This is my first time reading W&P and first round of slow reads (also doing wolf crawl)
. I really like the weekly summaries. It’s nice to get some context I didn’t know (like Bea mentioned) and just reading your perceptions I realize sometimes I missed some subtleties or read things in a different way. So, I enjoy being able to ruminate on these thoughts and if the text is not embedded, I can go back and read again. I haven’t been in the chats much, I find them a bit overwhelming- so might hang with these weekly check ins for a bit until I’m more accustomed to the slow reading format.
I can say I, impressed by the wit of Tolstoy’s writing - some of the thoughts and comments by the characters are like daggers. Reminds me of how people jockey for positions at work or in social settings today - though I think they were more polite then. Perhaps an older version of passive-aggressive behavior?
Hey Michelle. I think it is perfectly normal for some of us to gravitate towards the daily chats and others towards the weekly posts. I hope it is quite nice having the option of either!
What you say about the characters is exactly what drew me in--how sharply and precisely they are drawn to show immediately the individuality, the unique traits and peculiarities of each character, both externally, in how they relate to others and internally, in how they view the world and prioritize their next actions and plans.
They're presented in all of their human messiness and with their limited knowledge and perspectives. No one is coming at what's happening in the world in a neutral, knowledgeable 'omniscient narrator' type of way.
I think this leads one to relate to many of them more naturally, as one sees a little or a lot of many characters in oneself or in one's contemporary friends and colleagues.
I never considered how across the two parties in these first sets of chapters, we're essentially introduced to the main players in the four major families, with this introduction really being like sent back in time to Anna Pavlovna's drawing rooms and thrown right into the midst of all of the politics and world events. It's a very clever narrative strategy.
What a fabulous summary of the week. I appreciate the historical perspective you’ve given us and the additional food for thought. Although my husband and I visited St. Petersburg a few years ago, I hadn’t incorporated my memories of the historical city and people to our characters and reading. I will begin now. Thank you for a wonderful beginning to the slow read and its possibilities.
I love how you’ve included quotes and thoughts about Tolstoy himself; it gives a helpful insight into man behind the words. So far, I am quite liking him!
Tolstoy's messy, fallible and flawed striving is deeply attractive. If he's written himself into the story, it is Pierre, the foolish idealist who is always looking for something but never quite finding it.
That's so interesting -- in answer to your question about which character readers sympathize with most, Pierre sprang to mind. He's flawed, but he's young, and I bet he will experience quite an arc of character development. Also, this slow read is just delicious! Like a stew that simmers all day long, it gives one the opportunity to slow down, ponder, appreciate, and sink into the story. It's wonderful.
Jumping in to say that this is my second slow read of War & Peace—and this time it’s even more special because my dad is reading it with me! It’s exciting to watch him get to know the characters for the first time while I’m seeing their beginnings in a new light. Thanks for your hard work in putting this together!
Thank you so much for this weekly summary - it has really helped me grasp the material. I especially appreciated your notes on the "cast of unlikeable characters," and I found Tolstoy's own words about himself especially illuminating. One thing I was surprised by in the chapters this week was the sheer grittiness of his characters and their conversations. Sharp, rough edges, I mean. With a tome such as this, as old as it is, it's easy for it to be flat and one-dimensional in my mind - to easily fit into a neat box. But life isn't that way, and neither are his characters. How humanizing! How exciting, for there to be such subtlety, nuance, and candor. My goal is to keep letting myself be surprised - to drop any preconceived notions, or one-dimensional assumptions, and to keep at the forefront that very apt quote: "Man is flowing."
Let myself be surprised. Love that! This is a big baggy messy book, but like you say: that is life. And when I think of War & Peace, more than anything I think of how humanizing and humane it is.
I am loving this so far. It feels fresh (and funny!) and is far more readable than I expected. Your notes are also very helpful in keeping everything straight and getting more insight into things I may have missed. Looking forward to the rest of the year!
I'm obsessed with the bear! This is my second read of the first few chapters, and I said to myself, oh yes, from nowhere, there's a bear. How ridiculous and heartwarming and scary and abusive—all at once. I also keep thinking of (the Russian) bear. So interesting that this animal is a symbol of Russia and a poor, real, abused and amusing bear.
This is my first time encountering War and Peace, and goodness, I love how flawed and human everyone is! I could almost physically feel Anna’s hostessing tension (been there!) and Lise’s frailty as she tried to speak up for herself with Andrei (been there, too!) And I can’t help feeling so endeared to Pierre. The image of him dancing with the bear immediately materialized in my mind. What a treat this will be.
