{"id":4795,"date":"2017-09-28T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=4795"},"modified":"2017-09-26T15:57:27","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T19:57:27","slug":"book-review-war-and-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=4795","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: War and Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Or, as Tolstoy would say, Book Review: <em>War and Peace<\/em>, although it can&#8217;t really be a review because none of us know anything and everything is inevitable and none of us have any control over events, including writing book reviews, and also, I&#8217;m going to kill your favorite character.<\/p>\n<p>I decided eight years or so was long enough to leave this book languishing on my to-read list, and that it was time to give it the attention it deserved. Along with my book club, I planned to finish it in 2017, come what may. And so I did, with blurred eyes and feeble brain and wonder at what compelled me to think I should do this.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, a bit of trivia:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>War and Peace<\/em> contains 559 characters. That&#8217;s right, <strong>559!!\u00a0<\/strong>If you think it&#8217;s impossible to keep that many straight, you&#8217;re absolutely correct. It took me a good way through the book to even get the main ones settled in my head. Have I mentioned that a lot of the main characters have several names, and he&#8217;s liable to use any mixture of them, or a nickname if he feels like it?<\/li>\n<li>The first published edition had 1,225 pages. That&#8217;s because it takes a lot of pages to include 559 characters.<\/li>\n<li>Tolstoy didn&#8217;t consider it a novel, or a historical account. What genre he meant it to be is unclear to me, but it&#8217;s much fuller of philosophy than any novel I&#8217;ve previously read, and much fuller of fictional characters than most philosophy books you&#8217;ll find.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So what did I personally think of it?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Well. Frankly I couldn&#8217;t see what the hype was about as I slogged through chapter after chapter of war strategies and philosophical ramblings and met character number 468. And when I got to the end, I&#8217;m afraid I still was unable to see why this survived as a classic. In fact, it&#8217;s even said that Tolstoy would agree with me, and became somewhat disenchanted with his work, writing to a friend that he hoped to never again write something as bloated as <em>War and Peace<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>However, it does get somewhat interesting close to half way through the book. You even become a bit attached to the characters by the end, which isn&#8217;t something you&#8217;d consider likely at 32% of the way through.<\/li>\n<li>I found his philosophical ramblings about the inevitability of historic events and man&#8217;s inability to change his part in them to be rather depressing. He writes as if depressed himself, as any author might be who is trying to keep straight 559 characters. I think he and King Solomon could have been good friends, what with King Solomon&#8217;s cries about all being vanity and vexation of spirit.<\/li>\n<li>If you can remember who they are, the story line of the main characters is pretty good, as long as you don&#8217;t get too attached and become angry when he ruthlessly kills them off.<\/li>\n<li>If Tolstoy could have kept the novel at 300 pages, there&#8217;s a good chance I&#8217;d reread it. As it is, I am only immensely glad to have finished it once and for all.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Conclusion: If you&#8217;re interested in learning more about the French invasion to Russia in the early 1800s, or if you want a literary accomplishment to brag about to your friends, then this the book for you. If not, I think you&#8217;ll find other material a better use of your time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Or, as Tolstoy would say, Book Review: War and Peace, although it can&#8217;t really be a review because none of us know anything and everything is inevitable and none of us have any control over events, including writing book reviews, and also, I&#8217;m going to kill your favorite character. I decided eight years or so was long enough to leave this book languishing on my to-read list, and that it was time to give it the attention it deserved. Along&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=4795\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[83,244],"tags":[105,261,260],"class_list":["post-4795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-reviews","tag-book-reviews","tag-read-classics","tag-war-and-peace"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_1794.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8A8kG-1fl","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5897,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=5897","url_meta":{"origin":4795,"position":0},"title":"My Book Challenge for 2017","author":"Rachel","date":"January 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I'd never done a book challenge before, but decided to try one last year. And in the process, I discovered something about myself- I don't like reading from someone else's list. I take a more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach to reading, apparently. But nevertheless, it was a good challenge to do, because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2416.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2416.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2416.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2416.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2416.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8387,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8387","url_meta":{"origin":4795,"position":1},"title":"How to Become a Reader","author":"Rachel","date":"April 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It is not uncommon for me to stumble across conversations where I hear people remark sadly, \"I wish I were a reader.\" Well, as someone who is a reader, although of a lesser variety than some hardy folks, I am happy to offer a few tips to go from non-reader\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7762,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7762","url_meta":{"origin":4795,"position":2},"title":"Bookish Questionnaire","author":"Rachel","date":"April 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Some time ago my acquaintance-who-I-pretend-is-my-friend did a book week on her blog, and when I mentioned how much fun that would be, she kindly created this bookish questionnaire for me! I don't have a whole week of book posts for you just now (hopefully coming later), but as a person\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/books-filed-neatly-on-shelves-1907785.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/books-filed-neatly-on-shelves-1907785.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/books-filed-neatly-on-shelves-1907785.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/books-filed-neatly-on-shelves-1907785.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3628,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=3628","url_meta":{"origin":4795,"position":3},"title":"Book Review: Garlic and Sapphires","author":"Rachel","date":"May 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I read this book in 2014, and loveloveloved it. I recommended it to loads of people, until finally I thought, maybe I should reread this and see if it's actually as good as I remembered before I continue spreading it. So I did. And it was. Garlic and Sapphires is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_0780.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_0780.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_0780.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_0780.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_0780.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1784,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=1784","url_meta":{"origin":4795,"position":4},"title":"Book List 2016","author":"Rachel","date":"January 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"My focus last year was less on reading and more on other new experiences. So I read thirty books instead of a more hefty amount. But here are the titles I did read, along with a blurb about each one. Some of them were lovely, and some of them I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7483,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7483","url_meta":{"origin":4795,"position":5},"title":"New York City Fashion","author":"Rachel","date":"October 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"New York City is one of the fashion capitals of the world, I hear, alongside Paris and other such progressive places. It certainly is a place where you can expect to see just about anything and everything walking down a sidewalk, and even though there's enough weirdness here that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life in NYC&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4795"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4940,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4795\/revisions\/4940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}