War and Peace Summer Readalong Week #4

War and Peace Summer Readalong Week #4

War and Peace By Leo Tolstoy
Summer Read-A-Long sponsored by Laurie at What She Read blog.

 Week #4
Pages read:  295-346
Chapters read:  1-26
Volume 2, Part One read.

So much happened in 50 pages, I can hardly believe it.
There were several marriage proposals, a duel, a birth and a death, a huge gambling debt, and a marriage separation.  A lot of excitement in these pages to keep you reading late into the night.  I love how Tolstoy pieces his characters lives together. 

Let me quickly update you on the main characters.

Pierre Bezukhov:  Pierre married the lovely Helene awhile back (Paris and Helen) and Pierre has heard rumors that Helene has been unfaithful with Dolokhov.  So Pierre challenges him to a duel.  Pierre injures Dolokhov and no dies but Helene is fuming mad. Pierre is decidedly irritated with his choice of a wife and ends up leaving her.  Unfortunately, he makes her power of attorney and she gains all of his assets.  In my opinion, this was not a wise choice.

Natasha Rostov:  This is Nickolai Rostov's sister.  Rostov comes back from the war and brings his friend Denisov.  Denisov later proposes to Natasha and she says no.  She is still quite young, maybe about 15 years old.  Rostov's other friend, Dolokhov (guy from the duel) falls in love with Sonya, Natasha best friend who is in love with her brother Nicolai.  Because Sonya refuses his marriage proposal, Dolokhov challenges Rostov to a gambling match and he incurs a debt of forty-three thousand.  Dolokhov is a card shark and chooses this number of 43 thousand because it is the sum of his and Sonya's ages. 

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky:  Andrei is injured and captured in the Battle of Austerlitz by the French. He is presumed dead.  His wife is pregnant when the family receives word of his disappearance and supposed death and they decide to spare her until the birth of her child.  When the princess goes into labor, Andrei appears miraculously at the house and visits her at the birth of their son.  Unfortunately, the princess dies during child birth.  What a turn of events!