How to finish War and Peace

[@rzlmok]

War and peace one of my favorite books, and reason for that is because I was so much connected to the people in the book, Tolstoy is a guinuese, huge cast, real people, real life....amazing book.

[@1book1review]

Good to hear his writing works for others.

[@SuperKaBlooey]

Your advice to accept not being able to keep all of the characters atraight early on in the book was excellent! I found myself doing the same thing. Like you said, keeping track of the characters is like a puzzle, and it will eventually click on its own, so don't overly exert yourself.

[@1book1review]

Thank you, glad to hear you had a similar experience

[@LiteraryStoner]

I have not read War and Peace, had no desire too...and..I still have no desire too after this. I am a very character driven person, find history mostly boring, as well as reading fiction about war, and know nothing about the napoleon war. And i'm ok with that. Major props to you for finishing it!

[@1book1review]

Thanks, and yes, stay away from the book as it doesn't sound up to your interests.

[@tortoisedreams6369]

First, much respect for finishing -- congratulations! Next, my attitude is much like yours, when younger I (or my mom) decided I should read this & someday I will, just because. I hope I enjoy it more than you do, but I will totally adopt the Wiebke-approach, drop the pretentiousness & just do it. I'm surprised that Germany doesn't teach more about the Napoleonic Wars (America doesn't either, but I wouldn't expect it, just that we bought Louisiana). Thank you for this, it was kind of a pep talk for me -- hmm, don't have plans for this weekend, maybe I'll get it done ...

[@1book1review]

Go for it! We might have learned more about Napoleon, but it's been so long and history with all its dates has never been my strongest interest. A common talking point between a friend and me when we talk about traveling: I like to people watch and just walk around while she goes to all the historic sites.

[@Yesica1993]

I salute you for finishing it! There is something to be said for simply persevering and getting through a massive book like that. From this, I am pretty sure it would not be for me. Books with many characters/multiple POV always confuse me. I spend more mental energy trying to keep everyone & everything straight than I do following the plot. And if I can't connect with the characters, it's even harder. I am experiencing that now with John Gwynne's "Malice." There's only one character that stands out to me. I can't keep track of everyone. But I'm 70% or so into it. I can't just give up. I'd feel like I'd wasted all that time/effort I've already invested.

[@1book1review]

Oh no. That is horrible when that happens, just think of how good you will feel when it is done. It is not the best motivation, but it is a working one. Good luck!

[@katietatey]

I'm a huge fan of Russian literature but had never read War & Peace. I just finished it. I read the new, revised Oxford translation by the Maudes with Amy Mandelker. I think that translation was great and my only caveat is also the French portions as you mentioned. I get that it is important for knowing the characters, to see who speaks in French and when. I think it would easily have been shown by putting all the French passages in italics. That way you wouldn't lose your place going to the footnotes so frequently. I think just translating it straight up, would have lost something. My copy had a very small font already, and so it was easy to lose your place when looking down to the footnotes. I liked the writing style fine. I had a lot of trouble connecting to the characters, too. The ones I liked initially ended up pissing me off for one reason or another, there were a few that were just utterly despicable (but not in a love to hate them way either), and the two that I finally ended up caring about, Pierre and Prince Andrei, were two that I didn't initially like, and they grew on me somewhat. I did at one point in the book, when a character I liked did something awful, scream "Frickin Tolstoy, you can't write a 1300 page book and have NO likable characters!" The book gradually drew me in regardless and I do feel like I learned something from it. The one thing that was a final slap in the face was that end section. I thought he was going back to the characters! In my copy that was 47 pages and once I realized he was going to keep rambling, I got pretty annoyed and impatient. But the other snippets of philosophizing that were inserted throughout the book weren't bad. Overall, I'm glad I read it, I'm very proud of myself, but I don't think I'll ever read the whole thing straight through again. I can't imagine reading it as an audiobook. I think I would get too confused. As it was, I kept a list of characters as I encountered them. But, I'm sure it was nice not having to hold up the heavy book. Mine is a paperback and I had all sorts of resting it on a pillow on my lap and contortions to try to read it comfortably. If you somewhat liked War and Peace, then I strongly recommend Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. It is somewhat similar, in that it's set during wartimes and has some war and some "peace" story lines, but it's so much more readable and you'll fall in love with the characters. And no rambly 47 page ending that makes you want to throw the book (but afraid of the dent in the wall it would surely cause). And then you can watch the movie with Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Tom Courtenay and that is just gorgeous cinematography and amazing in its own right. :)

