Read Runners discussion

Let the discussions begin. Post your comments - initial opinions about the writing style, characters, story line, background.. just about anything you want to discuss about this part of the book.

HUMBLE REQUEST: For any spoilers regarding the story or plot please use spoiler tags, so that it doesn't put off other readers.

Started. Read the introductions to Tolstoy's life as well as the book as such, which was massive.
And have entered chapter 1. Planning to make inroads today.

I am on 7th chapter :D

Quite ahead :P:P

Sadly am yet to start..but will do so today :)

@Sri.... if you will read 3 chapters a day, then you will be able to finish it by 18th, on 19th you can discuss about this part.... :)

Gehna, great job! Chapter 7. I'm just in the beginning of chapter 2. This book is going to be a workout for me. I really hope it isn't like how I felt about North and South. I just couldn't get past it and it's one of my few abandoned books. I'm hoping a buddy read method will give me the push to read this book.

I too couldn't dig in North and South.
But doing a buddy read/group read always help.
You get into a mild competitive spirit and feel more ashamed (than usual) to give up.. (thats been my experience so far :D )

Actually Rachel and Deej - I found the initial part pretty easy to get into at least up to page 60 or so.. but that was long back when I actually started..

Right now my problem is not getting time to read! And also getting distracted by other books. :(

Anyway will get to this seriously today, so that we can discuss it soon.

@Rachel... i hope you will able to complete it by buddy reading :)

@Sri.... ya... no problem, I was just telling, that even if you will read 3 chapters a day, then also you will be able to complete it before the deadline.... :):)

all the best with work and reading :D:D:D:D

True that Deej.. and with your constant updates, am sure I will be pushed to finishing it sooner :P

@Rachel - the buddy system works best with books like this one. In fact, this is one book that has been my nemesis for more than 15-20 years *ashamed look* and I sincerely hope that this year will be my year of taming this tome :)

Chapter-wise discussion this sounds great!! I am in. So we got to read with in any dead line or what?

@Sri.... I am also following that 3 chapter thing, I have exams going on, so it will be easier for me :) :P

@Varsha.... yes.... deadlines :) here the schedule https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I will start it today :)

@Deej - Yes of course. Exams come first :)

@Varsh - that's great :D :D :D

@Harry - Wonderful :D :D

@Sri... hmmm :):)

@Sri, Harry.... all the best with it :)

I was searching for this thread.. o_O o_O starting tomorrow and I'm gonna re-read the first 21 chapters..

@Sri, I do hope the buddy system works for this book because it’s a big book.

So far I’m on chapter 12. I’m hoping to get some more reading in on Thursday.

@Rachel - Lets be positive and say that it will work, for otherwise I don't know how to tame this tome :P :P

And as for reading, am yet to start this part once again.. Too much going on at my end to read with any concentration but hope to read it today and start serious discussions tomorrow :)

All the best :)

PS- We all can keep motivating each other to read on :) :)

I totally agree. I have some parts I'd like to discuss. The good thing about the book is that it jumps around from character to character, so that's a plus. Another part I'm enjoying is that there is always something to discuss about in each chapter, well almost.

I totally agree with you on that. So let us begin with the discussions from tomorrow :)

You will have to give me today to refresh my memory on the first part.

Hope you don’t mind, I’m starting my discussion tonight (tonight for me PST). Don’t worry all in spoilers.
Chapter 2

(view spoiler)[I like Pierre, part of it is bias because I named the wee one Perry. I thought it was so funny that Prince Andrew told Pierre not to marry. That conversation was hilarious to me because they envy what the other has. It’s the old saying, “the grass is greener on the other side”. I would agree with Prince Andrew to a degree. Before you marry enjoy and experience as much as you can. In America the statistic is 50% marriages end in divorce. I’d say it’s rising. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ The bear fight is horrid. I really didn’t like reading that part. I can’t stand cruelty to animals and I know they do train the bears for wrestling and it was part of the culture, still I didn’t like reading that part and had no problem with Dolokhov hanging out the window. If he fell no biggie but if the bear got hurt I’d be so mad. Thrill seekers, goodness. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[ So what’s with the bears everywhere? We have bears here too but I don’t think people actually wrestled them or would sit on their backs for a ride in the river or lakes. Anyone watch Grizzly Man, the ending part is what you’d get with the bears in my area. Don’t mess with Washington bears, unless it’s Bart the bear. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5
(view spoiler)[Anyone else think of Rocky and Bullwinkle when reading the title? Natasha and Boris. I wonder if this book is where they had the idea of the character names.

