War and Peace

[fayefaye]

War and Peace- it's supposed to be a really brilliant book, and I'm about a third of the way through (it's pretty long too) so please don't post spoilers, but I just don't get what the big deal about it is. Why is it considered so brilliant? I think it's pretty dull- it has none of the satire of Austen, or the drama of Shakespeare, or anything really special so far.

[Dick Diver]

The characterisation is sublime and of course the authenticity.

There is a great sense of 'this is actually happening here now' though I did read it during a particularly cold winter.

And Napoleon was invading at the time too.

[Rotty1021]

I want to read the book, but I don't know if I have the power to pick up a 1400 page novel. The same could be said for a lot of books. I guess I'll just open it up when the time is ready. :rolleyes:

[Koa]

War and Peace- it's supposed to be a really brilliant book, and I'm about a third of the way through (it's pretty long too) so please don't post spoilers, but I just don't get what the big deal about it is. Why is it considered so brilliant? I think it's pretty dull- it has none of the satire of Austen, or the drama of Shakespeare, or anything really special so far.

:o :o :o Exactly the same for me!!! I started it one month ago and read only like 180 pages...when I'm able to read huge books in a few days if I like them... I'm curious about how this book is so important and such so I won't give up, but it's slooow... I realise now that I should have skipped the 2nd part cos that's what blocked me...But I don't usually skip anything so I read it, somehow... but it could have been 2 pages long and it would have had the same effect on me... it's sad, I don't get it...I'm only hoping I'll get it when I'll have a total view on it- that is, when I've finished it...in a few months :rolleyes: (it must be the first time I take more than 1 month to read anything...)

Rotty, I have the opposite 'problem'...I often can't decide to open books that are too short... Sometimes shortness spoils the fun, if it's a great book of course...at the present moment I'd like a shorter War and peace...;)

[Rotty1021]

I like reading a wide breadth of books, both non-fiction and fiction, thus making me more prone to reading books less than 700 pages, though I do splurge at times. When I am really into a book, which means that I am mesmerized by not only the plotting, but the feeling and pacing of the writing, I don't want the book to end. It stinks when great books end.

[fayefaye]

o o o Exactly the same for me!!! I started it one month ago and read only like 180 pages...when I'm able to read huge books in a few days if I like them... I'm curious about how this book is so important and such so I won't give up, but it's slooow... I realise now that I should have skipped the 2nd part cos that's what blocked me...But I don't usually skip anything so I read it, somehow... but it could have been 2 pages long and it would have had the same effect on me... it's sad, I don't get it...I'm only hoping I'll get it when I'll have a total view on it- that is, when I've finished it...in a few months roll (it must be the first time I take more than 1 month to read anything...)

at the present moment I'd like a shorter War and peace...;)[/quote]

YEAH. Have you tried Machiavelli's The Prince? It's incredibly short, but I find it so tragically boring I can't stand to read it. It's really thin, so I always carry it around in my handbag and pull it out if I find myself really bored. It doesn't matter that much if a book is long or short- I've read long books in short periods of time because they were interesting, but The Prince is really short (like 100 pages) and I'm still only halfway through. Actually, I skipped whole sections of war and peace. oops oops Did you notice how some parts of the book are on the characters at peace time, then they have parts on the characters in war time? I tend to skip the war time. Maybe I'll scrap the war part and just make it 'Peace'. )
Either way, I'd like a shorter one too, but I've given myself like a year to read it.. so I plan to finish it sometime during 2004 oops I don't know why.. I suppose since they're such 'important' books I just feel compelled to read them too.

[Koa]

Yes, what blocks me is the war. Boring as hell. The peace can get interesting at least... I can read the peace parts quite quickly, cos they make want to see what's next... The war doesn't. It makes me look through the books to see how much of it I have to stand before it's about the peace again...
The fact is, I cant skip parts...I have a horrible sense of duty, that makes do boring things even if I could avoid them.
One year to read it??? Well at this speed it will take me that long, but my original plan was no more than 3 months... Maybe it was too ambitious, but it was based on how I read other long books...but they caught my attention at least!


I never read the whole of The Prince, just a few chapters at school, but it seems rather interesting at times... I just can't dare to read it all cos it's such an old language and style, it makes boring even the most interesting concepts. (I guess in your case it depends on the translation...I guess they didn't translate it in the English of the 1500s?)

[Demona]

fayefaye & Koa

yeah, right! the book doesn`t even have pictures! why to read it anyway? :D

and joking apart...try reading some decent criticism..that might help.

[Munro]

You both are very brave. I intend to read War and Peace, as well as Ulysses by James Joyce and In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust in my life time, but I consider them all literary quests to achieve. War and Peace would be challenging, and boring, but if Robert E. Lee did it (I kinda respect him in this way), so can you! Toot on!

[Munro]

You both are very brave. I intend to read War and Peace, as well as Ulysses by James Joyce and In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust in my life time, but I consider them all impossible literary quests to achieve, all deserving a medal saying "I read ____".
War and Peace would be extremely challenging, and boring, but if Robert E. Lee did it (I kinda respect him in this way), so can you! Toot on!

[Koa]

fayefaye dear... Maybe it is getting more interesting! Yesterday I managed to read quite a lot of it...I finished the 'first book' (that's how it is divided internally, I have it in only 1 book thankfully :D ) and the beginning of the second looks interesting, I'm even annoyed that I'll have not much time to read it now... Am I fooling myself in a silly hope, or maybe I will read it voraciously from now on?

[fayefaye]

Yes, it does get more interesting, but not John Grisham interesting. I'm mostly reading it for Pierre, the Rostovs, and their little social goings on. actually, the reason I'm giving myself a year is because I don't intend to read it all in one go- I guess I'll read it in between other books; when I have nothing else to do. But yes, it does pick up. Unfortunately, I just started reading book nine, and they're talking about napolean again. roll