[@1book1review]

haha, you screaming out loud cursing Tolstoi made me laugh. Good on you for sticking with it. I read Dr. Zhivago also on audio and it was much better, and enjoyable to read. Still haven't watched the movie, though.

[@awwadelmahadi5883]

Greeting from Sudan. Really enjoyed your review and the spontaneity of your presentation. I was planning for this book for long. I tried it once in its Arabic translation, but couldn't finish it. Now I'm about to start it again, in English this time. May the force be with me 😆

[@1book1review]

Good luck! I hope you can make it this time.

[@MsPeppersmom]

I read it after watching the excellent BBC miniseries. If you havent seen it you need to watch.

[@1book1review]

Okay, will see if I can get it here. Thanks.

[@CarlasBookBits]

So sorry you didn't like this book :( it was one of my favorites that I read last year. I found all your points really interesting, though. I wonder how much enjoyment comes from the translation itself. I read the translation by Anthony Briggs (and little parts of Volokonsky's) and found they were *completely* different. Briggs (the one I finished) never came across as preachy, I felt like he presented everyone's viewpoints as more like a tableau of "different ways that people view the world." Even when I didn't agree with a character, I knew where they were coming from & could understand. I have a suspicion that I only enjoyed Tolstoy because of Brigg's translation style, though. Because I've tried Anna Karenina, Ivan Ilyich, and other stuff translated by other people, and they were just... pffft. Lol. But this video has got me thinking about it a lot!

[@Yesica1993]

This is why I wish I could understand every language in the world! Any translation of anything is always going to lose a bit of the original's "flavor." Some translations are closer than others. But obviously, if you don't know the original language, it's hard to know which translations are better than others. I guess that's where doing research and trusting the knowledge of others comes in. But I still wish I could read things for myself. I always feel like I'm somehow missing out. The topic of translations is an interesting one to me. Languages are fascinating!

[@1book1review]

Oh that is interesting. I couldn't say if the tone would change that much in another translation. It does feel like how Russian literature always feels to me (the syntax of it), so I'm guessing the change might not be too big, but I was wondering if reading it in English might have changed that. Damn it's so long, so totally not going to give it a try.

[@tejasdeepsingh456]

@@1book1review Well you can try downloading a PDF and sampling the first 2-3 chapters and see if there's any difference. I personally recommend Maude Translation but I think that may not work for you. In that case try out Briggs. At any cost don't try Pevear & Volokhonsky.

[@AmandaQuotidianBooks]

I quite enjoyed many bits in WAP, but the end infuriated me. I felt like there was no point to the thing i spent so many hours engaging with.

[@1book1review]

Right? It just stopped at a random point and then you get this lame epilogue. (can you tell I am not a fan of epilogues?)

[@LetsReadSFF]

War and Peace is one of the books I really want to read one day.

[@1book1review]

Find a good audio, is my recommendation.

[@JasonsWeirdReads]

I have not read War and Peace yet, but I really want too read it. Even after watching this video. 😂 I think the reason for this is because I am interested in taking a peek into Russian high society life and those war camps/battles from the time period. Great discussion! 😃

[@1book1review]

Going in with interest in those things will make it a much more interesting read for you. Hope you enjoy it when you do pick it up.

