What did I take from the first assigned reading? The following 3 things:
1) Women communicate telepathically. I now have proof.
2) The war scenes were good and necessary, and I am willing to make that argument.
3) I particularly enjoyed the stress over the last will and testament and the efforts of parents to find their more troubled children someone rich to protect them. Did anyone else find this amusing?
BREAKDOWN
1. Telepathy (tongue firmly planted in cheek)
So, I read through chapter 3 of book 3, which was the specific book and chapter citation for the first meeting group. I checked the website 3 times to verify I had it right. Dave also understood the specific citation and was then the only one who didn't read to 300 pages. He was also the only male there.
This happened to me as well for four reasons: a) I read a kindle and do not see page numbers; b) I am male; c) I have been called a robot on this very blog; and d) women communicate telepathically.
In a related note, I have found paper versions of War and Peace that vary in length by as much as 300 pages. Yet somehow, everyone else seemed to understand how far to read. Telepathy? Telepathy. Done and done.
Moving on...
2. War Scenes.
Probably another communication gap usually involves War scenes. This made me think of Pearl Harbor; not the attack, but the movie.
I went to see Pearl Harbor at the theater thinking it would be a cool war movie. I then sat through a three-hour love story with a token 30 minute attack scene thrown in to keep me from screaming at the manager and demanding my money back.
War & Peace, at least through chapter 3 of book 3 (did I mention that was the assignment?), can be parsed into two sections: 1) War scenes and 2) dinner parties.
The dinner parties involve your basic romantic tensions, misunderstandings and various relationship tensions. It's entertaining and well done, but this is definitely the "love story" part of the movie (and not nearly as intolerable as the movie above-referenced).*
The war scenes show us that soldiers have the same drama, but also map this book. The tenor of the war, the gains and losses and the battles themselves are not just special-effects (or a way to keep me calm) like in Pearl Harbor. Those scenes set the mood of the entire book.
When the war is going badly early, the mood finds its way into the dinner parties. It influences everyone's lives. It also gives me a geographical picture of what's going on.
Also, I thought the greatest literary accomplishment by Tolstoy in the first 2 books and 3 chapters (the assigned reading)** was this scene at the end of Chapter 19, Book 2 (quoted in parts so I don't get carpel tunnel):
"Rostov anticipated his horse's movements and became more and more elated... "Oh how I will slash at him!" thought Rostov, gripping the hilt of his saber...
Suddenly, something like a birch broom *** seemed to sweep over the squadron. Rostov raised his saber, ready to strike, but at that instant the trooper Nikitenko, who was galloping ahead, shot away from him, and Rostov felt as in a dream that he continued to be carried forward with unnatural speed but yet stayed on the same spot."
OK, see right here, this establishes a dream-like slow down of events. I was riveted by this. But the scene continues to the end of Chapter 19 of Book 2.
"How is it I am not moving? I have fallen, I am killed!" Rostov asked and answered at the same instant. He was alone in the middle of a field. Instead of the moving horses and hussars' backs, he saw nothing before him but the motionless earth and the stubble around him.
Tolstoy describes "something superfluous was hanging on his benumbed left arm. The wrist felt as if it were not his." He takes the reader into Rostov's head and through his fears.
"And though but a moment before he was galloping to get at them and hack them to pieces, their proximity now seemed so awful that he could not believe his eyes."
Fear then leads him away for his "young and happy life."
I cannot yet prove it, but it seems like the War and its movements will overlap with the rest of the story and characters. Obviously, at some point, it will impact the lives of all of the characters (as wide-spread War tends to do) and watching these forces slowly march toward each other is interesting. At first, it seems distant and interesting at dinner parties. I presume it will soon find the doorstep of the elites.
I enjoyed the posturing for the bridge and the fog of war that turned a retreat into a victory.
The War scenes showed me why Tolstoy is a literary giant.
* Seriously, that movie sucked.
** Is this starting to sound petty? Yes? OK, I'll stop. My bad.
*** No idea what this is, but it sounds cool!
3. Probate!
This is just a short final note to reference that I am not at all surprised that thoughts of a will and possible attempts to preserve assets for themselves ruined a deathbed moment. It's nice to know this has happened throughout human history.
I was also very amused by Prince Vasili trying to pawn his no-good son off on the daughter of a rich person. This made me chuckle many times. I didn't see how that ended, but that's because I read three chapters into Book 3.*
* It isn't even a little funny anymore? Are you sure? OK, I'll stop.
CONCLUSION
I really like the book. I like both elements of it, but I have been warned by my buddy Mike that the war scenes only get more difficult and dense. As of now, I love it. We shall see if it wears me down.
I bought the book in paper form as an anticipatory trophy for when its finished and to consult as to page numbers (and to avoid future controversy). I am still reading it on Kindle, though.
What? Why are you looking at me like that? I LOVE MY KINDLE! Stop judging me!
