Has anyone ever read this book?
Anyone here I mean.
How much of a chore is it?
I finally read Moby Dick a while ago and really enjoyed it. Probably not on as many levels as might be expected, but, hey, I read it.
But War and Peace, I don't know. It could be a long winter, so time might not be a factor.
How long should I expect to spend on this thing? I know that's totally variable, but an estimate with EWO's factored in would be appreciated.
I have no experience with the Russians.
Any advice or comments are welcome.
I don't really need to do it. I'm happy with my light reading, but I'm looking for an adventure.
Is it worth it?
Don
You're a better man than I if you carry through. I got tired reading the Wikipedia summary.
Any book with over two dozen "main" characters would require me to keep notes, charts, etc. at hand for frequent reference. And that's not a part of history that I have been interested in learning about.
I look forward to gleaning from you some fine tuned nuggets of wisdom without any heavy lifting on my part.
EDIT: "Wooden ships on the water, very free and easy."
I read it when I was 16. I plan on visiting Russia in a few years to see Tolstoy's house and visit Borodino. That said, its a long, long book and its not for everybody. Crime and Punishment is much shorter and digestible.
Read Moby Dick twice.
Read the Bible cover to cover, twice.
As to long boring books, I read KonTiki and Aku-Aku by Thor Heyerdahl.
Not sure if I have a copy of War and Peace around the house.
Have a few James Michener's book I have yet to get into.
Paul in PA
Beer Leg Book Club - The Men Who United the States
I don't think I would be able to finish it. However, I am also finished with this one and it is a very good read with a fair amount of mentioning of surveyors.
Good luck dude, I'm still struggilin' thru "Horton Hears a Who", and Green Eggs and Ham.;-)
Seriously, haven't considered W & P but am going to read about Gengis Kahn.
For a fun, and in my opinion great, read try "A time to Kill" followed by "Sycamore Row" both from author John Grisham.
Moby Dick kind of felt like I was on the whaling voyage....long boring periods of inactivity where Melville drones on and on about whale species and the anatomy of fish and mammals followed by like 10 or so good pages of action packed excitement then back to the monotony. I think it would have been better if it was shorter, honestly. I guess people back then had more time to kill.
I've never attempted war and peace. I don't think I'd make it through.
I haven't read War and Peace, but did read Crime and Punishment. I didn't mind the later, but have never re-read it and have no desire to do so. A quick check with Amazon says that at least one version of WaP is over 1200 pages. I read about a page a minute with fiction, but that rate would probably be a little slower with litrachur like this! So somewhere over 20 hours for me.
I have heard that a problem with Russia-based works is that a character can have multiple names because the name used depends on the relationship with the person using the name. That can be mitigated by the translation, but may lose some subtleties.
For big, sprawling historical novels, I recommend Dorothy Dunnett. She has two series. One is called The House of Niccolò. It's set in the 1400s and starts with Niccolò Rising. I prefer this series, but most people like the Lymond Chronicles more. It's set in the mid 1500s. Both have strong Scottish and Flemish connections but also extend across much of Europe. Lots of characters here too, and some pretty twisty plotting. Also lots of pages--the Niccolò series is 8 books, probably averaging over 600 pages each.
Melita