[@PicklesReads]

I haven't read War and Peace yet but I do want to. I think your advice to just keep reading is great and could be applied to any book. Grasping the story is more important the first time around than jumping right into analysis. I wonder if watching one of the TV adaptations before reading would be helpful or not. Do you think knowing the plot would spoil the book?

[@1book1review]

Thanks. I was thinking about watching an adaptation now after reading it. I can't really say what the plot is, I mean you can't get spoilt for the war and if you want to be surprised by the hardships and love dramas of the characters it would be a spoiler. Other than that I couldn't tell you what there is to spoil. Someone else said they picked it up after watching the BBC mini-series, so maybe it'll be motivating.

[@tejasdeepsingh456]

Don't know why watching your negative review of the book I felt even more compelled to read it. Maybe it's because of your presentation :-)

[@1book1review]

Go for it. So many people enjoy and love the book. It might work for you.

[@ofbooksandtrees]

while the book has never appealed to me, I loved hearign your experience of reading it! ugh, i hate epilogues like that.

[@1book1review]

Be glad you never followed its siren song!

[@danecobain]

I need to get to War and Peace myself at some point!

[@1book1review]

good luck.

[@Burps___]

Next...#InfiniteJest by #DavidFosterWallace...which should be a walk in the park in comparison bc it’s modern. 😊

[@1book1review]

Been there, done that. I'm surprised you missed it? 2 years ago? Or 3? Gosh, can't remember. But that book was much more rewarding and challenging in another way.

[@Burps___]

1book1review Oh, my! I’m losing my mind...you DID read it. Wow...you’ve read everything. 😆 Thanks, W. I’m going to watch that video on your channel again now.

[@1book1review]

Not everything, but I am working on it :)

[@hcm9999]

I borrowed War and Peace from a local public library and need to read it in less than 2 weeks. Right now I am on page 456 out of 1358. My conclusion so far: War and Peace is a COMEDY! More specifically a tragicomedy. You are supposed to laugh (or cry) while reading it. Leo Tolstoy is a Russian making a BRUTAL criticism on the Russian society. The book is dark, pessimistic, depressive, brutal, caustic, shocking, sarcastic, ironic, nihilistic, cynical. There is absolutely no protagonist in the book. The characters don't matter! You don't need to know the characters's names, their relationship to one another or their backstories. The stories of individual characters are irrelevant! The writer goes from one character to another, relentlessly, non-stop, just to describe some absurd or ridiculous situation. Almost all characters are evil, stupid, lazy, emotional, irrational, liars, hypocrites, selfish or pathetic. And the writer makes fun of those situations. The problem with jokes is that you need to know the context to understand the joke. If you don't know the context, you can't understand the joke, you can't laugh. Below are some excerpts from the book with my comments. Volume 1, Part 3, chapter 9 "All the advantages were in our side. Our immense forces, undoubtedly superior to Napoleon's, were concentrated in one place Napoleon, meanwhile, was evidently weakened and doing precisely nothing." The author describes the situation from the point of view of the Russians, who are completely incompetent and underestimate Napoleon's threat. Volume 1, Part 3, chapter 12 "... the members of the council of war were assembled, including Kutuzov himself... If at first the council members had believed that Kutuzov was only pretending to be asleep, the nasal sounds issuing from him during the reading ... proved beyond doubt.. He really was asleep." The council of war is a complete disaster, Kutuzov does not care and just sleeps in the middle of the meeting. Volume 1, Part 3, chapter 12 "....my father, my sister, my wife... I would give them all up for one moment of glory, triumph over men, to be loved by men I don't even know and never shall know" Prince Andrey is so stupid and vain, he wishes to sacrifice his own family just for a moment of glory. Volume 1, Part 3, chapter 16 "...and everyone panicked and run. Hordes of men from all over the place, swelling into great crowds, fled back..." All hell breaks loose, the Russian soldiers flee the battlefield. Volume 1, Part 3, chapter 17 "...and Rostov was to discover later that the Russian and Austrian soldiers had been firing at each other." The Russians and Austrians are supposed to be allies here... You may either laugh or cry at the stupidity of the Russian army.... Volume 1, Part 3, chapter 18 "Rostov decided, and with a heavy heart he rode away in some despair, constantly turning to look back at the Tsar, still standing there, a picture of indecision. " Rostov is so stupid that he ABANDONS the wounded Tsar. Volume 2, Part 1, chapter 3 "Pierre Bezukhov... was surrounded, as always, by an atmosphere of people kowtowing to his wealth, and he treated them with a kind of offhand and contemptuous sense of superiority that had now become second nature to him." The repugnant hipocrisy of Russian aristocracy... Volume 2, Part 1, chapter 16 "You can murder and steal and still be happy" Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 1 "He was lying, of course, in the hope of squeezing more money out of the traveller" Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 6 "Boris... had mastered the unwritten code... the art or getting on well with people who have promotion and awards in their gift.... He sought out and cultivated only people in higher positions who might be of use to him. " Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 6 "He's German, but must congratulate him... Even a German has the beating of Napoleone Buonaparte " Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 10 "... but almost every year he was forced to take out new loans. And beyond that, every year the head steward wrote to him saying that fires had broken out, crops had failed and factories and workshops needing rebuilding. And so the first task Pierre had to face was the one he was least suited to and least fond of - to become a businessman." Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 10 " What Pierre did not know was that... as a result of his orders to stop sending nursing mothers out to work on the master's land, those same mothers had to work even harder on their own patches of land" Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 14 "When Pierre had left and all the family came together to talk about him, as people always do when a new guest has gone, everyone spoke well of him, and that is something people rarely do." Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 15 "Rostov... was determined to be a different soldier and to make amends by behaving well... and by being... in fact a good man - a hard task out in the world, but perfectly possible within the regiment." Volume 2, Part 2, chapter 15 "...in fact the soldiers, not normally the most compassionate of men, often gave them what they had left." Volume 2, Part 3, chapter 1 "... a Russian corps crossed the frontier for joint action alongside their old enemy Bonaparte against their old ally, the Austrian Emperor..." Enemies become friends, friends become enemies...

