Best way to read War and Peace?

[thekingrat]

I just finished Don Quixote and I am currently reading Les Misérables. I bought those books along with War and Peace to read one after the other, shortest first. My question is, what is the best and most rewarding way to read War and Peace? I only ask this due to the large cast of characters and historical refrences (I only have a basic understanding of the Napoleonic wars). Should I use a study guide, chapter by chapter summary etc etc. Also what would be the best reading schedule that will allow me to finish the book in 2-3 months (my copy is 1444 pages)? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[Calidore]

My approach was to watch three major film/TV adaptations first from shortest to longest (in order, the 1956 Henry Fonda/Audrey Hepburn film, the four-part Russian film from 1966-67, and the 20-part BBC television serial from 1972 starring Anthony Hopkins). I expected that the shortest one would give the basic plot and characters, with the subsequent longer versions including more and more subplots and supporting characters. Happily, that's exactly what happened--the novel itself opens at a party with lots of names being thrown at the reader at once, but thanks to my viewings, I knew exactly who everyone was.

[thekingrat]

Nice approach, but if I know even the most basic plot, than why read? A big part of reading for me is understanding the story through text, I like to watch the films after. That may help me, but I want the story first time through the book.

[Danik 2016]

If you read the two parts of D. Quixote, you probably will enjoy War and Peace. But don´t read summarys, they kill the book. If you have to have to know the plot beforehand, to watch the films as Calidore suggests is a much better idea. If not you can read the book slowly(unless it is part of a course programm).

[Calidore]

I should clarify that in War and Peace's case, my main motivation for watching the moves first was keeping the characters straight, as that's the main stumbling block I'd heard about.

[thekingrat]

That was what I was worried about as well, the length deters most bust what gives me pause is the hundreds of characters and Russian naming. I read some of The Brothers Karamazov so I understand somewhat Russian names and how many ways there are to refer tot the same person. However in that book there were a lot less characters.

[prendrelemick]

It is a good book well written. Just read it. (But take care with those names.)

[Pompey Bum]

Nice approach, but if I know even the most basic plot, than why read? A big part of reading for me is understanding the story through text, I like to watch the films after. That may help me, but I want the story first time through the book.

Your scruples about the movies are well founded. Stay away from them. You don't need anyone else's interpretion interfering as you read. That's a good general rule for books with movies, but it is especially true of War and Peace. Henry Fonda as Pierre Bezukhov? The casting was (almost) as bad as William Shatner playing Alyosha Karamazov. God knows you don't need that in your head. I would even suggest that Calidore might have enjoyed the book more if he had been a (metaphorical) virgin.

The plot of War and Peace is not difficult to follow, and personally I had no problem keeping the characters straight. Most editions have a character list in any case. Just refer to it until it's no longer an issue for you. The number of characters in War and Peace is really not as much of a problem as people say. What are stumbling blocks for some readers are Tolstoy's chapter-length digressions on historiography. If you have an interest in how history is written, or if you want more exposure to Tolstoy's theory of fate (which pervades the story in any case), then enjoy these chapters. I loved them, but some find them dull and pedantic. If you are not interested just skip them. Really, just turn to the next chapter. I give you permission. Don't skip any other parts of the book, but those parts are easily expendable.

The other problem some people have in finishing War and Peace is the approximately 100-page section near the end that forms a kind of sequel to the main epic. Some find it anticlimactic, others object to Tolstoy's reopening issues he seemed to have resolved, and some are just disappointed with the way the characters turn out--especially Natasha Rostova's. Do not skip this section. Read through it, see how you like it, and maybe ask yourself how you would have written it.

Finally, Prendrelmick is right: the way to read War and Peace is just to read it. I recommend that rather than spend months (as you suggest), you simply go off for a weekend or three and devote yourself to it entirely. But I know that kind of thing is not always possible, so maybe a few months will have to suffice. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. It really is magnificent.

[thekingrat]

Excellent advice. I am half way through Les Misérables, so digressions and historiography would not dismay me from reading those parts, let alone the whole book. My copy has a small character list (about 26 characters). Would it be wrong of me to refer to a character map/chart online?

[Pompey Bum]

The problem with character lists (whether in a hardcopy or online) is that they sometimes contain spoilers. I would only use one if you know you are having trouble keeping the characters straight. It really isn't that hard, but go with what works.