeted Prince Vasili Kuragin who we learn in the novel is a personage of stature and importance among the St. Petersburg elite.
Anna is referring to Napoleon as the antichrist, she feels that he is routing Europe; and that the king of Russia, Alexander I, must save them all against this terrible and dreadful man.
And so begins one of the most famous masterpieces of all time.
WAR AND PEACE has a simple plot which encompasses the valiant attempts by the Russian people to hold off a military invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and the French. Some of the segments of the novel deal with war strategy which could have benefited leaders if they simply perhaps had read Tolstoy.
As the story begins we find that the Russians have formed an unlikely alliance with the Austrians. Because of this alliance, we find the small and inadequate Russian army having to march from Moscow to Austria. That in of itself is daunting.
This alliance falters at best and as a consequence the Russian army loses almost all of its army resulting oddly enough in several years of peace. The Russian aristocracy does not have to make any sacrifices at first and their lives continue just as before. Thus the meaning of the title, WAR AND PEACE.
However, after 1810, another five years later, we find Napoleon becoming more successful in Europe and worries arise that he will plan next to invade the Russian homeland. In June of 1812, he does precisely that which the Russian people and the army feared most: he crossed the frontiers into Russia and the real war began.
As Tolstoy described, "an event took place that was contrary to all human reason and human nature."
We meet the Bolkonski's (the elder Prince, the younger Prince Andrei, his sister Princess Marya, Andrei's pregnant wife Lize), the Rostov's (the Count and Countess, Vera, Nicholai, Natasha, Sonya and Petya), the Bezukhov's (the dying Count, his illegitimate son Pierre and various relations to the dying man), the Kuragin's (Prince Vasili and his wife, the beautiful Helene, Anatole, and Hippolyte), Denisov, Dolohov, Boris, Kutuzov (the general) and about 600 characters in the book. The primary ones are the ones that I have named.
Prince Andrei and Count Pierre Bezukhov (very important Tolstoy characters) are opposites in every way; yet are friends and their friendship, separate lives and families play a critical role in Tolstoy's novel. The Bolkonski's and the Rostov's lives weave and bind together as one goes further into the novel and these threads of their lives become a strong and durable fabric which will support these families as they progress through their respective years together. Though each of us, as do these characters, exercises free will; the decisions that we make (even years before certain life's events) depict the relationships that all of our decisions have upon each other and the impact they have on our future happiness or prosperity. Tolstoy even takes a detour at the end of the novel and digresses "much more than he should" about this and that...and how power is bestowed and basically how we reap what we sow (a familiar Tolstoy theme not always related to agriculture).
The novel is quite long, and that is the reason I found that I picked up this book in the past and then put it down (not completely grasping the naming structures and not having time I felt to give it my full attention). However, after having finally taken the time to read this great manuscript, it really is a simple story about life, love (true or not), loyalty, friendship, responsibility (real accountability or feigned) and leadership. It is also once again a story of families and their love for each other and how they are able to show their love for one another or how the love is still present; but remains emotionally hidden or ineffectual. And it is a story of how one must understand the true meaning of life and must be content in one's own skin; before love can truly blossom and be realized.
Truthfully, the plot does revolve around the aspects of war and peace as it relates to Napoleon invading Russia; but it also shows a country growing and changing as the characters do in the novel. Each one of the families goes through its own reflective period of war and peace in their own lives as well. The story line is superb...if you like historical fiction; and the characterizations and their development are unparalleled.
Some Helpful Suggestions:
1. Take the time to read and/or listen to an unabridged version of this masterpiece (like the one done by Neville Jason). Just start out slowly and read a few chapters every day if you are limited in time. It is one of those novels that can be reread and not only do you enjoy the story line each time; you also come away from it learning a lot about life itself and you can profit from this reflection while embarking on your own personal path. Some of the events may ring true with your own life or with your own family. Even though the country and/or time period may be different; life, heart felt emotion remain quite the same.
2. Secure a translation that you like and/or a reader you can stay with. Go to your local bookstore and/or sample a chapter on line to see if you like the language used; do you like a more traditional translation much like Tolstoy's own language or would you prefer more modern jargon and interpretations. I prefer the traditional; but that is not always what works for everyone. If you want to listen to the book, make sure to listen to samples of the reader's voice to make sure that their voice is palatable to your tastes. Everyone's taste in sound is different.
3. Join a book club or an on line discussion group to keep you going and/or read or listen to the book with a friend or family member. These discussions will add to the enjoyment of reading this masterpiece. It really is meant (I feel) to be shared.
4. Get used to the Russian naming conventions and their use of nicknames. Write them down as you come across them and then you will know which characters to associate with which nicknames the next time. Nicknames are common with us today as well. If a girl's name is Jennifer, some may call her Jennifer, Jen, Jenny or if her middle name is Patricia (JP for short) and different members of the family could call her different pet names. This Russian novel is no different than real life.
5. I gave the following assistance when I reviewed Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and the characters and names in War and Peace follow the same rules regarding patronymics and names with three parts. Here is a reprint of the suggestion: "Sometimes the names of the characters themselves can be confusing: so a hint to the reader might be to think of each Russian character's name as having THREE PARTS: the FIRST part is the first name (examples here are for Levin and Kitty) like Konstantin or Ekaterina, the SECOND part is a patronymic which is the father's first name accompanied by a suffix which means son of or daughter of like Dmitrich (son of Dmitri) or Alexandrovna (daughter of Alexander) and then the THIRD part which is the surname like Levin or Shcherbatskaya. Thus the explanations of the three part names for Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya (nicknamed Kitty) and for Konstantin Dmitrich Levin (Levin).
War and Peace is not a novel to be missed; very much like Anna Karenina (both by Leo Tolstoy). With both, but especially with War and Peace, you must envision that you will finish the book and keep at it. It really is not hard; you will get to know the characters in the book as if they were family members or best friends with all of their strengths and their frailties - the spectrum that makes these characters real in their humanness.
Rating: 5 stars - A+ (Very highly recommended)
Bentley/2007
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