OK War and Peace that venerable tome.  I have always wanted to read this book, tried it a couple times, it does start of a tad slow.  But the physical book is 1225 pages long and I just could not deal with a book that large - ever.  But in 2016, KINDLE - the biggest book is still the exact same size as the Kindle, so I took it on.

This book is an interesting mixture of fiction, history, the author's philosophical thoughts on War and peace.  It starts a little slow as you get used to the various characters and gain an understanding of how society operated in Russia at the time.  It was fascinating to learn a different side of the War of 1812 and to learn about Alexander I and Napoleon Bonaparte.  It was very interesting to have Tolstoy expose the effects of war on various elements of society, the fighting man, the peasants, the society folks, the officers, the Royalty.  I found it very thoughtful and informative.  I might wish he had woven in a little more "peace" but it was still interestingly done.  Plus I can say I read War and Peace - which was on my bucket list of things to do.
OK War and Peace that venerable tome. I have always wanted to read this book, tried it a couple times, it does start of a tad slow. But the physical book is 1225 pages long and I just could not deal with a book that large - ever. But in 2016, KINDLE - the biggest book is still the exact same size as the Kindle, so I took it on. This book is an interesting mixture of fiction, history, the author's philosophical thoughts on War and peace. It starts a little slow as you get used to the various characters and gain an understanding of how society operated in Russia at the time. It was fascinating to learn a different side of the War of 1812 and to learn about Alexander I and Napoleon Bonaparte. It was very interesting to have Tolstoy expose the effects of war on various elements of society, the fighting man, the peasants, the society folks, the officers, the Royalty. I found it very thoughtful and informative. I might wish he had woven in a little more "peace" but it was still interestingly done. Plus I can say I read War and Peace - which was on my bucket list of things to do.