This note about unlikeable characters is so interesting because while I have certainly been giving some characters the side eye (Andrei writing off all women as vapid come on, man!), I wouldn't have necessarily classified them as unlikeable. When I think of an unlikeable character in a more modern novel, I usually think of despicable humans I can't stand. But even the badly behaved characters here I'm enjoying reading about!
I've been surprised so far how engaging and amusing the writing is. Different than my expectation for something regarded as an esteemed classic. So I'm delighted by that too.
Yes, that's interesting. In romantic literature and perhaps like you say in more modern novels, we see heroes and villains. In Tolstoy's realism there are no heroes or villains: no one is perfect or despicable, merely human - and therefore magnificent. This feels brave to me because Tolstoy's descriptions are so unflattering. But Tolstoy is almost like the doctor telling us the truth: it's uncomfortable but it allows us to see things more clearly.
I wholeheartedly agree about the characters being magnificent in their imperfect humanity. I think my fave so far is Natasha who’s entertaining none of this woman’s self involvement. It’s so accurate of how kids react to being condescended to!
Yes! I agree with this! Unlikable characters in modern media are almost cartoony in how irredeemably bad they are, so no one in War & Peace has struck me as horrible so far. This is my first read ever, though, so maybe I'll be eating my words in a few months.
That said, I laughed out loud when Simon referenced Anna Mikhailovna's "admirably sharp elbows" as her redeeming characteristic. The ever-changing preferences in what people find beautiful is something else.
Reading at this slow pace is such a joy ! ❤️ I think you just take so much more in - I am so impressed with the summary this week it has allowed me to keep things straight in my mind. My overall impression from the first 7 chapters is that people haven’t changed that much since 1805 🤣🤣
While the characters aren’t very likable, it makes them more interesting and certainly drew me into the story. I truly appreciate this recap of the week - it adds so much to my understanding of the time and setting and real characters- my knowledge of Russian and world history is lacking. Reading this at such a slow pace is really such a new experience and I find myself able to reflect on the story and not simply get through it.
I’m blown away, Simon, by your summary. Thank you, thank you, for sharing your prodigious research and thoughtful insights. Your summary makes reading War and Peace a wonderful surprise. I’m so excited to continue this book, especially since I tried reading it last year and after a few chapters, threw it against the wall—well, figuratively anyway. 😃thanks again.
I’d say you are performing at least as admirable job as Anna Pavlovna, Simon… greasing the wheels, giving little nudges… just as she would!
I very much enjoyed this summary and the first few chapters. I’d agree that although the characters aren’t necessarily likeable, I didn’t dislike them either. They seem very well drawn. I felt quite sympathetic towards the little princess and interested in what Pierre does next. Thank you.
Grateful for the podcast version, looking forward to listening. I joked to my partner on Sunday, as I assembled two devices and a notebook onto the kitchen table, that I’m reading a few minutes a day reading but also studying an hour a week to keep up. Thank you for the character summaries per chapter and other compiled resources, Simon! It’s making a huge difference, and really opening my eyes to what in-depth reading can be.
Thanks for this summary Simon. This is my first full read of War and Peace. I've already read Anna Karenina and the Death of Ivan Ilyich. I'm reading two different translations for this slow read: Pevear and Volkhonsky in the morning, and Briggs in the evening.
I marvel at Tolstoy's ability to be intimate and give us a panoramic view simultaneously. The opening soirée reminded me of the opening of Coppola's Godfather: at once an overview, but also intimate, introducing characters, and setting a tone for the work that follows.
I am also enjoying how Tolstoy is playing with what our conventional notions of "war" and "peace" might be. All this scheming, gossiping, jockeying for position, arranging marriage proposals, and social pretension of the ballroom (away from the actual battlefield) isn't entirely peaceful is it?
Finally - chapter 6. To be able to capture a domestic dispute with such clarity and even compassion and then write that barnburner of a party later on is staggering. Such observation. Old Lev must have led quite the life indeed.
What a gem to have found this forum about a week ago. I'll take it as a strong karmic sign of good things for 2025. I've always wanted to read W&P, but I felt regret that I couldn't truly immerse myself in all the background and details that a Lit course would have provided. Yet Simon provides just that. Oh, the work you have put into this! I join the crowd who plans to savor every ounce of your effort. Thank you!
This is my first time reading W&P and first round of slow reads (also doing wolf crawl)
. I really like the weekly summaries. It’s nice to get some context I didn’t know (like Bea mentioned) and just reading your perceptions I realize sometimes I missed some subtleties or read things in a different way. So, I enjoy being able to ruminate on these thoughts and if the text is not embedded, I can go back and read again. I haven’t been in the chats much, I find them a bit overwhelming- so might hang with these weekly check ins for a bit until I’m more accustomed to the slow reading format.
