You can tell you've put so much thought into this read along. I never would've imagined I'd actually tackle this enormous book that's been sitting on my shelf for years, and now I'm 3 days in, no longer intimidated, and already enjoying it so much! Thank you for creating this opportunity!
Starting is the hardest part! And then there were the people last week who didn't want it to end! You're very welcome and thank you, I'm glad you're here!
I loved this post where you give context to the book. I feel like I get so much more out of it than if I were to be reading the book by myself. In the past this has prevented me from reading the classics, because I feel that since I’m not in literature class I’m going to miss out on themes. I only hope you’ll expand to other classics in future under a paid format since it’s clear it takes a lot of work. Thanks!
I’m going to vote for sending the updates out over the weekend. I know that when I have to save posts to refer back to, sometimes I don’t do it. These feel like updates that you want to read after having done the reading to appreciate them fully...and having to save them to read later feels like an extra step (especially if you already have a full inbox!) That said, this was super interesting and helpful, particularly the info on names. I was having trouble following who was who!
Simon, thank you so much for all of your efforts and hard work on the read along, I’m sure I speak on behalf of us all that the detail, care and attention that you are giving is amazing. Please don’t burn yourself out though with managing it all, and ensure that the schedule works for you and your life.
Wise words! I'm gradually getting organised and disciplined about it. I remember at the start of last year it was pretty crazy for the first couple of weeks and then calmed down. I think (I hope!) it will be the same again this year. Thanks!
The passage you quote about Anna Pavlovna struck me when I read it this time, and I wrote in the margin: “epic simile.” The simile of the “foreman of a spinning mill” seems an intentional echo of Homer’s tendency to use similes of peasant life to compare to his aristocratic warriors.
I need someone much more learned than I (mentioning no John Halbrooks) to write some pieces on how War and Peace relates to Homer. So I am grateful for this!
This is what I thought of when I read those lines too! I do enjoy the simile drawing a parallel between this refined aristocrat and a factory foreman- there's something so universal about that. As though the same principle that drives the production of goods determines whether one will have a memorable social gathering or not.
I don't mind when you publish, Simon. It's the regularity that's important. Do what suits you best. I'm already enjoying dipping my toes in. And the French is an added bonus!
First time W&P reader. Thank you for this grand tour, Simon, I’m having a blast.
I had the great pleasure of saying very loudly today, in front of my shocked family: “No, no, I can’t be interrupted right now, I’m reading ‘War & Peace’.”
And I will be able to beg off and shut people down like this, all year; fantastic! ;-)
My favorite character in these opening chapters, among the party people, is “The Little Princess.” Because: she is sexy and a scamp, and she brought her no-doubt fascinating embroidery “in a gold bag,” to the soiree. I want her asshole-husband to vamoose quickly in the war and for Princess to have a juicy affair, while maybe sewing secret messages into her handiwork. Crossing fingers!
As for surprises? The humor. The bitchy, bitchy humor! Rude Pierre, for example, “waiting for an opportunity to express his own views, as young people are fond of doing.”
Thank you so much for running this club and for writing such a helpful post--which has far exceeded my expectations and makes me eager for the year!
I have been most surprised by Tolstoy’s sense of humor. When I read the book the first time, almost twenty years ago, I read it quickly, and a lot of the details, like the humor, went over my head--yet another advantage of the slow-read!
At first I was going to vote for Sat/Sun so as to avoid spoilers, but then reading this update helped me to understand what is happening, so that's a point in favor of Wednesday. So whatever works best for you, Simon! Thank you so much for all your work on this - I can see that responding to hundreds of comments per day alone could be a full time job, not to mention all the advance work on posts and characters, etc. I am enjoying this so much already!!
Thank you so much for this post. Am planning to read it on Sunday I think once I’m done with the week’s reading. I’m currently planning to stick to the schedule so posting these posts later in the week would work well for me personally!
The little princess’s charming upper lip sticks in my mind, and in a lot of other people’s, apparently. But Anna Pavlovna’s “terror” at observing Pierre’s expression of guileless intelligence and obliviousness to many of the fine points of appropriate behavior in a soirée frequented by those close to royalty, is at once funny (shallow woman), sad (woman with her own intelligence stuck in the role of nanny to the rich and famous of her day), and chilling (who you know counts more than what you can do in this stratified and stagnant culture). But they are all going to have a shock, aren’t they? Such excellent foreshadowing. I am reading my chapter while I eat breakfast and my tea or coffee...a good way to stick with it, and I foresee starting to get up earlier and earlier!
