War and Peace (1/2)

The author repeats himself often throughout this novel, but then, if you were writing a 1500 page novel, you probably would too.

There were three separate components interwoven throughout this book. The first is the story of the people of Russia. The loves and lives of the Rostovs and their acquaintances. I really enjoyed this part, especially when I got into the swing of things the way they were in early 19th century Russia.

The second part was a description of the Napoleon's invasion of Russia and descriptions of the battles. While I didn't particularly enjoy this part (I groaned inwardly every time Napoleon was mentioned), it was interesting at times too, and the rest of the story couldn't have moved along without some description of show more what was happening in the war.

The third part was the part that really made me cringe. This was when Mr. Tolstoy got up on his soapbox and explained at length and repetitively why historians are all wrong and have done a really poor job of figuring out causes and effects throughout history. He started with a few paragraphs of this here and there, but as the novel progressed, his soapbox moments became more frequent and prolonged until the last hundred pages of the book which are almost exclusively devoted to this. It definitely made me glad to finally get to the end of this novel!

I'm glad I made my way through this book mostly because now I can finally say "Yes, I've read War & Peace." If being able to say that isn't on the list of the things that will make you happy, I'd recommend skipping this--I'm sure you can find better ways to spend your time. show less

Another book that has sat on my Kindle for a few years unread. I admit to struggling at first, more with the style of writing, it takes a while to acclimatise. However, when I did I found my self quite enjoying it.

It certainly provides a rollercoaster of emotions as we follow the Rostov and Bolkonski families and the affect of the Napoleonic invasion of Russia on them and their way of life.

I am not a fan of history, we should learn from it, but never seem to, and certainly not a fan of war, so I found the chapters discussing the history, military strategy and manoeuvres not to my taste and skipped through them.

I almost failed to engage with this book, but I am glad I persisted. Apparently Tolstoy didn't view this as a novel, so I am show more looking forward to reading Anna Karenina, which he did. show less

"O que é Guerra e paz?", questiona Liev Tolstói em um texto que detalha o processo de pesquisa e de criação de sua obra-prima. "Não é um romance, muito menos uma epopeia, menos ainda uma crônica histórica." Ao acompanhar o percurso de cinco famílias aristocráticas russas no período de 1805 a 1820, Tolstói narra a marcha das tropas napoleônicas e seu impacto brutal sobre a vida de centenas de personagens. Em meio a cenas de batalha, bailes da alta sociedade e intrigas veladas, destacam-se as figuras memoráveis dos irmãos Nikolai e Natacha Rostóv, do príncipe Andrei Bolkónski e de Pierre Bezúkhov, filho ilegítimo de um conde, cuja busca espiritual serve como espécie de fio condutor e o torna uma das mais complexas show more personalidades da literatura do século XIX. Ao descrever o cotidiano e os grandes acontecimentos que se sucederam à invasão de Napoleão em 1812, Tolstói retrata uma Rússia magistral, imponente e, sobretudo, profundamente humana. show less

With over 500 characters each given time and place to make a mark within a rolling, panoramic story of truly Historical proportions, where shall I begin? Easy: An unsurpassed MASTERPIECE of its epic genre and Tolstoy one of the genuine immortal great Authors. Everytime I consider the Russian literally penned this immense tome and kept niches for every personality, scene, word and gesture in the mind as he did so just astounds me all over again at his brilliance.

1805 à Moscou, en ces temps de paix fragile, les Bolkonsky, les Rostov et les Bézoukhov constituent les personnages principaux d'une chronique familiale. Une fresque sociale où l'aristocratie, de Moscou à Saint-Pétersbourg, entre grandeur et misérabilisme, se prend au jeu de l'ambition sociale, des mesquineries, des premiers émois. 1812, la guerre éclate et peu à peu les personnages imaginaires évoluent au sein même des événements historiques. Le conte social, dépassant les ressorts de l'intrigue psychologique, prend une dimension d'épopée historique et se change en récit d'une époque. La 'Guerre' selon Tolstoï, c'est celle menée contre Napoléon par l'armée d'Alexandre, c'est la bataille d'Austerlitz, l'invasion de show more la Russie, l'incendie de Moscou, puis la retraite des armées napoléoniennes. Entre les deux romans de sa fresque, le portrait d'une classe sociale et le récit historique, Tolstoï tend une passerelle, livrant une réflexion philosophique sur le décalage de la volonté humaine aliénée à l'inéluctable marche de l'Histoire ou lorsque le destin façonne les hommes malgré eux. --Lénaïc Gravis et Jocelyn Blériot show less

Първи том на класическия роман на Лев Николаевич Толстой.

„Война и мир” – това е нещо като „Илиадата” на Омир”. Така Лев Толстой сам определя романа си - едно от най-великите произведения в руската и световната литература. Авторът създава цял космос, обрисуван с цялата мощ на епичното повествование, огромното дихание, с което са разгърнати картини от руския и европейския живот, и най-вече дръзкия стремеж show more да се обхване света като цяло, в голямото и малкото, да се открият законите на цялата вселена, да се изследват самите основи на човешкото битие.

Действието на романа се развива в течението на 15 години – от битката на тримата императори (Напалеон, Франц ІІ и Александър І) при Аустерлиц 1805 до 1820 г. В романа са разкрити най-важните страни на обществено-политическия, духовния и семейно-битовия живот на руския народ.

Кулминацията на романа е Бородинското сражение - там побеждава не тактиката и стратегията, а духът на руската армия. show less

Tolstói descreve detalhes físicos com uma vivacidade que torna algumas cenas do livro memoráveis. Ele é, porém, tão didático e repetitivo com sua filosofia da história que aborrece.
Esse livro está na contraditória lista dos livros dos quais eu gostei mas que não pretendo reler.