Just last week, I finally finished Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace". It's been a book I've always wanted to tackle, and after hearing so much hype about the film "Last Station" I finally decided to embark on the difficult read. I was joined by my cousin-in-law, Laura, to tackle this 1300 page monster. We started way back in February, right after Geoff's wedding. The book has taking me nearly 10 months to read...
I followed along quite well in the beginning with the story of Pierre, who had inherited his father's wealth, and eventually married the beautiful Helena. Then there was the happy Rostov family, the beautiful daughter, Natasha, and the two sons Nikolai (a soldier in the army) and the youngest son Petya. It seemed quite apparent to me from the beginning that Pierre and Natasha were destined for one another. Yet then things got far more complex when other characters and love-stories came into the picture...
The biggest appeal to me, was the historical account of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In the early chapters of the book, Tolstoy begins with a detailed account of the Battle of Austerlitz. In doing this he puts both Napoleon and General Kutuzov into the novel, and gives detailed descriptions of their battle strategies. One of Tolstoy's main characters' Prince Andrei, fights in the battle, and is injured in a glorious charge. He later returns from the battle as a changed man, who later falls in love for Natasha.
The story once again picked up, when Pierre got in a dual with Dolokhov, a man Pierre believed to be cheating with his wife, Helena. Tired of the drama and confusion, Pierre leaves his wife, Helena, in pursue of something new. He finds exactly what he was looking for in the Freemasons society. This part of the books dives deep into the ideologies of the inner-self, clearly a representation of Tolstoy's viewpoints. Pierre becomes extremely religious, with a deep passion to fix an imperfect world.
Meanwhile Natasha meets Prince Andrei at a ball, and falls madly in love with him. Prince Andrei once again finds meaning in life, after the loss Battle of Austerlitz, and asks her to be his wife. However his father does not believe in the marriage, and tells Andrei to go away for a year, and then reconsider his proposal. During this time, Natasha falls in love with another man, Helena's brother, Anatole. She nearly runs off with him, until Pierre intercedes. When Prince Andrei here's of the betrayal he refuses to renew his proposal to Natasha. At this time, Pierre realizes he too has fallen in love with Natasha.
With the Great Comet of 1811, Pierre has found new meaning to life, yet this is quickly loss in the growing fears of Napoleon's invasion. The plot then turns to Napoleon as a central character in the story, focusing on his thorough strategies of invading Moscow. With an army of over 200,000 French soldiers, Napoleon marches into the outskirts of Smolensk. Pierre leaves Moscow to go watch the Battle of Borodino, one of Napoleon's greatest victories. Both sides suffer extreme losses, however the Russians are forced to wi
thdraw from the battle, allowing the French to march on Moscow.
General Kutuzov orders that Moscow be evacuated, knowing that Napoleon is on his way. At this point in the story grows extremely gloomy in Russia, especially for the Rostov family. The youngest son, Petya, leaves his family to enlist in the army, while Natasha's husband Prince Andrei has fallen in battle. Natasha tries to stay optimistic by helping transport the wounded. Meanwhile Pierre has grown extremely enraged with the French invasion, especially its leader Napoleon, and sets off on a mission to assassinate him. He suddenly crosses paths with Natasha, as they leave Moscow, and once again realizes his love for her. Yet in the midst of the chaos, Pierre is unable to leave his city. He is eventually taken prisoner by the French Army.
As Napoleon stands in the emptied city of Moscow, he realizes that the Russians are not going to surrender. Knowing that his army is short of supplies, he has no other choice but to call of his invasion and return back to France. Pierre must accompany the French army on this infamous retreat through the harsh Russian winter. Pierre watches as many soldiers succumb to the brutal cold weather. He is however freed by a Russian raiding party, and returns to help rebuild Moscow. It is at this time, that he is reunited with Natasha, and declares his love to her once and for all.
Talk about an epic! It's no wonder this story is considered one of the greatest novels ever written... Tolstoy creates a magnificent story in the backdrop of a dramatic time. Full of many complex characters and themes, this is definitely a book that should be read several times. I can't help but see significant similarites in other Russian stories such as Doctor Zhivago and even Reds... I thinks there's something quite amazing about creating a story within an actual story. The characters manage to illustrate the realism of the event.
So aft
er 10 months of reading, I just had to watch to the movie. I promised myself not to watch it, until I had finished the book. There are actually two epic films, one is American and one is Russian. I could not find the 1965 Soviet film, directed by Sergei Bondarchuk that is said to be the most expensive film ever made. However I did find the 1956 American film, directed by King Vidor and starring the lovely Audrey Hepburn as Natasha. The movie was a 3 hour epic, and wasn't half bad, yet still had to cut out many things from the book, such as Pierre's experience with the Freemasons. The film had a powerful portrayal of the French army's retreat, yet overall it was Audrey Hepburn's presence that really stole the show. She is truly divine!