This is a reread for me, having read W&P last year on my own over the span of a couple months. I am enjoying the slowing down and it is great to see my annotations in the text from last year as well as making new notes due to the slower pace.
I love the opening scenes here with Anna's party. This entire book is a back and forth between the ballroom and the battlefield. Some people will enjoy the social scenes and some the historical scenes. But pay close attention! There is overlap and correlation between them. Anna marshals her party like a general marshals his troops! In the future we will see the dance of troops on the field is choreographed in much the same manner as the dances at the parties.
The richness of the characters in this story is amazing and each brings a unique perspective to the story. I had my favorites last year and am keen to see if they remain the same or if my ideas shift as I do this slow read.
Just finished Chapter three, trying to make it the first thing I do in the morning. Anna Pavlovna soirées reminds me of the Barbecue at the Wilkses, and the wedding at the Corleone compound. The big party during peace time before the war.
Yes, Marci! I was so surprised to have opening scenes of War & Peace bring to mind anything from Gone with the Wind, but it absolutely did make me think of the conversations at the barbecue! (And, for a time, early in my reading life, GWTW was the longest book I had ever read, so that feels like another faint similarity.)
Wow I just saw this and agree w the GTWW analogy (the similarities may end here, but it is a striking comparison; now, I'm thinking about how a "party scene" may operate as a literary device . . . )
This is beyond amazing, the breakdowns, the chats (Substack needs to work on that one 😅) I simply love everything about it, Simon. Bravo, monsieur. Chapeau!
As for fave in the first three chapters, I am going with Andrei, because he is so openly unlikable and does not care yet exudes that noblesse oblige. But Anna certainly is the star, she runs the show. Brilliant.
Please someone tell Substack to sort out chat! It needs work! But I swore to only use one platform this year, so here I am doing everything, haha! Loving your contribution, and I'll be sure to link to it in future posts.
I'm still trying to figure out substack, and noticed in Simon's post that he referred to the "comments" section. I wondered if "comments" and "chat" might be the same—alas, not the case! Can anyone tell me where, on Substack, I might have found this newsletter, had I not accessed it directly via an email? I looked for it on Substack (knowing it was to arrive on Wednesday) but didn't see it at all until I accessed it via the email link. It seems like it must be findable on Substack directly??? Ack
Thanks for the tip, Marika—I do have the app! I'm slowly learning/getting used to Substack, either way (webstite, app). I have a few subscriptions on Substack— I hope eventually to master it!
Really appreciate all the work that goes into this, thank you! I enjoyed reading your email. I don’t mind what day you send it out, whatever works best for you!
This is so enjoyable to read this way! It actually gives me motivation to read 7 chapters all in one go as I know my reward is reading the week's summary and reflections here! It really helps to delve deeper into the story whilst I remember what I'd just read. So for this reason, weekend posts will work nicely as I think I will probably prefer to read all 7 chapters in one go and then explore the topics on here and in chapter chats. But whatever is easiest for you Simon! This is just great regardless:)
Regarding favourite characters - it's not really something I need in books but so far I'm thinking maybe Boris as he seemed to be quite shy and uncomfortable with his mother's 'sharp elbows' and that seemed endearing to me. Also I liked his 'Well, this is hardly a sufficient reason, mama' ... at the end of the 7th chapter:) Natasha might be in the running as 'a little volcano' but we only had a small glimpse of her so far so I'm looking forward to seeing how her character develops.
A couple of things stood out so far, perhaps quite randomly!
- Lev T seem to be really into lip descriptions! Very intricate and detailed and sensual! I think everyone picked up on the little princess upper lip but Dolokhov's lips'/mouth description in Chapter 3 was also quite striking to me: "The lines of that mouth were remarkably finely curved. The middle of the upper lip formed a sharp wedge and closed firmly on the firm lower one, and something like two distinct smiles played continually round the two corners of the mouth." I wonder if there's more of that coming in the upcoming chapters!:)
- Count Rostov's comment of "Why, our mothers used to be married at twelve or thirteen" is quite stark to a contemporary eye!
