War and Peace Read-A-Long Week #5

War and Peace Read-A-Long Week #5

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

 Week #5
Pages read:  347-417
Chapters read:  1-21
Volume 2, Part Two read.

I am back from my month long hiatus from War and Peace.  Everyone in the readalong is probably long finished with Tolstoy's masterpiece and here I am still plugging along page by page. 

Tolstoy is setting up his characters like an orchestra and which will eventually reach a huge crescendo but in this section he is just arming his characters with instruments and setting up the music.  Tolstoy the Maestro.   Definitely.

Pierre Bezukhov has just joined the Masons and has found a purpose in his life.  His initiation was quite interesting and odd.  The Masons are a group of men who still exist behind the scenes today in modern society.  Interesting.  Pierre plans to help his serfs, build them a hospital, a school and give the mothers with babies time off but his supervisors undermine him and take his money and make the serfs work harder while Pierre remains oblivious to it all.  Yet Pierre is happier and stands up to his father in law and even defends Masonry to his friend Andrei.

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky's wife has died and he suffers from guilt.  His son is loved and cared for and soon to turn one.  The war has started with Napoleon again but Andrei does not return to the war.  Yet his father has been promoted and is one of the eight commanders in chief of the militia.  Andrei remains steadfast in his will to live a quiet life alone much to Pierre's chagrin.  Pierre is trying to recruit Andrei into Masonry.

Nicholai Rostov has returned to war and loves the camaraderie among the soldiers.  Yet the soldiers are starving, having gone two weeks without provisions and eating whatever they can find.  Denisov is Rostov's friend and fellow officer but he decided to steal provisions and is up for a court martial.  Denisov also gets shot in the leg in battle and is awaiting the consequences of his action in a typhus infected hospital. 
Meanwhile Alexander and Napoleon have reached a 5 year truce and their will be peace.  Yet the men are still starving and dying of infection and disease all over the land.

Tolstoy does an excellent job of contrasting wealthy society with the brutal realities of war and peasantry.

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!

War and Peace Summer Readalong Week #3

War and Peace Summer Readalong Week #3

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

 Week #3
Pages read:  201-294
Chapters read:  1-19
Volume 1, Part Three read.

Last week's reading was really hard for me to get into, with tons of battle tactics that were hard to understand, this week I found the reading much more enjoyable as Tolstoy ties together, St. Petersberg society with the soldiers in the war.

In Volume One, Part One we are introduced to a multitude of characters in Russian society, which include Counts, Princes and Princesses and many more rich society folk.

In Volume One, Part Two, Tolstoy takes some of the male characters from Part One and sends them to war in a campaign against Napoleon and the French in Austria.

In Volume One, Part Three,  I felt a turning point in my reading as I couldn't wait to find out what happens next.  Pierre inherited a title and a fortune when his father died and now everyone is vying for Pierre's money and attention.  He was basically tricked into marrying Helene, Prince Vassily's daughter.  Vaguely reminds me of the story of the Greeks Paris and Helen and the war they started.  Could this be a hint from Tolstoy of a tragedy in Russia, that is to come?

Then Prince Vassily, sly dog that he is, tries to marry off his last son, Anatole, to Prince Bolkonsky's daughter Marya (who is very ugly and plain).  She is very religious and wants to leave her demanding father, but she finds Anatole in the arms of her lady servant and declines his marriage proposal.  Her father is overjoyed.  Marya vows to help Mlle Bourienne, her lady friend, marry Anatole.  This should prove to be interesting.  Prince Andrei, Marya's brother is in the war at this time and he left his pregnant wife in the care of his father and sister.

Nicolas Rostov is injured in Part two but sends a letter to his family in Part Three causing great stress and excitement back home with his secret love Sonya and his sister Natasha.  Natasha has a secret love for Pierre.  The Rostov's write a letter back sending money for his promotion.  The letter leads the reader back into the war.

Nicolas Rostov receives his letter and money and then meets Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.  The Council of War is planning a major battle offensive against the French.  The Emperor of France is there, The Grand Duke of Austria is there and The Sovereign of Russia is there.  The Battle of Austerlitz becomes known as The Battle of the Three Emperors and is fought on December 2nd, 1805.  I loved learning about this battle.  It is hailed a tactical masterpiece and one of Napoleon's greatest victories.  During this battle, Prince Andrei is wounded and discovered by Napoleon when he observes the grounds of his victory.  Andrei receives medical care, but is not expected to live.   Rostov is riding on his horse observing with great sadness, the loss of life and the depressed state of his Sovereign leader, Alexander. 

