I wasn't sure if this moment would ever come (drumroll please--I feel there should be some fanfare), but I am finally finished with War and Peace! I actually felt a tad bit bereft not having my book with me today. It has been my constant companion all month. I think I will wait a bit to write a proper post about it. I still want to read the additional material included in my edition (it came at the end rather than the beginning, for which I am thankful, as I hate reading spoilers before I even start a book). I also have a book of essays that I want to skim or read as the mood calls. I'm not sure I have ever read a book this intensely for so long (Middlemarch would come the closest). I do think this is a book that should be read more than once as there is simply so much going on that I know I didn't grasp everything.
So. Is this the greatest novel ever written? Honestly? I'm not sure. It could be, but I don't feel as though I have read widely enough to make such a sweeping statement (ask me again after I read Don Quixote maybe--isn't this another novel that is said to be the greatest?). It is definitely one of the best books I have ever read simply for the scope of what Tolstoy tried to do. It is truly epic in its cast of characters and the events he portrayed. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about all of the characters. Some I didn't like at all at the beginning, but at the end I did. Others I expected more from. My favorite is Pierre. I really wasn't terribly impressed at the beginning and thought I have to read about this guy? He wasn't very appealing at first. He changes so drastically throughout the story, however, that I couldn't help appreciating what he went though and for me he became entirely likeable. I couldn't really identify very well with the female characters--I need to think more about it all. My criticism--I know that his explanation was probably necessary for the story, but the second part of the epilogue numbed my brain. The last 20 pages are a bit of a blur and I should really go back and skim them again. The novel is peppered with his comments and philosophy on religion and history and historians, which I at times found hard going. This is why I think a second reading of the novel might be a good idea.
A note on the edition I read--it was translated by a British translator. It has lots of British-isms--my favorite being "every man jack" (I remember this phrase from Horatio Hornblower as well!). It didn't bother me, but you might be aware of this if you are considering which translation to choose. He also translated all the French phrases into English as well. I think this has been frowned upon by some, but I'm not sure how much I would have understood had parts of the text been left in French. Perhaps there were nuances that were lost by doing this, but again for a general reader like myself (rather than a student or scholar) I don't think I necessarily missed anything (well, I am sure I missed a lot--but you know what I mean). I am glad I set my other reads aside to finish it. It worked much better for me to concentrate on it alone. I may have to keep this in mind when I start Don Quixote later in the spring!
Now back to my bad habits--I dragged two books to work with me and will be starting yet another later today, but more about those tomorrow.