- How girls and women are represented in the book - so far we have quite a lot of different female characters, which is great but I am also quite conscious of the potential 'male gaze' of Leo Tolstoy when describing the characters and their motivatious so this will be something quite interesting to analyse and reflect on as we move through the book - both from a contemporary view and a modern one!
- Count Rostov said about Nicholas "Just fancy: wants to be an hussar. What's one to do, my dear?" From my amateur research it seems that hussars were quite outrageous and drunken brawls were the order of the day! It's hard to find more detailed information but it would be interesting to understand different military cultures within the imperial army during this period - judging by the behaviours of Dolokhov and Pierre, it seems like some regiments were wilder than others!
Indeed, the lip fixation caught my attention, too. I was trying to visualize both and had trouble. What is a “wedge” in the context of a lip, and two distinct smiles? I had a strange picture in my head!
You can tell you've put so much thought into this read along. I never would've imagined I'd actually tackle this enormous book that's been sitting on my shelf for years, and now I'm 3 days in, no longer intimidated, and already enjoying it so much! Thank you for creating this opportunity!
Starting is the hardest part! And then there were the people last week who didn't want it to end! You're very welcome and thank you, I'm glad you're here!
I loved this post where you give context to the book. I feel like I get so much more out of it than if I were to be reading the book by myself. In the past this has prevented me from reading the classics, because I feel that since I’m not in literature class I’m going to miss out on themes. I only hope you’ll expand to other classics in future under a paid format since it’s clear it takes a lot of work. Thanks!
We will definitely do more books in the future!
Very well said and yes, please to more of this Simon.
I’m going to vote for sending the updates out over the weekend. I know that when I have to save posts to refer back to, sometimes I don’t do it. These feel like updates that you want to read after having done the reading to appreciate them fully...and having to save them to read later feels like an extra step (especially if you already have a full inbox!) That said, this was super interesting and helpful, particularly the info on names. I was having trouble following who was who!
Roger that. I might send out Saturday morning. Haven't quite decided yet.
It's helpful to me to have it mid-week, because I can reference the chapters we've covered so far . . .
But I see it both ways & either will do :)
That was my original thought, but we may be a little outvoted here! 😅
Simon, thank you so much for all of your efforts and hard work on the read along, I’m sure I speak on behalf of us all that the detail, care and attention that you are giving is amazing. Please don’t burn yourself out though with managing it all, and ensure that the schedule works for you and your life.
Wise words! I'm gradually getting organised and disciplined about it. I remember at the start of last year it was pretty crazy for the first couple of weeks and then calmed down. I think (I hope!) it will be the same again this year. Thanks!
The passage you quote about Anna Pavlovna struck me when I read it this time, and I wrote in the margin: “epic simile.” The simile of the “foreman of a spinning mill” seems an intentional echo of Homer’s tendency to use similes of peasant life to compare to his aristocratic warriors.
I need someone much more learned than I (mentioning no John Halbrooks) to write some pieces on how War and Peace relates to Homer. So I am grateful for this!
I had in my mind the great mills in Gaskell’s North and South, with the foreman moving though the mill. But Anna seems to be a kinder taskmaster ...
This is what I thought of when I read those lines too! I do enjoy the simile drawing a parallel between this refined aristocrat and a factory foreman- there's something so universal about that. As though the same principle that drives the production of goods determines whether one will have a memorable social gathering or not.
I don't mind when you publish, Simon. It's the regularity that's important. Do what suits you best. I'm already enjoying dipping my toes in. And the French is an added bonus!
Thanks! Still figuring things out and ironing our the wrinkles. Thank you for your patience. So glad you're enjoying it.
First time W&P reader. Thank you for this grand tour, Simon, I’m having a blast.
I had the great pleasure of saying very loudly today, in front of my shocked family: “No, no, I can’t be interrupted right now, I’m reading ‘War & Peace’.”
