WeBuzz
Reader discussion: War and Peace
Public reader discussion about War and Peace in the WeRead Catalog by graf Leo Tolstoy.
The greatest of all novels | Gary Saul Morson on Tolstoy's War and Peace
By winterCard
I’m not super into this book, but I will say it does get your brain going.
What Tolstoy keeps coming back to is that “power” isn’t really something one person can control just because they’re brilliant. Even someone like Napoleon—who thinks he’s driving everything—gets pushed around by a bunch of stuff he can’t really steer: crowd will, chance, big social currents, that kind of thing. So it’s not that battles are total mystery or that predicting outcomes is impossible. It’s more like, even if you can tell what’s likely, the actual ability to swing events is super limited because people only follow orders when they fit the moment, the morale, the times, all that.
That’s why Kutuzov feels so laid-back and kind of “whatever happens, happens.” It doesn’t read like random chaos; it reads like he understands the limits of command. And Tolstoy’s digs at the German tacticians don’t feel like “military science is pointless,” more like “stop acting like you’re in charge of destiny.”
I also don’t feel like Tolstoy is just saying any attempt to improve society is nonsense. He critiques arrogance in both directions, sure—even if it sometimes comes off a bit chauvinistic, which is weird given how anti-nationalism he is elsewhere. But he still seems to be working toward ideas about how societies actually move, just with a big warning that humans can’t override everything.
Like with Pierre vs Nikolay as “governors”: Pierre is kind and well-meaning, but his changes mostly make things worse for the people; Nikolay leans on tradition and it goes better. Does that mean Tolstoy is basically writing off progress? I don’t think so. I kind of feel like War and Peace already has the seeds of Tolstoy’s later push for change—just with more doubt, a lot more caution, and this constant reminder that the power of individuals runs into something bigger.
Thinking of reading War And Peace is it worth the effort?
By storycarrot
With work and everything, I’m guessing it’d probably take me around 6 months, and I’d have to set aside all my other reading for it.
I just finished reading war and peace. Tolstoy made my soul a little more warm today.
By CipherBird
The characters felt really deep to me, and the story was honestly great—like there were a bunch of awesome moments, but also some really rough ones.
I swear Pierre was almost like my own alter ego. I don’t usually connect with characters that much, but this one really got me. Sorry if I’m coming off a little too hyped, but the book is just that good.
If you all want, we could chat about it a bit.
Any war and peace edition recommend?
By steadyRiver1999
I’m reading the Briggs translation right now and I’m really enjoying it. It’s usually the one people point you to if you’re new, mostly because there aren’t as many long French bits left over, so you’re not constantly flipping to the notes. That said, totally depends on the reader. P&V and the newer Maude edition are also solid choices—I just went with Briggs since I wanted to deal with the “French part” as painlessly as possible.
If you want, this link has a quick breakdown of a few translations:
https://www.tolstoytherapy.com/best-translation-war-and-peace/
And if you want more opinions, you can also hunt around for threads where people compare the editions—there are some pretty helpful takes from folks who’ve actually read multiple versions.
War and Peace is a bad book that badly needed an editor
By NeedleRusty5
Alright, before the serious classics people come for me, I do actually like a lot of the classics. Hemingway and McCarthy are probably my two favorite authors. I’ll read pretty much anything that’s well written and actually interesting, but wow. How is this thing treated like some masterpiece? I’m around 400 pages into this massive 1300-page brick and I honestly don’t find it even a little engaging.
The people in it are boring. The war parts are boring. Maybe if you’re really into Russian history you’d get more out of it? I don’t know.
I just finished a chapter where Natasha, who is apparently one of like 50 main characters, spends pages and pages just getting ready for a ball. It felt like forever. Tolstoy really needed someone to cut this down. Badly.
And with all these characters, everyone has like four names, so half the time I have no clue who anyone is talking about. I get that it’s a Russian thing, sure, but I’ve read Dostoevsky too and that didn’t bother me there. Crime and Punishment is honestly one of my favorite books.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my little rant.