I also discovered that Tolstoy has included a character in his book named Titus.  Titus is an old house serf and the soldier men joke, Titus, Don't bite us!  This is quite funny to me, because my dog is named Titus!  Here is his picture.  He is so darn cute!

Next week I am reading Volume Two, Part One! 

War and Peace Summer Read-A-Long Week #2

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

 Week #2
Pages read:  112-200
Chapters read:  1-21
Volume 1, Part Two read.

So this hefty 3 pound tome is slowly getting lighter as my hands must be developing new muscles to hold the book up longer.  Although, I must admit reading in the bathtub, my reading spot of choice, is challenging at times.  I am worried it will slip out of my hands and do a back flip with a nose dive into the depths of the tub. So far I am holding on tight but this may become a table/deck only book.

Volume One, Part Two finds us in a embroiled in a tough military campaign in Austria.  The Russians are there to back up the Austrians, who are failing miserably.  The Russians and Austrians are fighting Napoleon's French army, who is actually winning and yet the Russians are able to survive one decisive battle.  Alexander I is conferring with the Prussians and hoping they will reinforce their side against the French.  The year is 1805 and it is October.  Most of the armies are bedraggled and ill kept, with shoes in ill repute and winter is coming.  Many foot soldiers walk hundreds of miles and in all weather conditions.  It amazes me.  I cannot imagine myself walking so far and preparing mentally and physically for battle.  They must also prepare for their demise, in case it occurs. 

The two main characters in Part Two are Andrei and Rostov.  Rostov is left wounded, his arm crushed in pain, while he contemplates why he left his loving family to join a war.  Andrei left his pregnant wife and overall seems to be doing well, even though he is shocked by many circumstances of the war, he overall is fairing better than most. 

Volume One, Part Two was a little slow for me.  It took me a really long time to read these pages and my mind and eyes kept drifting away.  I was confused by what was happening on the different sides of the war sometimes and found rereading didn't really help me figure it out.  I did like reading about Rostov and Andrei stories and reading about the war through their eyes. 

Next week Volume One, Part Three.
Until then, parting is such sweet sorrow.

War and Peace Summer Read-A-Long week #1

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

 Week #1
Pages read:  1-111
Chapter read:  1-25
Volume 1, Part One read.

I have always wanted to read this giant tome of Russian literature and so when Laurie suggested it as a summer readalong, I decided to join.  I know I am overbooking myself so while Laurie will be reading this book much faster than I, I decided to read it at a slower pace, Part by Part, one page at a time and am not going to worry about being behind.

The first thing that struck me about War and Peace is that it is extremely heavy as it was leaving marks on my legs when I would rest it there after holding it up became difficult.  I put the book on the scale and it came up weighing a little over 3 pounds.  WOW!  The other thing that is unique about this book is that it contains several different languages including French and German and I am continually reading translations.  This is the only book I have ever read with two bookmarks.  One in the front, where I am actually reading and one in the back to look up the notes from the author.  Part one of volume one has 53 notes!  So far, I feel really brainy and studious reading this book. 

Part One really focused on introducing the main characters and introducing the readers to Russian society as well as the conflict with Napoleon and the French.  As a history teacher who has traveled to Russia and toured through St. Petersburg and Moscow, I loved it and am thinking I must go back to visit.

There is much talk and conjecture about what to do about Napoleon.  Men have enlisted and are following Alexander I as he journeys to Prussia to change their neutrality and on to Austria to watch their back.  The Germans have already fallen and Napoleon is out to conquer the European world. 

A famous Count has died and left his fortune to his illegitimate son, Pierre, and there is much to gossip about.  The Count never married and appears to have been one of Catherine The Great's lovers as well as fathered so many children that he doesn't know them all.  A fun and interesting part of the book, how all the people are vying for this dying man's inheritance and Pierre has no clue what is happening.

Next week I will post on Volume One, Part Two.
Until then, I bid you adieu.