The best soap opera ever written! - Rated 
Starting this book I thought I was going to be reading classic literature in a way that was going to be very intellectual. What I got was one of the best dramas ever written but with an epic soap opera feel. If you can make it past the first two hundred pages you will love this book but getting there is hard as there are so many characters that I was very lost for a long time as to who was who and what was happening. Once I'd got past this I found I was reading a great drama about two families and the interaction that happens between them with love and war as the main events to occur. This is not highbrow literature this is great literature of a universal story about life and it doesn't get much better than this. Ignore the amount of pages and enjoy this for what it is epic drama!
THE novel - Rated
Obviously there has been a lot said about this book, and taken together with its sheer size, this makes it a slightly daunting adventure. It took me about 3 months to get through, with a few breaks thrown in, but I enjoyed it from cover to cover.
While you might think that no book can merit 1500 pages, Tolstoy dispels this idea. No page is wasted - it really does put a lot of contemporary fiction to shame.
The story covers the period 1805-1820, looking at Napoleon's invasion and retreat from Russia. It's main concerns are history and its representation (philosophically expounded upon in the final 50 pages, where all the hints and asides of the previous 1450 are brought together into one huge rebuke of humanity's attitude to itself and its past).
The narrative covers the love lives of an intricately linked cast of characters as they flit in and out of the war with France, and Tolstoy proves adept at portraying both the grand and the menial in equally brilliant flourishes.
If you have read and enjoyed other Russian novels, you'll need to psyche yourself up and go in for this one at some point or other. My advice is not to delay. It's a rewarding, absorbing read...and even the sort of mini-achievement in our own lives that Tolstoy might have recognised.
TO be taken lightly - Rated 
People will normally utter such platitudes with this book as 'don't start it lightly', but what is the alternative, to build up to it for years and never end up reading it at all? That, unfortunately is what the majority of owners of this piece do, buy it and let it stand on their shelves gathering dust. I was close to being of this ilk, but a moment of caprice had me actually starting on this tome, and now I'm 670 pages through. I don't hesitate to add, that it is growing tedious at this stage, and I am losing motivation, and it has become an exercise in my determination to finish it.
It is difficult to sum up the content briefly. Napoleon has come to power and is aggressively expanding. The Russians, under Kutuzov, and of course Alexander I, are drawn into a war of heavy attrition. In between bouts of peace and alliances, are major campaigns which culminate in the battles of Austerlitz and Borodino, at which our protagonists are present. The story alternates between these campaigns and the affairs of the gentry in Russian society, with its balls, affairs, rumours and petty quarrels.
We focus on three main characters, (Count) Nicolas Rostov, (Count) Pierre Besuchov and (Prince) Andrew Bolonski. Between the three we see the horrors and futility (and duplicity) of war, duels, freemasons, emancipation, romance (and heartache), loveless marriage, fraud, and everything you can conceive in any society. In fact it is rather overwhelming, and once you have read it you are only really left with a vague impression.
The beauty of the book, in my eyes, are these and other characters, who are so complete that they are constantly changing in personailty and outlook. Bolkonski himself goes from arrogant aide-de-camp, to disillusioned hermit, to philanthropist, to an unwilling colonel, from sheer hate and merciless regard of the French, to complete humanitarian, from hate to love..... It goes on.
The story skips between over 500 characters, all of whom seem to be 'princes' or 'counts'. The fact that they all have Russian, and therefore unfamiliar names, makes it easy to lose track, and to forget some of the minor characters. Also there are some people with almost identical names. I was caught out by the similarity between the Kuragins and the Karagins.
The book is certainly intimidating, open the first page and you see it is divided into 3 volumes, around 15 books, and hundreds of chapters, complete with epilogues, notes, a Tolstoy biography, historical notes and other paraphernalia. Do not forget that the origional version was around 1,800 pages, this has been condensed to around 950 (of the actual text), and is unabridged. It follows that the writing is going to be cramped on each page, as indeed it is, and this can fill you with a sense of forboding.
One frustrating thing about this novel, and believe it or not I am enjoying it in parts, is the constant need of the gentry to resort to speaking in French. In the version I am reading (translated by Maude), these remain intact and you must refer to the notes every time this happens, which breaks the concentration. An early example of this is a conversation by Shinshin, only a paragraph long, in which you have to refer to the notes 4 times!
I fully expected that I would not enjoy this novel, yet I tried (and am still) reading it anyway. The battles are fascinating, particularly young cadet Rostovs first action, and Austerlitz. Tolstoy fully researched his history and formulated his story around it, so you also learn some of the events of the Russian campaign. Later on, around half way through I think, we are 'treated' to Tolstoys philosophical digressions, by which he argues that the course of history is not formed by great individuals, but by myriad chances, by which people have no choice but to act as they do. this may sound confusing, and it detracts from the story.
Yet I gave it 4 stars. In summation, a great, truly epic story, and whoever it was who said this was a fantasy epic without the elves etc, was correct. It is easy to become absorbed in the story, and the characters. In many respects, no novel can compare to this, it is completely unique, and truly a literary experience.
I use the word "pretentious" in this review! - Rated
If Tolstoy was writing today, War and Peace would be published as a tetralogy (perhaps it should be anyway) and would probably be called the "War and Peace codex" or something. If you substitute the French with the "Snargs" from the great southern continent, and identify the Russians as the "Vulps" from the North, and mix in a bit of mystic magic (the only thing missing from W&P), this could easily be pushed as an epic fantasy series and make the author loads of dosh. George RR Martin, you are this generation's Leo Tolstoy....
Er actually he's not but anyone who enjoys epic fantasy series (Malazan, Ice and fire etc) could actually enjoy this. If it is read as four separate books, and you read other stuff between books, before you know it you will have cracked one of the true classics of world literature and you will have a warm glow inside you as well as feeling insufferably smug.
Magnificent Achievement - Rated
"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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