Rating: 
Summary: One More Time.....
Review: After reading such a huge book, it's tempting to congratulate oneself and then accord it the status of a great piece of literature (perhaps the argument running that it must have been great to hold one's attention for so long). I suppose that others could find its length daunting or its pace too slow, such that they don't see the point of wasting the time it inevitably demands.So, how to assess "War and Peace"? I've read it three times now, albeit I've left a number of years between each reading. I found that re-reading is almost a new experience: that is to say, so vast is its scale, that there is always something new to discover or reflect upon, something missed or unappreciated before. Perhaps this is partly the result of the passing years causing one's perception both as a human and a reader to change. But there had to be sufficient "raw material" in the novel to provoke such reactions, a tribute to Tolstoy's skill. This time, I was struck by Tolstoy's ability to describe three-dimensional characters, and to develop them - none are really static, each is a mixture of emotions and attitudes, each are imperfect, make mistakes and grow emotionally. Even the worst of them have some redeeming features. Tolstoy's eye was sharp: Bitsky was "one of those men who select their opinions like their clothes, according to the prevailing fashion"; Berg "measured his life not by years but by promotions". Bitsky and Berg are still around! Tolstoy holds up a mirror to human traits and gives the reader the chance to reflect. Unfortunately, there are newly-observed faults in the book. The end is a real anticlimax. And as the novel progressed, in one sense it became less of a novel and more Tolstoy's critique of contemporary historical analysis (and a repetitive critique at that, ending in a forty page treatise). I'd got the message earlier on and didn't need it hammering into me. A great work, yes, but with its faults, and one to enjoy time and time again. G Rodgers
Rating: 
Summary: Epic is Too Small a Word
Review: War and Peace is the best book that I have ever read. Even though I am in eighth grade, I would not read this book just so I could say that I read War and Peace. Truly, Tolstoy writes a classic story of contrasting themes, and develops the storyline into an epic that cannot be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the time it took to read it.
Review: "Nobody gets through 'War and Peace'". I heard it many times before I decided to tackle it. At first, I decided that I would read it cover-to-cover just so I could say I did it, regardless of whether I liked it. When I finally put it down, I realized that it was the best novel I ever read. Stunning visual descriptions, thrilling battles, family and political intrigue, and characters that you begin to care about so much that they become a part of you. Who wasn't moved when Pierre finally took Natasha's hand in marriage, or didn't feel heartache as the fortunes of the Rostov family fell so far from their former heights? It's a beautiful story, from beginning to end. My only real gripe has to do with the interspersed pieces of philosophy from Tolstoy himself. As a student of history, I found them interesting, but I think they would have made a better appendix. They show up at very inopportune moments and can throw you off track. Nevertheless, I didn't let their presence spoil my enjoyment. Bottom line: Don't be intimidated by this book's length. Take your time with it. You will be rewarded.
Rating:
Summary: There is a reason why this book is a classic
Review: War and Peace is not for the faint of heart. To tackle War and Peace, one must have the resolve to do so. I have had War and Peace for quite some time but only recently had I built up enough resolve to plunge into the imposing tome. I'm glad I did. War and Peace starts with a story. The story is of certain families (The Rostovs, The Bolkonskys, and The Bezuhovs) and the historical ack drop of those stories is the Napoleonic Wars. The climax of the story occurs with the "War of 1812." The story is compelling because Tolstoy holds nothing back and bears all for the sake of story. Characterization is nothing short of amazing with Tolstoy's words conjuring up vivid images for the reader. Character development is also superlative and it is as if the reader grows and lives along with the main characters. Tolstoy also does not hold back from fully developing "minor" characters (if there is such a thing as a a minor character in this epic). Many reviewers have commented on the presence of Tolstoy's exposition of his historiographical views so perhaps a few words would be useful here. The book begins with story intermixed with views on history and the theory of history. The book ends with Tolstoy's theory of history intermixed with a bit of story. Why all the history? 1.) Tolstoy was writing a "history of sorts." Tolstoy took exception to the methods of history that focused on deeds of one man (Napoleon for instance). Those histories did not tell the real story. With that said, Tolstoy's work of "fiction" would be at least adequate and if not superior to the history of his day. 2.) Tolstoy's view of history is advanced by the story. In addition, he uses the story to further expound his views on history. The story serves as a kind of parable or fable in that it seeks to present and explain a certain truth (in this case, Tolstoy's view of history) in a more accessible form. This book is a marvel. Though not easy, the characters are compelling, the chapters are manageable and the story is breathtaking.
