Exploring Classics: War and Peace

Translated by: Anthony Briggs

Originally serialised in The Russian Messenger from 1865-67

My edition: the Penguin Clothbound Classics hardback

WHEN I Discovered This Classic

I’m honestly not sure. It feels like I’ve always known about War and Peace. It’s a novel that in the literary world people pretend to have read or one they claim they will never attempt.

WHY I Chose to Read It

As with so many classics and period drama fans, I lapped up the stunning 6-part mini-series adapted by Andrew Davies for the BBC in 2016. I fell in love with the sweeping luxury of Russian high society and the bumbling Pierre and moody Prince Andrey. I was sold. And then last summer I read Anna Karenina and fell head over heels in love. I knew that I’d have to tackle War and Peace and decided to start it at the beginning of 2017.

WHAT I Thought of This Classic

This epic novel details the lives of Count Pierre Bezhukov, the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys and the people surrounding them, spanning 1805 to 1820, covering the period of several wars, but most significantly Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. We see them fall in and out of love, live and die, and navigate high society in times of peace and fight in times of war.

There’s no escaping how long War and Peace; my edition is 1440 pages long, 100 of which are notes on the text. I planned to read 7 chapters a day so I would finish it by the beginning of March. That didn’t quite go to plan and it ended up taking me nearly five months to conquer, but it really was worth it. And not just because of the pure triumph of turning that final page.

What I fell in love with in Anna Karenina was the breadth of the story, the unbelievable growth and development of the characters and the flaws in them. I couldn’t help but fall in love with hapless, dreamer Pierre; I learned to love moody, firm Prince Andrey; and I think Princess Marya is vastly underrated throughout the whole novel. As ever, the way Tolstoy portrays his female characters and the way they are treated inside marriages that started with grand declarations of love and equality don’t sit right with me, but I really do get the feeling that that is purely Tolstoy’s own views on marriage and the role of women at the time. Natasha, Marya and Hélène are all spirited and strong with distinct personalities.

A post shared by Sophie (@solittletimeforbooks) on Jan 1, 2017 at 3:12am PST

One of the major worries about diving into War and Peace is the dullness of the war sections of the novel. I have to confess that, yes, some of the mundane scenes, the political ones, the ones detailing intricate histories are boring and it does take a degree of sticking power, but I found that the other sections of the story and characters kept me going. Those sections I flew through, even surprising myself.

It wasn’t until the second part of the epilogue where I genuinely wanted to stop reading. For the later books in War and Peace, Tolstoy definitely starts to lean towards explorations of philosophy and history, but it really came out in the epilogue. Of the 28 chapters only about a quarter of them actually feature the characters i’d spent the last 1300 pages with. Tolstoy waxed lyrical about historians and the recording of history, free will, cause and effect and the flaws in even trying to document a historical event because only the winners and the higher classes were able to do so. While all this has validity and relevance to the story, i really don’t think it had a pace in the epilogue. An introduction, an afterword, an author’s note, sure - just not an epilogue! It was dry, boring and I was very ready to be done at that point. If War and Peace was to go out on submission now, that definitely wouldn’t be there and I’m pretty sure it would lose about 400 pages!

But whining aside, I knew what I was signing up for and I really did enjoy the experience of reading Tolstoy’s masterpiece. It was a really worthwhile endeavour and I’m so freaking proud of myself for doing it! Even if it took me nearly twice as long as it should have done...

WILL It Stay a Classic

Of course! It is said to be one of the finest novels ever written, and the masterpiece of Russian literature.

WHO I’d Recommend it To

- Those interested in war, war history, Russian culture and politics.

- Fans of Russian literature.

- Those with serious reading stamina.

Review format from Stacey at The Pretty Books as part of the Classics Challenge.

Sophie

On the pure indulgence of re-reading

I’ve had a strange reading year.

Last year’s influx of classics has dwindled to three (though one of them was War and Peace so, ya know); the YA reading has taken a nose-dive; and the non-fiction and memoirs have gone through the roof. I’ve also indulged in some glorious re-reading.

Since I began blogging in 2009 re-reading was something that I felt I wasn’t allowed to do. I had too many review copies, I had a reading schedule, I had goals and challenges I needed to meet. But this year it’s all changed.

Of the 47 books I’ve finished as of writing this, 7 of them have been re-reads: the last five Harry Potter books which I reveled in listening to on audiobook for the first time and then the first two books in Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy in time for the finale. And it was glorious.

The sheer joy of re-discovering and falling in love with books I either know I’ll always love or ones I had adored the first time around was so nice. Re-reading is the epitome of stress-free and pleasure reading.

I enjoyed it so very much that I’ve vowed to re-read whenever the urge strikes me. It takes me right back to being a kid and a young teenager who would finish a book I loved and start it all over again immediately. Some books I would read every month, every other, every year, completely guilt free and loving every second of it.

More of that, please.

Sophie

Mini-reviews: A Court of Wings and Ruin, Wishful Drinking & Exit West

I rated A Court of Wings and Ruin 4.5 stars, Wishful Drinking 4 stars and Exit West got 4.5  stars.

