Thursday, January 13, 2011

War & Peace -- Done!!!

 
  Yes, can you believe it?  I have finished it! Yay me.  And it only took about two months  (compared to six months with Ulysses, a novel about 400 pages shorter).

   Did I love it?  I can't say that I did -- I think it's one of those novels that you need to re-read to fully appreciate -- but I certainly liked it.  It's not a book that one can just pick up and read a few pages here and there (at least I couldn't), so it does require a time commitment, but I think it is worth it.  The last part of the epilogue is a really dry (REALLY) essay on the significance on history of man's will (at least I think that is what it was about, my eyes glazed over once in a while), but the novel as a whole held my interest.

   People far more intelligent and articulate than I have talked about this book, so I won't make an attempt.  My classics reading group will be discussing this on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the others felt about it.



  

9 comments:

  1. You'll find that the 'Siren's Song' does indeed pull you back to this novel periodically over the course of your life. I think I've read 4-5 times now, and it really does get better and better with each read. The sweep, scope, and panorama of the novel makes you go back for more; in some sense it it is the quintessential Russian Dickens novel. I am very glad that you invested the time and energy to read; and I'll bet anything that over time you come to appreciate it more and more. Cheers! Chris

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  2. Way to go, Sue! This is one of those classics that everyone wants to read in their lifetime but can't seem to muster the courage to :D This is such an overused excuse but "some day" I'll get to it...

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  3. Congratulations! I conquered that bad boy late last year. It wook me about 2 months as well. I don't think I will ever have the courage (or interest) in Ulysses.

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  4. Yeay for you! I'm really not looking forwrad to the epilogue....

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  5. Good work! I received this same edition for Christmas, and I am hesitantly looking forward (if that makes any sense) to reading it sometime soon.
    Maybe you've already seen this, but Ingrid wrote a post pretty recently with some tips for how to read War and Peace. (http://thebluebookcase.blogspot.com/2010/11/post-reading-war-and-peace.html)
    Not sure how interesting that'll be to you after the fact, but there it is in case you're interested! :)

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  6. Wow - I'm impressed. I did enjoy Anna Karenina but got confused with all the names.
    Ann

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  7. Awesome. I will read it someday. Congratulations.

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