Rating:
Summary: A perfectly isosceles novel
Review: Through Tolstoy's mastery of device, confutation, and liminality, we are graced in this age with easily available wisdom from a great sage of the "Pleh" era. By weaving alternate strands of recontextualized violence and thoroughgoing renascence, the author has brought before us in a new, brilliant manner the age-old conflict between X and Y, or, as Turgenev once put it, between cat, dog, and lamppost.
Rating:
Summary: Surprised--Very good!
Review: I checked War and Peace out from my school library (I'm a 7th grader--yes, that's what I said) because I wanted to be able to say that I had read War and Peace. Then once I got into it, I really started enjoying it. I'm not finished with the book yet, but so far it is very good. The descriptions in it are wonderful, and the plot is very interesting. A slight word of warning, though. Many people have the same first name, and similar names. The names are also Russian (obviously) , which makes them a bit harder to remember. They may be confusing at first (they were for me) but after a while you can distinguish the characters. Don't be put off by the title, because this is not just some philosophical novel that talks about the human race and all that. This is a very well-written action/adventure novel (even though it was written in the 1880s) that has an exciting plot. Don't be daunted by the 1386 pages, either. They go by very quickly. (Another reason to read this book. If you really want to impress someone, just carry this book with you. That's not the only reason to buy it, but it works!! :) ) This book made me INCREDIBLY glad that I don't live in Russia in the 1800s. Overall, I'd say that this is a very good book, despite a few rather daunting aspects of it.
Rating:
Summary: A book full of life
Review: This novel covers fifteen years in the lives of several noble families from early XIX-century Russia, at the time of the Napoleonic wars. More than having a plot, it is a vivid depiction of life in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as in the different theaters of war. First we are introduced to the families and their daily lives, but very soon some of the young members have to go to war, and that has a definitive inlfuence on the developments that follow. Summarizing the book is hard to do in a short space, since it is precisely its huge epic scope which constitutes its main charm. Beyond few and scattered comments by Tolstoy on his view of history, illustrating but not very useful, since he has a determinstic approach, the book is pure action, in a cinematographic way. The book is long, but every chapter is very brief, and you change scenes frequently as you read it. It is by no means a hard read, especially after you learn to discriminate between important and less-important characters. Some reviewers have complained that characetrs go in and out of the story without much explanation, but I think that is one of its main strengths: in our lives, people enter and leave the scene and we don't always know where they come from or what becomes of them after they leave our lives. The literary aspect itself is of the highest quality: even in translation, you can see that Tolstoy was a master of the written word. The characters are fully rounded, complete personalitites, at least the most important ones. None of them is entirely good or bad, likable or unlikable. Like all of us, they have their moments. Tha main ones are: Natasha Rostov, a lovely yet troubled woman, who goes through a lot of changes in her life. Sometimes she is a young beauty, full of life and splendor. Then she is a total fool, then a sad woman and in the end... well, no spoilers here. Another one is Pierre Besukhoff, a strange man, insecure and intelligent, who also goes through many adventures and misadventures. Andrei Bolkonsky and his family are antoher point of focus. If character development is the mark of great writing, then this is one of the best books you can read. Tosltoy alternates between war and peace to show us the many different faces of life, and he does so with masterful skills. There are many hilarious moments, but also many tragic, sad and gloomy ones. Favorite scenes that come to my mind are, among many others: the Rostov kids' Chrsitmas holiday celebration in their rural estate, driving in their carriages on the snow, having fun and feeling love; Pierre's experiences in the frontline; the public execution outside the Kremlin, etc. Certainly one of the highest points in world literature, it is a very entertaining novel full of life.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a diversion for masterful piece on human destiny.
