War and Peace

Rating:
Summary: Where are the Peasants? Where are the Enlisted Men?
Review: Who am I to critisize one of the greatest books ever written? The only problem I had with the book was that during the "War" phase, all we saw was the officer class. During the "Peace" phase, all we saw was the nobility. Including the lives of the enlisted men and the serfs would have made the book more interesting. In all fairness to Tolstoy, he was a nobel and an officer and knew nothing about enlisted men or serfs. I suppose that really shows how stratified Russian society was at that time!

Rating:
Summary: A classic of the world
Review: This is Tolstoy's longest work, but is very readable. In fact, the book should be quite accessible to high schoolers, although it helps to know a little 18th and 19th century European history. There are plenty of summaries here, so I won't waste time with that. Tolstoy makes the mistake of including too many main characters, which is the largest contributing factor to the length. There are essentially six main characters, one of these being the war. Tolstoy must divert attention to too many places and hence War and Peace is more dilluted than Anna Karennina. Anna is a better book and I would recommend that to be read before War and Peace.

Rating:
Summary: This book was very interesting and breath taking.
Review: I thought that this book was the best book that anyone could ever read. When you start reading you just can't stop because you can't wait to read what is going to happen next. I am really glad I decided to read it.

Rating:
Summary: A true classic
Review: I think that this book is a classic and a true masterpiece. It has the ability to take you back into that time period. But like a true classic it doesn't have the feeling of what real life is like in today time. This time span makes the book kind of hard to connect with as a person and at some points lacks the personal understanding of today's books. Through out the story the women seem to feel flat and two-dimensional compared to women, as we know them in today's world. However, Leo Tolstoy does an excellent job of depicting the art of war and how human nature reacts to real life events. Although this book is extremely long written I would still recommend it to a true fan of classic literature. But, I would forewarn you that this book is as much a challenge as it is a masterpice.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Clearly a classic which today reads as easily as a popular novel. Easy to read but yet a vast portrait of pre-revolutionary Russia.

That being said the periodic discussions of Tolstoy's theory of history which from time to time are inserted amongst the novel are, let us be frank are silly boring to read and out of place.

The book however is a rarity. Anyone can read it with pleasure and come away richer for the experiance.

Rating:
Summary: Eloquent in plot - majestic in scope.
Review: Like Anna Karenina, Tolstey has a "knack" for detailing female relationships; the intimate feel of the interaction between the women of his stories and the fascinating, timeless detail about the thoughts, emotions and preparations of ladies of society will strike a cord regardless of the century.

Subplotting this with the theory of war, in essence the manliness of combat which so contrasts with the soft feminine lines of the plot proves that Tolstoy was truly a mult-dimensional author capable of exploring the entire theater of human relationship.

Read this book not only for historial value but also for psychological and socialogical impact for the ages.

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Novel Ever Written
Review: I've read "War and Peace" nine times; Constance Garnett's translation three times and Rosemary Edmonds's six.

Every time it's like seeing an entire world from a new perspective. When I first read it, I was an adolescent, and read it mostly as an adventure story. With each successive reading, however, a new, rich texture emerged. I don't think any writer ever equalled Tolstoy's ability to capture so many elements of life, and make them so accessible to an audience.

Although now I tend to nit-pick it just a bit, there are many passages that truly astound me with their beauty, no matter how many times I read them.

No matter what else I read (and I read a lot), "War and Peace" remains the standard by which I judge all other writing.

Rating:
Summary: If you're curious...
Review: Ask yourself whether you're at all curious about what went into the creation of War and Peace. If you're able to get in touch with some form of curiosity: whether it be an interest in the Napoleonic Wars, a wish to experience the writing style of a man who penned a 1400+ - page novel (I recommend the Signet Classic Unabridged version), or a simple need to find out why the book is universally hailed as a masterpiece, then you're likely to make some major discoveries as you read. I found that having a "curiosity hook" on which to hang this book helped me to stay focused.

This book is many things: a well-constructed argument against the existence of free will, an in-the-trenches account of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, an eye-opening (and often humorous) look into the workings of early nineteenth-century Russian society.

War and Peace is beautiful. I say this because it speaks of the things in our lives that should be most important, but are increasingly less so as the twentieth century draws to a close. It speaks of the sanctity of marriage, the joy of family life, and above all, the lengths to which principled men and women will go to preserve these raisons d'être.

Rating:
Summary: W&P is the best book I've read yet.
Review: I started reading W&P as an assignment for my sophomore english class. I figured, if she wants me to read a classic, I might as well go with THE classic, right? So I checked out W&P. At first, I read it just to prove something to myself. Later, however, the book just kind of drew me in; I couldn't put it down! All of the details make you feel like you're there. You sympathize with all of the characters' anguish, and celebrate their victories. With Tolstoy's philosophical masterpiece in Epilogue 2 to tie it all up, War and Peace was definitely a great book.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of the mind
Review: This book was the first 'complex' book I read. I have now read it three times, and I wish to do so again. It is an interplay of the subtle and the obvious, from Pierre's struggle to find peace to the innocent young Natasha's love for Prince Andrey, and Bezuhov. But what affected me most was Tolstoys ruminations on the nature or war and life. His logic is concise, flawless yet has a depth beyond that of any other I have read. His final argument, that argues that we must depend on something we do not understand is so perfect I can find no flaw. It is the only argument that proves there must be a God that I can't attack. War and Peace is a large commitment to read, but once you have finished, you will be more than what you were. That is a guarantee.