Edit: yep, I knew the Tolstoy fans would show up. Enjoy your book, folks.
War & Peace: Is it worth reading? Your opinion is welcome...
By BenLovesBooks
Just asking because I don’t think I’ve really met many people who’ve read it, and I’m wondering if it’s actually worth the time. I read Bram Stoker’s Dracula a long time ago and I liked it overall, but the dialogue and the back-and-forth exposition sometimes dragged for me. Not sure if W&P is going to be the same way.
Today, I finished War and Peace.
By BottleFallen3
I started it at the beginning of the year and told myself I’d do one chapter a day. Some days life got in the way, so I’d end up skipping and then making up a day or so later. Still, I stuck with it and finished. Now I’m planning to start it over again on January 1.
War and Peace is seriously amazing. It’s huge and it’s packed with characters, and even now they still feel like they’re holding up a mirror to how people are. You end up living through the same stuff—love, grief, suffering, all of it—and after spending a year with them it’s honestly like they’re part of me.
The main thing people usually complain about is that it’s long, plus there are a ton of characters. For the length, the one-chapter-a-day thing really does work. The longest chapter is only about eleven pages, and most are around four. If you can give it 15–30 minutes a day, you can manage it. And with the characters, a lot of them only show up briefly anyway. The main ones are in the story more, so if you forget someone now and then, it’s not really a problem—things sort themselves out as you go.
Overall, I’m really glad I read it, and I’m excited to do it again. Has anyone else tried reading it this way or done multiple rereads? And is anyone else thinking about taking it on this year?
First Time Reading "War and Peace"
By weather-eagle5
Lately I’ve been on a classic-reading streak, and I just got a recommendation for Tolstoy’s huge book. I did a bit of looking around and I think it’s mostly about 19th-century Russian aristocracy. But with how long it is (and what it sounds like), I’m kind of nervous to start. Any tips for someone picking it up for the first time?
Just… just war and peace
By willowbasket
I feel like I’ve asked about this already in a few places, but I still can’t tell if I’m actually getting what I’m supposed to get out of it.
I’ve gone back and forth on *War and Peace* for a while. My grandfather’s take was basically, “you don’t count as having read unless you’ve read *War and Peace*.” Then I asked my cousin, who teaches English in high school, and she was like, “don’t— I’d rather walk on fire than read that.” So now I’m stuck thinking I either haven’t read it yet, or I’m about to get seriously burned.
When I asked other people, one person said I was being too immature, and I get that, but I still don’t understand what people actually like about it. Why do they read it, and what’s the point?
I’ve read *Crime and Punishment* and *Les Misérables* and I really love both of them—they have themes, at least.
is there a way to understand war and peace easier?
By glimmerforest55
Hey everyone, this is my first time posting here—sorry if this has been asked a lot.
I started reading War and Peace, and I’m honestly pretty lost. Not to the point where I’m mad or anything, but I’m not really getting it. Does anyone know if there’s a guide or some kind of walkthrough I could use to make it make more sense?
War and Peace announcements and introductions
By readswindow
Okay so… you guys picked War and Peace for the January read, and I’m just gonna say: I don’t think you can realistically cram this into a single month. It’s like 587K words depending on the version. For comparison, Three Musketeers was just under 200K, and Don Quixote (which already took us forever) was a bit over 400K. Finishing W&P by January 31 might actually be the fastest way to kill our group.
Good news though: we’re treating it like a “big read.” I’m getting my copy Saturday and I’ll figure out a schedule this weekend—probably stretching it over 3–4 months starting in January.
For translations, I’ve been hearing a lot of people recommend the Pevear and Volokhnosky one (about $13 on Amazon right now). I’m reading Pevear’s Three Musketeers and Dead Souls with him was super readable. The one thing I’m seeing complaints about is that the French parts stay in French and get translated in footnotes, so maybe check Amazon’s “Look inside” before you buy. But honestly, any translation is fine for this, even the Project Gutenberg one.