And I will be able to beg off and shut people down like this, all year; fantastic! ;-)
My favorite character in these opening chapters, among the party people, is “The Little Princess.” Because: she is sexy and a scamp, and she brought her no-doubt fascinating embroidery “in a gold bag,” to the soiree. I want her asshole-husband to vamoose quickly in the war and for Princess to have a juicy affair, while maybe sewing secret messages into her handiwork. Crossing fingers!
As for surprises? The humor. The bitchy, bitchy humor! Rude Pierre, for example, “waiting for an opportunity to express his own views, as young people are fond of doing.”
Now I just want to see your family's faces! 😂
🤣🤣love
Thank you so much for running this club and for writing such a helpful post--which has far exceeded my expectations and makes me eager for the year!
I have been most surprised by Tolstoy’s sense of humor. When I read the book the first time, almost twenty years ago, I read it quickly, and a lot of the details, like the humor, went over my head--yet another advantage of the slow-read!
I love how much people are struck by the humour! Yes, Tolstoy is funny! Who knew?
Me too Mari. I first read the book in college and then again in my 40’s but so much was lost on me including the humor.
At first I was going to vote for Sat/Sun so as to avoid spoilers, but then reading this update helped me to understand what is happening, so that's a point in favor of Wednesday. So whatever works best for you, Simon! Thank you so much for all your work on this - I can see that responding to hundreds of comments per day alone could be a full time job, not to mention all the advance work on posts and characters, etc. I am enjoying this so much already!!
Yes, this is why I thought it would be useful to put out early. But then what to do about spoilers? But I'm glad you're enjoying it!
I just read the parts of the post that I’ve already covered--it works fine! 😉
🙌
Thank you so much for this post. Am planning to read it on Sunday I think once I’m done with the week’s reading. I’m currently planning to stick to the schedule so posting these posts later in the week would work well for me personally!
Grand! I had thought earlier in the week, so people can use it as reference. But I may move it to Friday or Saturday. Thanks!
I'm ahead of schedule, so I'm loving this early post!
I’m digging Wednesday and looked so forward to it!
Fantastic!
Fabulous!
The little princess’s charming upper lip sticks in my mind, and in a lot of other people’s, apparently. But Anna Pavlovna’s “terror” at observing Pierre’s expression of guileless intelligence and obliviousness to many of the fine points of appropriate behavior in a soirée frequented by those close to royalty, is at once funny (shallow woman), sad (woman with her own intelligence stuck in the role of nanny to the rich and famous of her day), and chilling (who you know counts more than what you can do in this stratified and stagnant culture). But they are all going to have a shock, aren’t they? Such excellent foreshadowing. I am reading my chapter while I eat breakfast and my tea or coffee...a good way to stick with it, and I foresee starting to get up earlier and earlier!
Set up so beautifully. And yes, this becomes a wonderful daily routine!
This is a reread for me, having read W&P last year on my own over the span of a couple months. I am enjoying the slowing down and it is great to see my annotations in the text from last year as well as making new notes due to the slower pace.
I love the opening scenes here with Anna's party. This entire book is a back and forth between the ballroom and the battlefield. Some people will enjoy the social scenes and some the historical scenes. But pay close attention! There is overlap and correlation between them. Anna marshals her party like a general marshals his troops! In the future we will see the dance of troops on the field is choreographed in much the same manner as the dances at the parties.
The richness of the characters in this story is amazing and each brings a unique perspective to the story. I had my favorites last year and am keen to see if they remain the same or if my ideas shift as I do this slow read.
Just finished Chapter three, trying to make it the first thing I do in the morning. Anna Pavlovna soirées reminds me of the Barbecue at the Wilkses, and the wedding at the Corleone compound. The big party during peace time before the war.
Yes, Marci! I was so surprised to have opening scenes of War & Peace bring to mind anything from Gone with the Wind, but it absolutely did make me think of the conversations at the barbecue! (And, for a time, early in my reading life, GWTW was the longest book I had ever read, so that feels like another faint similarity.)
Wow I just saw this and agree w the GTWW analogy (the similarities may end here, but it is a striking comparison; now, I'm thinking about how a "party scene" may operate as a literary device . . . )
Yes, exactly! Oh, and you make me want to re-read those books as well!
This is beyond amazing, the breakdowns, the chats (Substack needs to work on that one 😅) I simply love everything about it, Simon. Bravo, monsieur. Chapeau!
