War & Peace: Parts 1 to 3

Having finished Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I stared up in the dim room at the large gold and blue volume before me: War & Peace.

It was 7am on a dark winter morning, and I was ready to start reading the longest and most imposing book on my list. Will I finish it before the year is out? Or will this long and complex tale get the better of me? We shall see.

The Plot: Parts 1 to 3

As I mentioned previously, I’m breaking down the review of this book into six parts. Now that I have completed parts one through three, I’m ready to give you my first impressions.

We started out in St Petersburg, following the lives of the wealthy and well born of Russia’s elite. It’s the summer of 1805 when the story starts. Russia is at war with Napoleon’s France. But in St Petersburg, the social scene still unfolds itself in luxury, intrigue and selfishness.

Part two flings us into the war itself, following some of the characters as they experience their first taste of battle. The passages are full of military detail. But Tolstoy also develops the characters through their experiences. Some show bravery, others cowardice. All are drawn out with a skillful pen, creating people who are deeply realistic. I see myself in some of the flawed characters in this book. Already, I am drawn into their fate. What will happen? Will they live? Will they be happy?

Review: War & Peace is complex but intriguing

Multiple characters are introduced in these first few parts. Most have multiple names, which are used interchangeably. I find this particularly difficult to keep track of, as I’m not familiar with the Russian customs around first names, surnames and titles/nicknames. I’m planning to draw up a character chart to keep track of who is who.

So far, this seems to be a book that acknowledges the dark side of human nature. There is pettiness, selfishness, sexual misconduct, greed and stupidity. As yet, I have seen small glimpses of the good in these characters. I hope that the story arc sees at least some of them redeemed. That said, I find this gripping because the characters are so flawed. You can see yourself in them, they aren’t cartoon characters; neat heros and classic villains. Well, not all of them anyway!

I’m enjoying the book so far. I have struggled with the detailed military sections, and it is hard to keep track of the characters. And yet, I am already invested in this story. Let’s see where it leads us!

Have you read War & Peace? Let me know what you thought.