War and Peace was by far the most difficult book I have ever read. It is full of so much detail and drama; the ultimate soap-opera... Yet I am very proud of myself for finishing it. There were times when I couldn't put it down, and times where I simply did not want to pick it up, not even look at it! Now its time for new things, and the next read on my list is JR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings...
I followed along quite well in the beginning with the story of Pierre, who had inherited his father's wealth, and eventually married the beautiful Helena. Then there was the happy Rostov family, the beautiful daughter, Natasha, and the two sons Nikolai (a soldier in the army) and the youngest son Petya. It seemed quite apparent to me from the beginning that Pierre and Natasha were destined for one another. Yet then things got far more complex when other characters and love-stories came into the picture...The biggest appeal to me, was the historical account of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In the early chapters of the book, Tolstoy begins with a detailed account of the Battle of Austerlitz. In doing this he puts both Napoleon and General Kutuzov into the novel, and gives detailed descriptions of their battle strategies. One of Tolstoy's main characters' Prince Andrei, fights in the battle, and is injured in a glorious charge. He later returns from the battle as a changed man, who later falls in love for Natasha.
The story once again picked up, when Pierre got in a dual with Dolokhov, a man Pierre believed to be cheating with his wife, Helena. Tired of the drama and confusion, Pierre leaves his wife, Helena, in pursue of something new. He finds exactly what he was looking for in the Freemasons society. This part of the books dives deep into the ideologies of the inner-self, clearly a representation of Tolstoy's viewpoints. Pierre becomes extremely religious, with a deep passion to fix an imperfect world.
Meanwhile Natasha meets Prince Andrei at a ball, and falls madly in love with him. Prince Andrei once again finds meaning in life, after the loss Battle of Austerlitz, and asks her to be his wife. However his father does not believe in the marriage, and tells Andrei to go away for a year, and then reconsider his proposal. During this time, Natasha falls in love with another man, Helena's brother, Anatole. She nearly runs off with him, until Pierre intercedes. When Prince Andrei here's of the betrayal he refuses to renew his proposal to Natasha. At this time, Pierre realizes he too has fallen in love with Natasha.
With the Great Comet of 1811, Pierre has found new meaning to life, yet this is quickly loss in the growing fears of Napoleon's invasion. The plot then turns to Napoleon as a central character in the story, focusing on his thorough strategies of invading Moscow. With an army of over 200,000 French soldiers, Napoleon marches into the outskirts of Smolensk. Pierre leaves Moscow to go watch the Battle of Borodino, one of Napoleon's greatest victories. Both sides suffer extreme losses, however the Russians are forced to wi
thdraw from the battle, allowing the French to march on Moscow.General Kutuzov orders that Moscow be evacuated, knowing that Napoleon is on his way. At this point in the story grows extremely gloomy in Russia, especially for the Rostov family. The youngest son, Petya, leaves his family to enlist in the army, while Natasha's husband Prince Andrei has fallen in battle. Natasha tries to stay optimistic by helping transport the wounded. Meanwhile Pierre has grown extremely enraged with the French invasion, especially its leader Napoleon, and sets off on a mission to assassinate him. He suddenly crosses paths with Natasha, as they leave Moscow, and once again realizes his love for her. Yet in the midst of the chaos, Pierre is unable to leave his city. He is eventually taken prisoner by the French Army.
As Napoleon stands in the emptied city of Moscow, he realizes that the Russians are not going to surrender. Knowing that his army is short of supplies, he has no other choice but to call of his invasion and return back to France. Pierre must accompany the French army on this infamous retreat through the harsh Russian winter. Pierre watches as many soldiers succumb to the brutal cold weather. He is however freed by a Russian raiding party, and returns to help rebuild Moscow. It is at this time, that he is reunited with Natasha, and declares his love to her once and for all.
Talk about an epic! It's no wonder this story is considered one of the greatest novels ever written... Tolstoy creates a magnificent story in the backdrop of a dramatic time. Full of many complex characters and themes, this is definitely a book that should be read several times. I can't help but see significant similarites in other Russian stories such as Doctor Zhivago and even Reds... I thinks there's something quite amazing about creating a story within an actual story. The characters manage to illustrate the realism of the event.
So aft
er 10 months of reading, I just had to watch to the movie. I promised myself not to watch it, until I had finished the book. There are actually two epic films, one is American and one is Russian. I could not find the 1965 Soviet film, directed by Sergei Bondarchuk that is said to be the most expensive film ever made. However I did find the 1956 American film, directed by King Vidor and starring the lovely Audrey Hepburn as Natasha. The movie was a 3 hour epic, and wasn't half bad, yet still had to cut out many things from the book, such as Pierre's experience with the Freemasons. The film had a powerful portrayal of the French army's retreat, yet overall it was Audrey Hepburn's presence that really stole the show. She is truly divine!War and Peace was by far the most difficult book I have ever read. It is full of so much detail and drama; the ultimate soap-opera... Yet I am very proud of myself for finishing it. There were times when I couldn't put it down, and times where I simply did not want to pick it up, not even look at it! Now its time for new things, and the next read on my list is JR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings...
No comments:
Post a Comment