Anyway, now that there’s a plan—what about you? Have you ever thought you’d actually tackle this book? Are you excited to start? I know we all want the bragging rights, but what are you hoping to get out of it besides that? I’m pretty clueless on the story, but if the Russian stuff we’ve read lately is any indication, this is probably going to be great.
What are your thoughts on War And Peace?
By brightcastle
I’m only about halfway in, but I’ve been liking it so far, even if a few sections feel a little dry. I really like Tolstoy’s writing style—simple but still kind of beautiful. The characters also feel way more real to me than John Green’s Augustus and Hazel. Also, please no spoilers!
I've completed a reading of "War and Peace"
By spark_tiger
Hey everyone.
I’ve got this coworker I talk to pretty regularly, and he basically told me we should grab coffee sometime and actually get to know each other. We ended up talking books, and I’ve been reading ever since I was a kid. This older Norwegian-American math professor started sharing his love of reading with me, and asked if I’d ever gone into Russian lit. I admitted my only real experience was “Notes from Underground.”
Then he nudged me to look into Leo Tolstoy. I’m not exaggerating when I say it felt like he helped guide me through a real inward journey, and I’m genuinely grateful for it. A bunch of stuff started lining up for me the whole way through. It was like I was hiking up a mountain inside my own head—spiritually, pretty mindfully. And when I finally hit the top, I felt like I could see life and all its little paths from above. If I had to sum it up, it was basically like: love and doing good things are what really matter, and everything else is just background noise.
What books within the Bible influenced Tolstoy and War & Peace? Particularly the characters of Prince Andrei and Princess Marya?
By juniperKettle68
I wrapped up the story half of *War & Peace* about a week ago and my brain is still kind of buzzing. It’s one of those books I keep ending up talking about with friends, especially for the really deep conversations about existence, philosophy, and what we’re even doing with our lives. So yeah, it’s definitely stuck with me, and I’m interested to see how much it keeps shaping how I think.
Princess Marya really hit me the hardest. I loved how selfless she is, how in tune she seems emotionally, and how much empathy she has. She’s also super devout, and you can totally feel the Bible in how she’s written. That whole moment where she’s basically asking for help quieting temptation and then getting an answer in her heart—honestly it’s soothing but also made me pause, because she’s still hoping for something “earthly” she knows she shouldn’t want.
After that, I figured I should “go to the source.” I’m not really a religious person, but I’m curious to read the Bible in a similar way I’ve read other spiritual/metaphysical stuff, like the Upanishads, Gibran, Tibetan things, Bahai writings, all that.
Also, I noticed *Ecclesiastes* comes up during Andrei’s battlefield epiphany—especially the whole “everything is vanity” idea. Does anyone know what other Bible books might have influenced *War & Peace* (or Tolstoy personally), not just that?
War and Peace - Tolstoy. Is it worth it?
By CipherTable
Honestly, I picked this up because everyone was hyping it, and I’ve tried a few times, but I just can’t get past the first 100 pages. I don’t usually struggle with reading, so I don’t know why this one feels so hard. Is it even worth pushing through? Also, it’s over 1000 pages… which makes it a little intimidating.
"War and Peace" Impression
By lunar-trail12
I just finished War and Peace by Tolstoy and I’m kind of overwhelmed with feelings. I figured I should get it out somewhere instead of letting it sit in my head.
First off—wow, that was a really long book, but I honestly think it was worth it. Looking back now, I can see how good it really is. It pulled in so many different emotions: fear, sadness, death, pain, regret, relief, faith, happiness, and then finally love.
I honestly don’t know what to say besides that it left me totally speechless, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one.
What surprised me too is how everything seems to fit together. It connects the different parts without making it feel like we suddenly jumped away to something else too fast.
