War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of War and Peace
Book Review: A Great Nineteenth-Century Novel Still Enthralls
Summary: 5 Stars
I tried reading "War and Peace" decades ago as a shallow student, and gave up after a couple of hundred pages--but this much more readable translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky carried me along to the end, even through battle strategies and Tolstoy's long reflections on historical process (which are interesting in themselves, although they interrupt the narrative flow). He gives insights into the futility and the immediate terror and chaos of war that are still quite relevant. Only quibbbles are with the book itself--it seems that in the commendable effort to produce a reasonably priced book of this size, Knopf cut corners a bit--the dust jacket started falling apart as soon as I opened the book, there were some small typos, and most important, the endnotes were confusingly organized and cross-referenced. A few pages of maps and a historical time-line would have helped a lot in understanding the Russo-French war of 1812. That aside, a must read, and kudos to the translators.Book Review: A Terrible Translation
Summary: 2 Stars
I am sorry, but this translation is unreadable. I waited two years to read War and Peace, knowing this translation was in the works. I bought it as soon as it came out and first read the introduction, which was superb. Then I started the book itself - struggling through the small-type footnotes to read the French, trying to move back and forth and still maintain the flow of the narrative. Impossible. (Tolstoy wrote for a Russian biligual readership, but most English readers today require it to be translated, and not in footnotes.) But the worst was the English prose itself. After struggling with almost every sentence, trying to understand its meaning, I read about four chapters before deciding this was torture. It was stilted - impossible to speak - and the dialogue was especially unnatural. I theorized that the problem was in the translators' working method: I understand Volokhonsky does the initial "literal" translation first, from the Russian, after which Pevear perfects the English prose. And that many issues of nuance and balance will come up, which they discuss at length together. In other words, an over-emphasis upon accuracy and weighing each meaning - with the result that the context is de-emphasized. There is a sense of refined, even snobbish, precision in the choice of words, but Pevear seems to have no narrative pulse, rhythm, storytelling sense, or authority of voice. Certain reviewers claim that this awkwardness reflects Tolstoy's style, but I find it hard to swallow that the original book was this frustrating. Yes, the Garnett translation has smoothed out much of the eccentricity with her quaint Victorianism. And the Briggs translation also seems blander in tone. But when I picked up the Maude translation, it was clear it is unmatched. It's witty and aristocratic, the irony perfect, conversational in tone, pitch-perfect dialogue, a clear, flowing narrative, compelling, intense, easy and fast to read. In fact it was Tolstoy's own authorized translation, written during his time. Do yourself a favor and discount all the hype. And if you think you really are in love with the new translation, at least look at a few pages of the Maude. You will be shocked that Tolstoy is actually an enjoyable reading experience.Book Review: A Translation Worth Waiting For
Summary: 5 Stars
I've waited a long time for such a good translation. Twice previously I had tried to read "War and Peace," but I thought the book sounded awfully Victorian, as if it were being translated by a 19th century English novelist. The emphasis seemed to be on romance and elegance. This brilliant translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky captures the Russian essence better than any I have read before. I can almost feel Tolstoy thinking. The characters sound more real, vividly memorable. Leaving the French passages in was a terrific move because the French was in the original. For those who know little French, the footnotes capture the meaning for you precisely. The sweep and scope of events, the mingling of nationalities, the foibles of individual characters are alive on the page. And the language is wonderful, and seems to capture the cadences that Tolstoy put into his original (although I'm not literate in Russian and can't say for sure). What I do know is that I'm getting a lot of literary pleasure from each page. I haven't finished it yet, but am relishing the hundreds of pages left to me.Book Review: A classic revisited
Summary: 5 Stars
A very poetic translation of War and Peace without losing the panoramic view of society captured in Tolstoy's original epic.Book Review: A review in one word: WOW
Summary: 5 Stars
Potential reader: do not be daunted by the length of W&P! At over 1200 pages, this is, truly, a long work. Nonetheless, it is worth every second spent. I cannot comment on particular translations personally, but I am led to believe this one (the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation) is the best, based on various recommendations from critics, such as James Wood's excellent review in the New Yorker. On to the book itself:
With each page, I must confess my jealousy of Tolstoy grew immensely. By the end, one sits in sheer awe of the Master's writing ability. By far the most notable strength of Tolstoy's is his ability to craft characters; I have read no other author outside of Shakespeare and Milton (with his Satan from "Paradise Lost") able to create real men and women as well as Tolstoy. I cannot claim to be a Shakespeare expert, but I would rate Tolstoy's character-crafting even higher than the Bard's, though I am aware this is not a popular judgement.
Pierre, a corpulent and intelligent misfit in Russian high society; Prince Andrei, a dark, pessimistic, and arrogant (yet strangely tender) nobleman; and Natasha Rostov, a caring, complex, and often infuriating young woman, are the three standouts. To be sure, there are myriad other characters of interest (Nikolai Rostov, Princess Marya, Field Marshal Kutuzov, etc.), but the three aforementioned go beyond mere characters, metamorphosing into real, flesh-and-blood human beings. All three are fictional, unlike many of the other characters, and yet all three are more lifelike than perhaps any other literary creations.
Tolstoy's powers go further, however. The language is wonderful; though a translation, the explanatory notes offered at the beginning by Richard Pevear give one a greater sense of Tolstoy's language, especially his use of repetitions; his "readings" of characters expressions (and sometimes those of inanimate objects) also work wonderfully.
One thing that might irk those who are not overly familiar in philosophical reading are Tolstoy's interpolated philosophical essays. The whole second Epilogue is a long essay on the Philosophy of History, as are chunks of the last two books. I assure the potential reader with all my heart that, even if he does not particularly enjoy these essays, the novel is worth it and warrants reading. Being a student of philosophy, I found the essays quite fascinating (notably Hegelian), but even if one despises them, the story, characters, and every other aspect of WAR AND PEACE makes repeated reading well worth it.
Along with the wonderful Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the profound Jorge Luis Borges, and the darkly insightful Fyodor Dostoevsky, Tolstoy is at the top of my list of novelists (alright, Borges isn't a novelist, but close enough!). And yet, there is something that places the Count well above even the strengths of the others, and makes WAR AND PEACE a far greater novel than even "One Hundred Years of Solitude" or "Crime and Punishment." That something is the characters, it is Pierre, it is Prince Andrei, it is Natasha or Nikolai or Kutuzov. Any one of Tolstoy's characters would warrant a marvelous rating; all of them combined make WAR AND PEACE, by a long shot, the greatest novel I have yet read.
To close, I echo Russian novelist Isaak Babel: "If the world itself could write, it would write like Tolstoy." Truer words have never been spoken of him, and I feign not outdo them.