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War and Peace discussion thread

168 replies

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 06/01/2016 13:12

For all things Rostov, Bezukhov and Bolkonsky - come in, pour yourself some tea from the samovar and settle down to debate love, politics, war and religion. Or if that sounds too hard, you can just bitch about the Freemasons or the BBC version.

Spoilers - what do people think? It will be a bit hard to discuss without posting any spoilers, but maybe we could write SPOILER! at the beginning of a post if it has something major in it.

I am 45% into it on my Kindle, but it's taken me 2 years to get this far! How far has everyone else got?

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 07/01/2016 19:21

I hope so!

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LookingForMe · 07/01/2016 19:13

Oh Nicholas Rostov is irritating me a bit!

I wasn't sure what to make of Broadbent's old Prince either but did wonder if he will become nasty later on, almost as though the kindly old man thing is all a cover for how abusive he actually is.

Am 44% into the book. Cheddar - I think this is all there is to Natasha at the moment but am hoping she'll get more interesting as she gets older?!

SonyaAtTheSamovar · 07/01/2016 17:56

Yes all the characters are flawed. I will say no more about him though as he's close to my heart!Wink

regenerationfez · 07/01/2016 17:44

I've taken a shine to Nicholas Rostov! Poor lamb! He's like a little boy playing soldiers!

SonyaAtTheSamovar · 07/01/2016 16:53

Jim was far too genial!

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 07/01/2016 15:11

Prince Nicholas Bolkonski is such a cock. I was really taken aback by Jim Broadbent's twinkly merry-faced approach because the old prince is horrible to everyone. Do you think he's going to become nasty later on, to suit the character? Poor Princess Mary - she's the classic abused daughter, isn't she? I can just see her MN thread.

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SonyaAtTheSamovar · 07/01/2016 12:39

I could never let myself warm to PRince Andrew after his treatment of the little princess. All shown in episode1 so no spoiler!

SonyaAtTheSamovar · 07/01/2016 12:35

The Freemason bits I may even have skipped when bedbound..

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 07/01/2016 12:31

You get a lot more from Andrew and Pierre - long descriptions of Pierre's disillusionment with the Freemasons or Andrew's depression. I don't mean to imply that I don't like getting inside their heads, but I wish the same would happen with Natasha.

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 07/01/2016 12:29

Spoiler alert: I'm liking the hunting bit with Nicholas and Natasha where they wind up back at Uncle's after a shoot and Natasha does the Russian dancing, but I still don't really feel as if I know Natasha as a person. She's done some teenage longing for her fiance, but she hasn't really done anything else, much. I'm hoping this improves and you get inside her head a bit more (and that there's more to it than Likes Dancing, Singing and Boys).

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SonyaAtTheSamovar · 07/01/2016 12:05

I read this with my full attention while virtually bedbound for a few months.

I had owned it for years and read it in a rather "skippy" way. My Dh had read it too. So I asked what he thought of Natascha and he asked "Who was she?" And he asked me what I thought of Kutuzov's military tactics and I said "What?"

So we realised he had read War and I had read Peace!

Had no expectations of thecurrent TV series and was pleasantly surprised.

antimatter · 07/01/2016 11:51

I think AK is much easier to read than W&P.

regenerationfez · 07/01/2016 10:32

No you have to really concentrate on it in the beginning so one at a time definitely best!

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 07/01/2016 09:13

Ooooh, I like the sound of Anna Karenina! I must wait until after W&P, though - not sure I could cope with two Tolstoys at once.

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SatsukiKusakabe · 06/01/2016 23:44

Yy re: Anna K exhilaration, I've said before I think that it felt like I was coming up for air when I stopped reading.

antimatter · 06/01/2016 23:08

I read lat week that someone suggested the translation of the third word in the title of WaP could actually be "World".

Mir in Russian means peace as well as world.

regenerationfez · 06/01/2016 22:12

I agree with middle re Anna K. I can't even remember much about it, but I can remember how I felt when I read it. Like I was completely wrapped up in another world. I read a lot but hadn't felt that exhilaration in a long time.

MiddleAgeMiddleEngland · 06/01/2016 22:07

Cheddar Anna K is a fantastic book, you'll love it. I try to read it about once a year. I haven't read W&P for ages, will give it another go in a couple of weeks.

Slightly missing the point of the thread there. Sorry.

Duckdeamon · 06/01/2016 21:53

Grin war and peace meets Riders! Riders is a more fun read!

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 06/01/2016 21:37
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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 06/01/2016 21:34

Oh, I got so confused by the different Annas too! Is anyone else reminded of the bit in Riders where Rupert tries to read W&P and throws the book into the bosky depths of the Bois de Boulogne?

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regenerationfez · 06/01/2016 19:21

I think I'll just do it in tandem. I'm never any good with waiting. The TV has helped me keep up with the characters a bit. I am reading the bit where Anna M. takes the will and I keep seeing Rebecca Front in my head Grin

NatashaBolkonskaya · 06/01/2016 19:15

Sorry, crossposted.

Do you advise me trying to beat the TV drama? Not sure really - there's inevitably going to be a lot left out of the telly version.

Either way, you're going to be spoilering, I suppose.

regenerationfez · 06/01/2016 18:44

I'll have to get reading...

NatashaBolkonskaya · 06/01/2016 18:37
Grin