Review: Tolstoy's characters are universal. One can imagine human spirit as a "space" in the mathematical sense. Just like in mathematical spaces there are basis vectors, which are used to express any point in that space as a linear combination of these basis vectors. Now characters Tolstoy's paints are very close to these basis vectors of human spirit. That is why we find in each character something from us or someone that we know of. Personally, the character of Berg with his mother and no mention of his father and his extremely ambitious character as much as trying everyway to attain his goal as much as being a member of special committees reminds me of someone who was very influential in the recent history of Turkey. Tolstoy using very saddle analogies brings important characters in history to very near us. Dolohov in his encroachment to Pierre is trying to have what others, who are less of him in courage, have by their genealogy. Dolohov is not gentry so he despises gentry and takes his revenge by taking their money in gambling or taking their wife in his affairs with women in high society. In fact Dolohov by provacating Pierre into a duel tried to kill him and take all of what Pierre had. But Dolohov is no different than Napoleon in this sense. Napoleon is trying to have what Alexander I has by his birthright. Napoleon has the same instinct that Dolohov had. But Tolstoy does all this without explicitly saying it, which makes his novel even more interesting. Contrary to some of the people here, I will have to say his ideas about destiny are most interesting. In fact one can look at the whole novel as the collection diversions to make you read Tolstoy's understanding of human destiny expressed in a particular setting in history. Every person who stops and thinks about what is going on in his/her life at one point or another, evetually he/she will have to face the question what is commonly called "destiny" or the overwhelming influence of a higher will which makes itself felt more and more with the awakening which comes about with recognition of one's own mortality. I am sure Tolstoy's experience of life and death in Crimean War had a very profound effect on his view in later life. This sort of awakening is a very common phenomenon, I am beginning to realize. In fact Tolstoy's awaking is probably is being told to us through Pierre's awaking during his forced march with the French. Myself being familiar with writings of one influential Turkish writer, Bediuzzaman, his awaking was, it turns out, not very far from Pierre's, during Bediuzzaman's custody in a Russian Prison Camp in Kostruma near Volga river during World War I. Some of Tolstoy's philosophical ideas about creation, especially the ones Pierre in the novel takes from his Mason friend, show colors similar to Islamic mysticism. I am sure he was very much influenced by Islamic mysticism considering his story on "Hadji Murad", his contact with Cossacks, Tartars and Ottoman troops in Crimean War. He once wrote to one of his readers who asked his opinion of Islam indirectly, he replied, "consider me an Mohammedan (meaning Muslim)". I have read the Penguin Edition only so I cannot make a comparison between different editions. At any rate, I have already bought Anna Karanina last weekend from Everyman Library edition and looking forward to read his works in chronological order.
Rating: 
Summary: DULL DULL DULL DULL DULL DULL
Review: I subscribed to some of the values in this book (as of three days ago actually). But they're pointlessly boring. And not a bit sexist. Why shouldn't girls have their first time with wild crazy alpha males? Especially if boys apparently are supposed to desire beautiful girls back?
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Summary: history is the story of lies people told to each other:
Review: There is much to say about War and Peace. Now of course most people know it to be the legendary, thick and therefore classic Russian work--something to do with something about a war and chances are relating to some sort of protest movement (perhaps) as well as a homefront resolution. Now such historic recognition granted to a novel must imply that it provides for some theorhetical insight, something important no doubt stated over and over again--it's a classic, am I right? Now such generalized presumption as to the majority's presumption relating to this ungodly heavy tome is of course a matter of opinion but the real point to be made is that War and Peace is an exciting and rather smooth and easy read (translations are generally undertaken by someone so confident of themselves in their understanding of the Russian language and also so awed by the task of re-imagining what they are convinced is another person's genius that no doubt any of them will be poetical in the right spots and only occasionally ponderous or dull in several of the sequences that might not attract an individual reader's interest--) But the majority is striking and bold, written with a keen understanding of the differences in character and a more than patient willingness to explore every possible insight that might just be spreading around society. It is a marvelous and powerful epic depicting Napolean at the head of the post-revolutionary French nation, ready to overthrow yet another king and equally prepared to remain in a constant battle. Here we have Russia under the optimistic young Czar Nicholas, surrounded by contrary and contradictary viewpoints of so many frightened and arrogant men that the choices he makes have little to do with any of his personal ideas. War and Peace is a book that picks apart the portrayed reality of the true act of humanity and proves to us that by inserting his well-realized fictional characters into the lives of the celebrated truth, a different view of humanity can be instantaneously seen. War and Peace is about the glory of exploring humanity. Of people at a perilous time and how society both shifts and tears itself apart and of how a common idea of an enemy in fact pulls nations and the entire world together in an effort to state what the majority might define as 'right'. It deals with a troubling fallacy in our understanding of past events by relating exaggerated and familiar details of both home, the service, battle and the pleasures and pains of those falling in and out of love, and in these exchanges it seeks to prove that everyone takes the same thing very differently and that there is no absolute truth, not in the heart, not in the mind, not even in the soul. There is an ongoing debate with both God and with man (and let us strip this text of Organized Faith and allow the grander glory of the very concept of a Universial Center to hover over these wars of men and beasts), a sometimes smug effort to disprove popular beliefs and an at times agonized inquiry into just what is it that everything means. All this in only 1,455 pages and a story with lots of blood and guns and sex as well as some genuine evil, some moral collapse and a great deal of pettiness, bickering and pain. Needless to say, I loved my time spent reading War and Peace and, while I would never proclaim it 'The Greatest Thing I've Ever Read' (and who knows, chances are all our opinions differ radically, even if we felt it was appropriate to judge one single text higher than all of the others), I will declare this book 'among them' and do away with such historical sub-referencing as is required for making lists--
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