As for fave in the first three chapters, I am going with Andrei, because he is so openly unlikable and does not care yet exudes that noblesse oblige. But Anna certainly is the star, she runs the show. Brilliant.
Please someone tell Substack to sort out chat! It needs work! But I swore to only use one platform this year, so here I am doing everything, haha! Loving your contribution, and I'll be sure to link to it in future posts.
The Chat will explode 😅 It's a shame because I am sure I am missing tons of great replies! Here's to hoping Substack improves Chat down the road.
I gave you a shout-out on the podcast, in case anyone else wants to join.
Also... Chapter 3 is live! https://youtu.be/cp5m6_xS900
Brill. Yeah, I think it will improve. It works well enough for now. Organised chaos!
The best kind! 👊
Thanks, Alexander, for your reading. This is a great addition to the written word!
Thank you for listening! 🙏
I'm still trying to figure out substack, and noticed in Simon's post that he referred to the "comments" section. I wondered if "comments" and "chat" might be the same—alas, not the case! Can anyone tell me where, on Substack, I might have found this newsletter, had I not accessed it directly via an email? I looked for it on Substack (knowing it was to arrive on Wednesday) but didn't see it at all until I accessed it via the email link. It seems like it must be findable on Substack directly??? Ack
Do you have the app? I find that the most accessible way to find things on Substack...
Thanks for the tip, Marika—I do have the app! I'm slowly learning/getting used to Substack, either way (webstite, app). I have a few subscriptions on Substack— I hope eventually to master it!
Really appreciate all the work that goes into this, thank you! I enjoyed reading your email. I don’t mind what day you send it out, whatever works best for you!
Thank you, great to hear!
This is so enjoyable to read this way! It actually gives me motivation to read 7 chapters all in one go as I know my reward is reading the week's summary and reflections here! It really helps to delve deeper into the story whilst I remember what I'd just read. So for this reason, weekend posts will work nicely as I think I will probably prefer to read all 7 chapters in one go and then explore the topics on here and in chapter chats. But whatever is easiest for you Simon! This is just great regardless:)
Regarding favourite characters - it's not really something I need in books but so far I'm thinking maybe Boris as he seemed to be quite shy and uncomfortable with his mother's 'sharp elbows' and that seemed endearing to me. Also I liked his 'Well, this is hardly a sufficient reason, mama' ... at the end of the 7th chapter:) Natasha might be in the running as 'a little volcano' but we only had a small glimpse of her so far so I'm looking forward to seeing how her character develops.
A couple of things stood out so far, perhaps quite randomly!
- Lev T seem to be really into lip descriptions! Very intricate and detailed and sensual! I think everyone picked up on the little princess upper lip but Dolokhov's lips'/mouth description in Chapter 3 was also quite striking to me: "The lines of that mouth were remarkably finely curved. The middle of the upper lip formed a sharp wedge and closed firmly on the firm lower one, and something like two distinct smiles played continually round the two corners of the mouth." I wonder if there's more of that coming in the upcoming chapters!:)
- Count Rostov's comment of "Why, our mothers used to be married at twelve or thirteen" is quite stark to a contemporary eye!
- How girls and women are represented in the book - so far we have quite a lot of different female characters, which is great but I am also quite conscious of the potential 'male gaze' of Leo Tolstoy when describing the characters and their motivatious so this will be something quite interesting to analyse and reflect on as we move through the book - both from a contemporary view and a modern one!
- Count Rostov said about Nicholas "Just fancy: wants to be an hussar. What's one to do, my dear?" From my amateur research it seems that hussars were quite outrageous and drunken brawls were the order of the day! It's hard to find more detailed information but it would be interesting to understand different military cultures within the imperial army during this period - judging by the behaviours of Dolokhov and Pierre, it seems like some regiments were wilder than others!
Looking forward to the next 7 chapters!
Indeed, the lip fixation caught my attention, too. I was trying to visualize both and had trouble. What is a “wedge” in the context of a lip, and two distinct smiles? I had a strange picture in my head!
Favourite character ? Well AP is of course appealing, but Andrei intrigues .. is he bored or depressed, ambitious, or perhaps a narcissist.
Andrei, I expect much of him in the most appalling of ways! 😅