Russian Life & People Digest
Question by Van7: Is Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace good?
I’ve heard and read about it, and the reviews are generally good. However, five pages in I stopped reading it. I usually get bored with good books in the beginning, so should I keep on reading?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Mildred LudWalla
Yes, it is good and good to have it under your belt.
Read all the answers in the comments.
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rlbjr22 says
In my two attempts to read the book, where I got to about page 560 and quit, I can tell you that I, too, felt the same boredom and confusion with all the interlacing of all the incredible numbers of characters, and how to understand the suffixes to their names and how it showed who they were related to. As much as I like reading, and can't stand television, you might think I'd enjoy such a huge and slow moving and intricately developing story of such a multitude of characters, but it simply overwhelms my little brain. NOW, having said all that, an old man who I was lucky or blessed enough to know, began reading War and Peace years ago, when he was somewhere in his 80's, and HE FINISHED IT!!! AND, "to-add-insult-to-injury" (LOL), he liked it so much that he went back and read it again, all the way through!!!!!!! Now, I thought with all my university education and degrees that I could at least outdo an 80-some-odd year old man in reading, but he just "blew-the-doors-off" my reading capacity, and he didn't have near the formal education, with all its reading requirements, that I did. I've always been tempted, with as pathetic as television has become, to go pick up "War and Peace" and give it another try, but, I'm still not sure if it's worth it, but, if that old friend of mine thought so, well, maybe in memory of him (he died around 20 years ago), and maybe because of your question, I oughta give it another try, but, SHEEESSSHHH!!!!!!!! That's a BIG undertaking. But then, as pathetic as tv and all other "entertainment" has become, . . ., well, . . ., . . ., well, . . ., may be. God Bless you.
LJ K says
It's fantastic. Really a terrific book.
Some reaction can depend on how it was translated.
Long ago and far away (actually, maybe a year or so ago, and at this site) I researched, for an answer on translations of this book, what was said about translators of Russian to English.
Found the information at Wiki and what I recall is that the best translators were a couple, one of them a Russian woman.
So you might want to see who translated your copy.
Still, even in a less-good translation, Tolstoy beats a whole lot of other books about both war and peace.
Suggest you forget "boredom" and read on…
ADD: If you already know you "…usually get bored with good books at the beginning…" it seems you'd know, by your 'boredom,' this book must be a good one.
Common sense tells you that already, and/or your awareness of this habit of yours.
Abel P says
OH yes, it's good. It made me cry.