Anyway, I just had to share. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what you thought. And if you haven’t, I’d really encourage you to give it a try.
I finished war and peace!
By simple-market5111
Hey everyone!
Just wanted to pop in and say I finally finished *War and Peace*, and I’m honestly so happy about it. I really, really liked Pierre—especially all the stuff about mortality and trying to figure out what life is supposed to mean. And I also enjoyed Andrei’s whole storyline, plus how Natasha played into it and kind of helped shape what happened.
The opera house moment is still stuck in my head, and so are the battles at Austerlitz and Borodino. This book really did take me on a ride, and it totally paid off. It feels kind of strange that I’m done now, since I’ve had it sitting next to me for three whole months and kept going back to it.
I can already tell I’ll probably reread a bunch of scenes, and I might tackle the whole thing again someday. If anyone wants to talk about the novel, message me or jump into the comments—I really want to discuss it with someone.
P.S. Hope I picked the right flair 😅
War and Peace
By EWinter2691
I’m working through this huge book and the first like 150 pages felt pretty slow, but then the next 50 pages started getting a lot more interesting. I’m only about 200 pages in though—what about the rest? I want to stick with it, but I also really want to read Stephen King’s *It* since the movie’s coming out.
My thoughts on "War and Peace" (Leo Tolstoy).
By library_looks53
Just wrapped up "War and Peace" last night after dragging myself through it for a few years on and off because of school and life stuff, and I’ve got some thoughts:
I thought it was insanely wide-ranging and basically every page had some line I wanted to remember. The writing, for a historical novel from that era, felt weirdly "modern" to me. By that I mean it’s so clear and straight to the point, whether he’s describing battle scenes or the dramatic stuff going on with the main characters.
There are a bunch of translations out there, but the one I’d point people to most is Constance Garnett’s original translation (I also have her version of "The Brothers Karamazov" and the newer Pevear and Volokhonsky one).
There’s a huge cast, and honestly I didn’t keep track of all of them. The ones that mattered most to me were Pierre, Natasha, and Prince Andrey, since I followed those three the closest while reading. Pierre felt like the main character to me, but Andrey definitely took over a lot of scenes, especially near the end ("With his awakening from sleep that day there began for Prince Andrey an awakening from life..." etc. pg. 896, Barnes & Noble edition).
I got a ton out of the epilogue too, especially Part Two, where Tolstoy is basically laying out his thoughts on how history works and how it shapes people. That section has so many lines worth underlining.
Honestly I could keep going about the epilogue because it’s packed with quotes that show Tolstoy’s personality and how sharp he is, and it really mixes history and fiction in a way that makes society feel very real. The historical people and the made-up ones both feel like tools for him, and I think the epilogue is where he shows how he’s doing that with reflection and all that (might be off, but that’s what I got from it).
It’s hard for me to really sum up how deep "War and Peace" is. I wanted to read it after loving "The Death of Ivan Ilych" back in high school. All I can say is that I’d strongly recommend it to anyone who’s serious about Russian literature.
"War and Peace" really does show why Tolstoy is considered one of the two greatest Russian writers ever, even if I personally like Dostoevsky more. I do think Tolstoy gets the edge in respect because he’s the more ambitious one. Just be ready for it to take a while, since it’s one of those huge books people compare to the Bible in size. But it also has this rare thing where it’s actually compulsively readable for something historical, and a lot of the time it’s really engaging and thoughtful.
Is it worth reading war & peace?
By Mystax
Honestly I’m kind of bored lately and not doing much, so I’ve been getting into reading more. I read *Anna Karenina* a few years back and really liked it, but I did not care for the parts where Levin is dealing with farm/agriculture stuff. I still found all the relationship drama super interesting though, and the characters felt like people I could actually know. I also read *The Death of Ivan Ilyich* and that one hit hard in a good way. Now I’m thinking about starting *War and Peace*, but the length is intimidating. If you’ve read it, was it actually worth committing all that time?