I can say I, impressed by the wit of Tolstoy’s writing - some of the thoughts and comments by the characters are like daggers. Reminds me of how people jockey for positions at work or in social settings today - though I think they were more polite then. Perhaps an older version of passive-aggressive behavior?
Hey Michelle. I think it is perfectly normal for some of us to gravitate towards the daily chats and others towards the weekly posts. I hope it is quite nice having the option of either!
What you say about the characters is exactly what drew me in--how sharply and precisely they are drawn to show immediately the individuality, the unique traits and peculiarities of each character, both externally, in how they relate to others and internally, in how they view the world and prioritize their next actions and plans.
They're presented in all of their human messiness and with their limited knowledge and perspectives. No one is coming at what's happening in the world in a neutral, knowledgeable 'omniscient narrator' type of way.
I think this leads one to relate to many of them more naturally, as one sees a little or a lot of many characters in oneself or in one's contemporary friends and colleagues.
I never considered how across the two parties in these first sets of chapters, we're essentially introduced to the main players in the four major families, with this introduction really being like sent back in time to Anna Pavlovna's drawing rooms and thrown right into the midst of all of the politics and world events. It's a very clever narrative strategy.
What a fabulous summary of the week. I appreciate the historical perspective you’ve given us and the additional food for thought. Although my husband and I visited St. Petersburg a few years ago, I hadn’t incorporated my memories of the historical city and people to our characters and reading. I will begin now. Thank you for a wonderful beginning to the slow read and its possibilities.
Very welcome, Bea. And next week, we head to Moscow. The two capitals have opposing roles in the story: Moscow is the home of the heart.
I love how you’ve included quotes and thoughts about Tolstoy himself; it gives a helpful insight into man behind the words. So far, I am quite liking him!
Tolstoy's messy, fallible and flawed striving is deeply attractive. If he's written himself into the story, it is Pierre, the foolish idealist who is always looking for something but never quite finding it.
That's so interesting -- in answer to your question about which character readers sympathize with most, Pierre sprang to mind. He's flawed, but he's young, and I bet he will experience quite an arc of character development. Also, this slow read is just delicious! Like a stew that simmers all day long, it gives one the opportunity to slow down, ponder, appreciate, and sink into the story. It's wonderful.
Jumping in to say that this is my second slow read of War & Peace—and this time it’s even more special because my dad is reading it with me! It’s exciting to watch him get to know the characters for the first time while I’m seeing their beginnings in a new light. Thanks for your hard work in putting this together!
I love that you're reading with your dad! We've got so many families reading together this year, it's really quite something!
Thank you so much for this weekly summary - it has really helped me grasp the material. I especially appreciated your notes on the "cast of unlikeable characters," and I found Tolstoy's own words about himself especially illuminating. One thing I was surprised by in the chapters this week was the sheer grittiness of his characters and their conversations. Sharp, rough edges, I mean. With a tome such as this, as old as it is, it's easy for it to be flat and one-dimensional in my mind - to easily fit into a neat box. But life isn't that way, and neither are his characters. How humanizing! How exciting, for there to be such subtlety, nuance, and candor. My goal is to keep letting myself be surprised - to drop any preconceived notions, or one-dimensional assumptions, and to keep at the forefront that very apt quote: "Man is flowing."
Let myself be surprised. Love that! This is a big baggy messy book, but like you say: that is life. And when I think of War & Peace, more than anything I think of how humanizing and humane it is.
I am loving this so far. It feels fresh (and funny!) and is far more readable than I expected. Your notes are also very helpful in keeping everything straight and getting more insight into things I may have missed. Looking forward to the rest of the year!
I'm obsessed with the bear! This is my second read of the first few chapters, and I said to myself, oh yes, from nowhere, there's a bear. How ridiculous and heartwarming and scary and abusive—all at once. I also keep thinking of (the Russian) bear. So interesting that this animal is a symbol of Russia and a poor, real, abused and amusing bear.
What a wonderful symbol you've picked up on here, Linda. I hadn't thought of it before, but now that image will roll around in my mind for a while.
This is my first time encountering War and Peace, and goodness, I love how flawed and human everyone is! I could almost physically feel Anna’s hostessing tension (been there!) and Lise’s frailty as she tried to speak up for herself with Andrei (been there, too!) And I can’t help feeling so endeared to Pierre. The image of him dancing with the bear immediately materialized in my mind. What a treat this will be.
This note about unlikeable characters is so interesting because while I have certainly been giving some characters the side eye (Andrei writing off all women as vapid come on, man!), I wouldn't have necessarily classified them as unlikeable. When I think of an unlikeable character in a more modern novel, I usually think of despicable humans I can't stand. But even the badly behaved characters here I'm enjoying reading about!