A Court of Wings and Ruin, Sarah J Maas

720⎟ Bloomsbury⎟ 2nd May 2017

Synopsis

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit - and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords - and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

Mini-review

I’m a huge fan of this trilogy and for the most part, ACOWAR was a perfect ending, but some really problematic elements about the novel have been brought to my attention and I can’t ignore them.

I HATE how SJM's issues with bad rep have made my friends and other readers feel. For an author with so much clout, it's really, really not on. I feel like she tried a little more to be inclusive in this book, but she missed the mark.

Putting that aside, I’m a die hard Feysand shipper and I adored them even more, I fell even more in love with Azriel, Mor, Amren and Cassian and the wonder of Velaris. It was a finale full of emotion, action and I could easily have read far past the already chunky 720 pages.

Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher

176⎟S&S⎟1st June 2009

Audiobook read by: Carrie Fisher

Synopsis

In Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher tells the true and intoxicating story of her life with inimitable wit. Born to celebrity parents, she was picked to play a princess in a little movie called Star Wars when only 19 years old. "But it isn't all sweetness and light sabres." Alas, aside from a demanding career and her role as a single mother (not to mention the hyperspace hairdo), Carrie also spends her free time battling addiction and weathering the wild ride of manic depression. It's an incredible tale - from having Elizabeth Taylor as a stepmother, to marrying (and divorcing) Paul Simon, and from having the father of her daughter leave her for a man, to ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.

Mini-review

A blisteringly funny, wise and honest journey through Carrie's life and the battles with addiction and mental illness that she's faced along the way.

I’m about the make a confession: I’ve never seen Star Wars. Any of them. At all. And yet I thoroughly enjoyed this nonetheless. Carrie and her family lived a fascinating life and her writing is so warm and witty that I couldn’t help but love her for that, even if I’d never know her as Princess Leia.

And the audiobook, narrated by Carrie, is completely wonderful. I listened to the whole thing in only two sittings and I’m really looking forward to reading more of Carrie’s work, even though I do get a lump in my throat when I think of her loss.

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid

240⎟ Hamish Hamilton⎟ 2nd March 2017

Audiobook read by: Ashley Kumar

Synopsis

An extraordinary story of love and hope, travelling from the Middle East to London and beyond, from the bestselling, Man Booker-shortlisted author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Nadia and Saeed are two ordinary young people, attempting to do an extraordinary thing - to fall in love - in a world turned upside down. Theirs will be a love story but also a story about how we live now and how we might live tomorrow, of a world in crisis and two human beings travelling through it.

Civil war has come to the city which Nadia and Saeed call home. Before long they will need to leave their motherland behind - when the streets are no longer useable and the unknown is safer than the known. They will join the great outpouring of people fleeing a collapsing city, hoping against hope, looking for their place in the world . . .

Mini-review

Exit West is a book that I kept seeing all over Instagram and booktube and the stories of beautiful writing and importance of the story completely captured me. I had to read it. And I’m so very glad I did.

I grabbed it on audiobook and devoured it in one go during a day of chores. I loved it. This novel is the perfect example of magical realism telling you about the real world more powerfully than a piece of realistic fiction. The doors that join cities in Exit West, the growing of Black London and the local reaction to immigrants fleeing to safety across the world. Take out those doors and the reactions that are left behind are real, the horror immigrants are fleeing is real.

It’s a breath-taking book and an essential one. Don’t miss it.

Sophie

Books I Couldn't Finish (13): Following Ophelia, The Girls & The Essex Serpent

I used to finish every book I started, whether I was enjoying it or not. But life is short. I’ve realised that I don’t have time for books I’m not full involved in any longer so if I don’t like something or don’t connect with it as much as I want to, I’ll put it aside. It still makes me feel guilty though, especially if I received them for review so I still want to talk about them, explain why I didn’t like them. Here are the most recent books I DNF-ed.

Following Ophelia, Sophia Bennett

I’m a huge fan of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - the art, the movement and the TV show from a couple of years ago - so I was really excited to get my hands on this. But my iffy relationship with historical fiction strikes again. And honestly, it was really rather slow and I just had no motivation to push through.

The Girls, Emma Cline

Another victim of the hype train? Probably. This was the book of the summer last year and I just wasn’t feeling it. It was edgy; the atmosphere was wonderfully cloying and thick; and the story being based on the Manson murders was intriguing, but I just didn’t click with it. I was really disappointed that I didn’t fall in love with this as everyone else in the world seemed to adore it.

The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry

If The Girls was the book of the summer, The Essex Serpent was the book of the autumn and winter. I’m not sure if I saw a booktuber that reads literary fiction who didn’t include it as a favourite of 2016. I patiently waited for the paperback, and now I’m glad I didn’t buy that (unbelievably beautiful) hardback. Though Sarah Perry’s writing was just as beautiful as the cover, there was so little agency in the plot and I had no motivation to continue with it.

