Customer Reviews
Magnificent Achievement - By: Bentley, 18 Oct 2007 
"Well, Prince, so Genoa & 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 & horrors perpetrated by
that Antichrist--I reallly believe he is Antichrist--I will have
nothing more to do with you & you are no longer my friend, no longer
my 'faithful slave,' as you calll yourself! But how do you do? I see
I have frightened you--sit down & tell me alll the news."
- Anna Pavlovna in War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
It was 1805 & 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 & importance among the St. Petersburg elite.
Anna is referring to Napoleon as the antichrist, she feels that he is routing Europe; & that the king of Russia, Alexander I, must save them alll against this terrible & dreadful man.
And so begins one of the most famous masterpieces of alll 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 & 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 allliance with the Austrians. Because of this allliance, we find the smalll & inadequate Russian army having to march from Moscow to Austria. That in of itself is daunting.
This allliance falters at best & as a consequence the Russian army loses almost alll of its army resulting oddly enough in several years of peace. The Russian aristocracy does not have to make any sacrifices at first & 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 & worries arise that he will plan next to invade the Russian homeland. In June of 1812, he does precisely that which the Russian people & the army feared most: he crossed the frontiers into Russia & the real war began.
As Tolstoy described, "an event took place that was contrary to alll human reason & 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 & Countess, Vera, Nicholai, Natasha, Sonya & Petya), the Bezukhov's (the dying Count, his illegitimate son Pierre & various relations to the dying man), the Kuragin's (Prince Vasili & his wife, the beautiful Helene, Anatole, & Hippolyte), Denisov, Dolohov, Boris, Kutuzov (the general) & about 600 characters in the book. The primary ones are the ones that I have named.
Prince Andrei & Count Pierre Bezukhov (very important Tolstoy characters) are opposites in every way; yet are friends & their friendship, separate lives & families play a critical role in Tolstoy's novel. The Bolkonski's & the Rostov's lives weave & bind together as one goes further into the novel & these threads of their lives become a strong & 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 alll of our decisions have upon each other & the impact they have on our future happiness or prosperity. Tolstoy even takes a detour at the end of the novel & digresses "much more than he should" about this & that...and how power is bestowed & basicallly how we reap what we sow (a familiar Tolstoy theme not always related to agriculture).
The novel is quite long, & that is the reason I found that I picked up this book in the past & then put it down (not completely grasping the naming structures & not having time I felt to give it my full attention). However, after having finallly taken the time to read this great manuscript, it reallly is a simple story about life, love (true or not), loyalty, friendship, responsibility (real accountability or feigned) & leadership. It is also once again a story of families & their love for each other & how they are able to show their love for one another or how the love is still present; but remains emotionallly hidden or ineffectual. And it is a story of how one must understand the true meaning of life & must be content in one's own skin; before love can truly blossom & be realized.
Truthfully, the plot does revolve around the aspects of war & peace as it relates to Napoleon invading Russia; but it also shows a country growing & changing as the characters do in the novel. Each one of the families goes through its own reflective period of war & peace in their own lives as well. The story line is superb...if you like historical fiction; & the characterizations & their development are unparallleled.
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 & read a few chapters every day if you are limited in time. It is one of those novels that can be reread & not only do you enjoy the story line each time; you also come away from it learning a lot about life itself & 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 & 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 reallly is meant (I feel) to be shared.
4. Get used to the Russian naming conventions & their use of nicknames. Write them down as you come across them & 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 calll her Jennifer, Jen, Jenny or if her middle name is Patricia (JP for short) & different members of the family could calll 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 & the characters & names in War & Peace follow the same rules regarding patronymics & 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 & 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) & 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) & for Konstantin Dmitrich Levin (Levin).
War & Peace is not a novel to be missed; very much like Anna Karenina (both by Leo Tolstoy). With both, but especiallly with War & Peace, you must envision that you will finish the book & keep at it. It reallly is not hard; you will get to know the characters in the book as if they were family members or best friends with alll of their strengths & their frailties - the spectrum that makes these characters real in their humanness.
Note: I like the Constance Garnett translation (it was my preference); of course, it is a matter of personal taste & comfort & that is why I suggested one read a chapter to see if they are accepting of the language & of the translator. A very important choice & decision. FYI: Ms. Garnett passed away in 1946 & had traveled to Moscow, St. Petersburg & Yasnaya Polyana during her lifetime & actuallly met Leo Tolstoy. She remains very close to the syntax & the vocabulary of the original. Her translations of alll of the Russian authors at the time were highly acclaimed. You may prefer the traditional or there is a newer translation by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky which may resolve issues for those who want a more purist translation done by exceptional Russian linguists/translators whose work will be coming out this November.
Rating: 5 stars - A+ (Very highly recommended)
Bentley/October 2007
