War and Peace Wrap-up

Let me first apologise for the lack of posting I have been doing. I think I finished W&P and didn't have much to say really. I did it. I finished War and Peace. It feels as if a small weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It was a long hard slog and I'm pretty happy its over. Was it a great book? Probably. Was it my favorite book ever? No. I liked Anna Karenina better. It was much more manageable for me, much less about war, much more about human relationships.

This may sound really obvious, but had I known beforehand how much war and philosophy would be in War and Peace, I would have done a better job reading it. For those of you considering tackling this book someday, Tolstoy tracks the war with the French from 1805-1812. The story of the Russian battle against Napolean iis interspersed with the stories of Russian aristocrats, mostly, Pierre, the Count Bezhukov, Natasha Rostov, her brother Nikolai Rostov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and his sister Princess Marya Bolkonsky. These young people, along with their families and aquaintances come of age during the war, fall in love, become soldiers, become heroes, are torn asunder and reunited.

I have a list of people I think would really love this book, and a list of folks to whom I would say "Don't bother" I'm sure you all can sort yourselves out.


Now, all I have to do is find a bunch of easy, stress free stuff to read for a while. Suggestions will be appreciated.