An infamously thick book, War and Peace is described by Tolstoy himself as too big to be considered a novel. He describes, with great precision and detail, both historically and descriptively, Napoleon’s charge on Moscow and the effect it has on various families in Russia. There are a large number of characters in this novel, ranging from the historical figures Napoleon and Tsar Alexander to a fictional character that Tolstoy modeled on himself. This is one of the most famous books ever written; you won’t meet an adult book enthusiast who hasn’t read it.
“Every action of theirs, which seems to them an act of their own will, in the historical sense is not free at all, but is tied to the entire course of history and predestined from all eternity.”
The actual Napoleonic invasion serves as a metaphor for the more intangible cultural invasion experienced by Russia during Tolstoy’s time: Russia was becoming increasingly Westernized, making gradual cultural concessions that Tolstoy felt were destroying the special uniqueness of Russian culture. The book also criticizes Russia’s superficial upper class by exhibiting the virtues of the humble and common foot soldiers of the brave Russian infantry in contrast to opulent aristocratic families, who indulge in worldly pleasures even as their compatriots die. In the battle; this also embodies the title of the novel, showing that both war and peace can exist at the same time. Linked to this is the illustration that people are significant as a whole, not as individuals; the primary forces of the novel are not the individuals Napoleon and Kutuzov, but the aggregate effect of human beings as a whole.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.”
It is extremely difficult to describe why this book is so brilliant. Ask all your friends and family about this book, and chances are they, too, are short of the requisite superlatives. All I can say is that it combines great storytelling with great philosophical depth; This novel is not to be read lightly, as it contains the philosophy of one of the greatest minds of the 19th century. Tolstoy exposes here his thoughts on everything from love, morality and leadership, to death, faith and reason. If he is willing to take on the task of reading 1400 pages or so, he will be deeply rewarded.
“Man cannot possess anything as long as he fears death. But to those who do not fear it, everything belongs to him. If there were no suffering, man would not know his limits, he would not know himself.”