BOOK ONE: Part 2, Chapter 11-15

As much as I don't know about the Nepo war... things don't look too good for Prince A at the moment. 

Did Tolstoy make up some history? I mean with the letter from Nepo...ah well.. if Shakespeare can make up words to make his plays better, then I think Tolstoy should be able to make up some history. 

BOOK ONE: Part 2, Chapter 9-10

Cool quote: "It was not the question 'what for?' but the question 'How' that interested him."

BOOK ONE: Part 2, Chapter 8

Ho-Ly Shiit.  

So...this must be that war part. 

Tolstoy has game.  

BOOK ONE: Part 2, Chapter 6-7

Tolstoy has this really interesting way of describing people's expressions. It makes me want to be a writer and not a director to read these words- because Tolstoy is creating a story though the way that he writes that could never be interpreted correctly as a film. This is pure literature at it's best. 

Also, a question. When Tolstoy says 'our troops' what does he mean? What does the 'our' imply? Does he know that people will be reading this- and is the 'our' a way to get us to side with him? Pg.141 for those of you who are following along. 

BOOK ONE: Part 2, Chapter 1-5

So... Tolstoy took a little side trip here to talk about a character that is not even mentioned in the 'Character list' in the front of the book. I think that Tolstoy is maybe just trying to prove a point about Nationalism and what 'the army' and society can mean to people.. because these chapters have nothing to do (so far as I can see) with the plot so far (I mean besides the obvious part that they are about the Russian army in the Nepo war).

There was a really awesome quote in chapter 4 spoken by Denisov  "we sleep when we don't love. We are children of the dust...but when one falls in love and one is a G-d one is pua' as on the first day of creation..."

So Me= 0 Tolstoy=1

BOOK ONE: Part 1, Chapters 8-25

Yes, I know what you might be thinking... chapters 8-25? This might be a long post. Its not that I have made the decision to only post every once and a while, it is just that I have spent so much time getting absorbed into the book that I find stopping to blog about it is quite silly. So I shall only blog at my digression in moments when it will not take away from my ability to live life and become involved with the book. Cheers to life. 

I am still unsure about weather or not I like Pierre (or now Count Peter Bezukhov).  But I do like his anti- social and capital ways of life.. or at least the fact that he is an outsider in many ways to that system. That and I have always fancied men who wear glasses and 'peer over' them at appropriate moments as if they are thinking something clever in there heads. 

I thought the quote 'In this world one has to be cunning and cruel' was interesting... I have been writing on a topic very similar to that suggestion and the fact that I happened across it in this book was a bit exciting. 

I think this part of the book had a bit more 'peace' to it then war, and because my brain has been shook by the likes of Jane Austine I fear that I will not like the 'war' part that is coming. 

END OF BOOK ONE, PART ONE! this may take longer then I thought...

BOOK ONE: Part 1, Chapters 6-8

Chapters 6-7

So...how did bear fighting come into play so quickly? I'm not saying I don't like it, it's just a bit off-setting to go from a well to do party to bear killing. Perhaps that's what Tolstoy wanted. 

The upcoming battle between Pierre and Prince Vasili is intriguing... I just hope that if Pierre gets the inheritance that he wont send his serfs off to war. He seems like the kind of guy that might do that. 

Chapter 8

I feel bad for Nicholas...although Boris was pretty funny about the whole Mimi thing. Boris's joke reminded me of something J.M. Barrie would come up with. 

BOOK ONE: Part 1, Chapter 3-5

I don't like Prince Andrew...or at least the way he treats his wife. And I am now less sure about Pierre after his comment about Napoleon being of soul. 

My favorite quote from the book so far is: 

"'From what I have heard,' said pierre, blushing and breaking into the conversation, 'almost all the aristocracy has already gone over to Bounaparte's side.' 

'It is the Bounapartits who say that.' replied the vicomte."

Hmmm...must I hate all the men in this book? 

BOOK ONE: Part 1, Chapter 2

I came across a new word that I have never seen before in this chapter- not surprising, eh? Chimerical- 

A thing that is hoped for or wished for but is in fact illusionary or impossible to achieve.

Existing only as the product of an unchecked imagination. 

Pierre was the character who said it. He used it to describe Abbe Morio's 'scheme for perpetual peace.' I think I like Pierre... not liking the Abbe's version on peace tickles my fancy.

I quite like this word, it could have so many uses in my day to day life... in my musing of Communism to when I write about Fairy Tales...Perhaps I like things that are chimerical a bit too much, I wonder why that is? Probably it is because my potent imagination got too mixed up with pop culture. 

BOOK ONE: Part 1, Chapter 1

It is now almost a year after I first learned about the pastor who left us War and Peace- and this evening I began at Anna Pavlovna's  party (or chapter one). My favorite part was when Prince Vasili asked Pavlovna for a cup of tea in the midst of discussing the war. I felt that was something Tolstoy himself would have been caught doing during the span of his life time. I caught myself smiling at this thought and realized how incredibly nerdy the smile on my face was. Oh well, a smile is a smile. 

I just finished reading the Twilight series, so every now and again when I see the word 'price' on the page I think of that character looking somewhat like Edward- like a greek statue that should not be from this world. But War and Peace is far away from Twilight, and when ever a new prince is introduced shortly afterwords he is always described as bald or (and) have multiple imperfections. I know that should be some of the lure of this book- it does not play with girls minds about fake beauty in the world, it talks about our harsh realities... or at least I think it will. But for now... most of the Princes still look like Edward in my mind.  Sorry Tolstoy. 

I am waiting for my friend Toby to arrive from LA via Australia so I might get a few more chapters read this evening...but I do realize now that this might take longer then I thought it would.