Sophie

Mini Reviews: The Penelopiad, Take Courage & Sweetpea

I rated The Penelopiad 3 stars, Take Courage 5 stars and Sweetpea 4.5 stars each.

The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood

199⎟Canongate⎟11th October 2005

Synopsis

For Penelope, wife of Odysseus, maintaining a kingdom while her husband was off fighting the Trojan war was not a simple business. Already aggrieved that he had been lured away due to the shocking behaviour of her beautiful cousin Helen, Penelope must bring up her wayward son, face down scandalous rumours and keep over a hundred lustful, greedy and bloodthirsty suitors at bay…

And then, when Odysseus finally returns and slaughters the murderous suitors, he brutally hangs Penelope's twelve beloved maids. What were his motives? And what was Penelope really up to?

Mini-review

I watched countless booktube videos singing the praises of The Penelopiad and with my love of Greek mythology, I had to have it. It didn’t quite live up to expectations, though.

This book is odd. Really odd. The narration is split between Penelope and a chorus (written in verse) of the 12 maids that play a big part in this story - much in the style of the fates and their positions in tales of myth. It’s very clever, very original and a lot of fun, but I didn’t really ever connect with the story at any point. I’m familiar with the story and still it made very little impact.

It was a solidly enjoyable story and the audiobook was great, however. If you want something quick and unusual, I do recommend The Penelopiad.

Take Courage: The Art and Life of Anne Bronte, Samantha Ellis

352⎟Chatto & Windus⎟12th January 2017

Synopsis

Anne Brontë is the forgotten Brontë sister, overshadowed by her older siblings -- virtuous, successful Charlotte, free-spirited Emily and dissolute Branwell. Tragic, virginal, sweet, stoic, selfless, Anne. The less talented Brontë, the other Brontë.

Or that's what Samantha Ellis, a life-long Emily and Wuthering Heights devotee, had always thought. Until, that is, she started questioning that devotion and, in looking more closely at Emily and Charlotte, found herself confronted by Anne instead.

Take Courage is Samantha's personal, poignant and surprising journey into the life and work of a woman sidelined by history. A brave, strongly feminist writer well ahead of her time -- and her more celebrated siblings -- and who has much to teach us today about how to find our way in the world.

Mini-review

Oh, this book. I loved Samantha Ellis’s How to be a Herione, but I adored Take Courage. Samantha Ellis is one of my favourite writers now - this exploration of the genius and wonder of Anne Brontë is pure joy.

Anne Bronte is the forgotten Brontë; the saintly, quiet, meek sister; the weak link in literature's most famous literary family - except she’s really, really not, and Samantha Ellis proves it.

Anne is my favourite Brontë, even though she was the last of the 3 sisters I came across. I thought Jane Eyre was okay, Wuthering Heights was fun but I hated everyone, and then came Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and I fell in love. She was miles ahead of her sisters and yet all of the credit is given to Charlotte. I knew there was some tension between Anne and Charlotte and honestly, the things that Ellis uncovered about their relationship really didn’t warm me up to the oldest Brontë sister.

If you love the Brontës, read this. If you think Anne is the weakest Brontë, read this. If you think Charlotte was the pioneering woman author of the 19th century, read this. Just read it; you’ll fall in love with Anne Brontë and never look back.

TEAM ANNE!

Sweetpea, CJ Skuse

384⎟HQ⎟20th April 2017

Synopsis

The last person who called me ‘Sweetpea’ ended up dead…

I haven’t killed anyone for three years and I thought that when it happened again I’d feel bad. Like an alcholic taking a sip of whisky. But no. Nothing. I had a blissful night’s sleep. Didn’t wake up at all. And for once, no bad dream either. This morning I feel balanced. Almost sane, for once.

Rhiannon is your average girl next door, settled with her boyfriend and little dog…but she’s got a killer secret.

Although her childhood was haunted by a famous crime, Rhinannon’s life is normal now that her celebrity has dwindled. By day her job as an editorial assistant is demeaning and unsatisfying. By evening she dutifully listens to her friend’s plans for marriage and babies whilst secretly making a list.

A kill list.

From the man on the Lidl checkout who always mishandles her apples, to the driver who cuts her off on her way to work, to the people who have got it coming, Rhiannon’s ready to get her revenge.

Because the girl everyone overlooks might be able to get away with murder…

Mini-review

I love CJ’s YA novels - they’re dark, funny, and unusual. With Sweetpea, she goes several steps further and I loved it.

Sweetpea isn’t for the faint of heart - murder, sex, swearing and the darkest humour I’ve read in a long while. I honestly don’t want to say too much about Rhiannon’s exploits; I honestly think it’s best discovered when reading. I honestly don’t want to ruin this for anybody. It’s just so much fun.

Bridget Jones meets Dexter, indeed. Utterly brilliant and one of my favourite reads of 2017. Dark, twisted and just generally bloody brilliant. Emphasis on the bloody.

Thanks to HQ for the review copy.

Sophie