I've been surprised so far how engaging and amusing the writing is. Different than my expectation for something regarded as an esteemed classic. So I'm delighted by that too.
Yes, that's interesting. In romantic literature and perhaps like you say in more modern novels, we see heroes and villains. In Tolstoy's realism there are no heroes or villains: no one is perfect or despicable, merely human - and therefore magnificent. This feels brave to me because Tolstoy's descriptions are so unflattering. But Tolstoy is almost like the doctor telling us the truth: it's uncomfortable but it allows us to see things more clearly.
I wholeheartedly agree about the characters being magnificent in their imperfect humanity. I think my fave so far is Natasha who’s entertaining none of this woman’s self involvement. It’s so accurate of how kids react to being condescended to!
Yes! I agree with this! Unlikable characters in modern media are almost cartoony in how irredeemably bad they are, so no one in War & Peace has struck me as horrible so far. This is my first read ever, though, so maybe I'll be eating my words in a few months.
That said, I laughed out loud when Simon referenced Anna Mikhailovna's "admirably sharp elbows" as her redeeming characteristic. The ever-changing preferences in what people find beautiful is something else.
I’ve got a soft spot for Anna M. But I might have a soft spot for all the characters. Even Prince Ippolit.
Prince Ippolit reminds me of characters in Oscar Wilde and P.G. Wodehouse so I am enjoying him.
I liked that bit too. I love compliments that are hyper-specific in a way that suggest maybe the person has no other redeeming features to give, haha.
Reading at this slow pace is such a joy ! ❤️ I think you just take so much more in - I am so impressed with the summary this week it has allowed me to keep things straight in my mind. My overall impression from the first 7 chapters is that people haven’t changed that much since 1805 🤣🤣
While the characters aren’t very likable, it makes them more interesting and certainly drew me into the story. I truly appreciate this recap of the week - it adds so much to my understanding of the time and setting and real characters- my knowledge of Russian and world history is lacking. Reading this at such a slow pace is really such a new experience and I find myself able to reflect on the story and not simply get through it.
I’m blown away, Simon, by your summary. Thank you, thank you, for sharing your prodigious research and thoughtful insights. Your summary makes reading War and Peace a wonderful surprise. I’m so excited to continue this book, especially since I tried reading it last year and after a few chapters, threw it against the wall—well, figuratively anyway. 😃thanks again.
That's a very heartening thing to read! If I can save one copy of War and Peace from a figurative wall this year, I'll consider it a job well done!
And hopefully save a wall from a figurative W&P-sized hole!
I’d say you are performing at least as admirable job as Anna Pavlovna, Simon… greasing the wheels, giving little nudges… just as she would!
I very much enjoyed this summary and the first few chapters. I’d agree that although the characters aren’t necessarily likeable, I didn’t dislike them either. They seem very well drawn. I felt quite sympathetic towards the little princess and interested in what Pierre does next. Thank you.
Fortunately he isn’t serving any of us up as choice cuts of meat!
Give it time? (Only joking, of course!)
Grateful for the podcast version, looking forward to listening. I joked to my partner on Sunday, as I assembled two devices and a notebook onto the kitchen table, that I’m reading a few minutes a day reading but also studying an hour a week to keep up. Thank you for the character summaries per chapter and other compiled resources, Simon! It’s making a huge difference, and really opening my eyes to what in-depth reading can be.
Thanks for this summary Simon. This is my first full read of War and Peace. I've already read Anna Karenina and the Death of Ivan Ilyich. I'm reading two different translations for this slow read: Pevear and Volkhonsky in the morning, and Briggs in the evening.
I marvel at Tolstoy's ability to be intimate and give us a panoramic view simultaneously. The opening soirée reminded me of the opening of Coppola's Godfather: at once an overview, but also intimate, introducing characters, and setting a tone for the work that follows.
I am also enjoying how Tolstoy is playing with what our conventional notions of "war" and "peace" might be. All this scheming, gossiping, jockeying for position, arranging marriage proposals, and social pretension of the ballroom (away from the actual battlefield) isn't entirely peaceful is it?
Finally - chapter 6. To be able to capture a domestic dispute with such clarity and even compassion and then write that barnburner of a party later on is staggering. Such observation. Old Lev must have led quite the life indeed.
What a gem to have found this forum about a week ago. I'll take it as a strong karmic sign of good things for 2025. I've always wanted to read W&P, but I felt regret that I couldn't truly immerse myself in all the background and details that a Lit course would have provided. Yet Simon provides just that. Oh, the work you have put into this! I join the crowd who plans to savor every ounce of your effort. Thank you!
Thanks Sherri!