[@1book1review]

You really put some effort in this comment, but I must say even reading the excerpts bored and annoyed me. I can't say they made me laugh or cry, they mostly make me roll my eyes and not care. Glad you are enjoying your reading of it though. Hope it lasts for the rest of the book as well.

[@hcm9999]

@@1book1review Well, I was hoping you would go back to the book and read the setup for the jokes. Reading just the punchlines will not be enough. The problem with comedy is that you need to know the context. They only work if you know the context. I am sure Tolstoy also included lots of word puns, but they are for the most part untranslatable, so they are pretty much lost. After reading the first 100 pages, I was feeling pretty much like you, very disturbed and dissatisfied with the book. But then I noticed all the sarcastic comments throughout the book. Then I realized that is what the book is all about. The book is actually a long sequence of independent comedic sketches in which the author uses sarcasm to point out the absurdity of the Russian society of that time. There is no plot and no characters. It just happens that he reuses characters for the next sketch. Most people will try to read the book as a drama, thinking it is one single story with character arcs. But this book has no plot and no characters. If you try to follow the plot and the characters you will go nowhere and become frustrated.

[@1book1review]

@@hcm9999 Reading this again will not happen as I don't like the writing. And if you think looking at this as a big ass collection of sketches makes it better you are mistaken. That is nothing I enjoy in my reading. Tolstoy liked telling others how to live, which is even more apparent in Anna Karenina than here. But that doesnt make it better writing. People whomanage to get interested and invested in the characters tend to enjoy his books. I don't like his characterizations and ay of describing things. I read it. I'm glad I did, but I'll never consider it a great book.

[@bananakingcomment6651]

I’m more reading the book for a challenge lol.

[@1book1review]

That just makes so much sense. You can do it!