War and Peace by Leo TolstoyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an awesome book! Definitely my new favorite. I really liked Tolstoy's consideration of the themes of life and death and their concurrence. This book has everything - love, revenge, forgiveness, disillusionment and the need for self-criticism, sacrifice, finding joy in everyday life, and some really great lines that resonated with my beliefs of eternal families. There is so much depth, I feel like I will need to read it a few more times to truly master it, but this first time around was a great eye-opener into the greatness that is Tolstoy. Natasha and Anatole's encounter almost drove me insane! I was not a big fan of Andrei, but I can appreciate his thematic significance. I will admit, I didn't care for the second epilogue, as Tolstoy had already presented his thoughts on how history should be written and there wasn't anything new presented or any grand unifying conclusion. However, I understand that it was his intention not to create a conclusion, which strengthens his point. This is a fantastic read! Absolutely worth the daunting 1400 pages.
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