Parenting observation about Vera being the oldest and how she is treated compared to her younger siblings, especially Natasha. I have to say they kind of nailed it. Parents normally do treat the oldest differently, but I have to say that the sex of the child has a lot to do with it too.

Something I found me taking a road down on Fascination Street is that Tolstoy used a lot of his family members for his characters either in name or their character. I went from reading the story to searching about it. (hide spoiler)]

Rachel : chapter 2 (view spoiler)[I also liked the part where Pierre is told not to marry..... and also the way Prince Andew is with his wife, and how he talks with Pierre... (hide spoiler)]

And, is anyone have a problem regarding so many names??? I am having it :|

Gehna, I did at first but now I am getting most of them down, when they tossed in two Anna's I was like oh no, but now I'm able to know who is who. There are a lot of similar names. It doesn't help that I don't know any Russian other than pisanki eggs or fedoskino lacquer boxes.

About the spoiler reply, I know, it's funny, I laughed.

Is anyone getting Russian accents in their mind while reading? With Pierre, his is a French accent. With Dmitri, it's kind of loud and more Italian. Oh, how my mind works.

@Rachel... two Anna's , so many Princes..... so confusing....

Am so glad that the discussions have begun :)

@Rachel - I did read all the spoilers as I have already read these chapters long back and your spoilers did refresh my memory a bit :)

@DeeJ (Gehna) - I found it confusing at first but as you keep reading, you kind of get who's who. So don't worry too much about it in the beginning. :)

@Rachel - High 5 on reading with accents part, I do the same and it makes the reading more interesting.

Will get back with spoiler replies a little later as I couldn't resist replying immediately.

Gehna, Oh, there are more of the double names, plus families. Makes it messy.

@Sri... hmm.. you are right... :):)

@Rachel...yes...more double names like (view spoiler)[Natasha (hide spoiler)]

Sri, glad to refresh your memory. :)

@Sri, lol, it's fun to read with the accents and it does make it more interesting. Whatever it takes to get through this monster of a book. ;)

Gehna wrote: "Rachel : chapter 2 [spoilers removed]

And, is anyone have a problem regarding so many names??? I am having it :|"

Am having a massive problem with all the names. Am only in chapter 2 so far. Nothing to discuss from my side as I am just beginning to understand the book :/

So, I am not alone :P

Am now into Chapter X (as per Maude's translation), lousy pace I know but I am juggling too many books at the moment :( Guess we will have to be a little more realistic about this one :(

Anyway, here are my thoughts till now

Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[I love the name Pierre for personal reasons as well, given that this was the name of the first French guy I spoke to in that language, way back when I was in college. *sigh* :P. I agree with you Rachel, it does seem like a case of the grass being greener on the other side. However, I find marriages as portrayed (and as they were) in these old Russian times unbelievable and often cold. I felt this while reading Anna as well (which I still haven't finished) and am feeling it here as well - Were Russian marriages really that cold and without any passion? Was is it expected of those people to behave in that manner or did it happen because most of these marriages were usually entered into for bigger gains or opportunities rather than any human emotion? The whole manner in which Prince Andrew acted with his wife was not acceptable to me. Agreed, she was also petulant but still..couldn't he have shown some emotion. I guess the old time Russians were not as fond of passion as the new ones are :P :P (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[I hated that bear wrestling part. I don't know what people find exciting about such sports. I wished that bear would tear these people asunder, if you please! And as for the thrill seekers, have met many like those in real life, so I was simply shaking my head and repeating an oft heard saying "boys must be boys must be boys" :P :P (hide spoiler)]

As for your Chap 5 Rachel, have just reached that part.. somehow it shows as X in my book. Makes me wonder whether the chapters are numbered differently in different translations. Hmm

(view spoiler)[I totally agree with you Rachel, the oldest are often treated differently and are expected to grow up faster than the others. And yes for once I can say that I thought of Rocky and Bullwinkle when reading the name Natasha and Boris and wondered the same thing. *phew finally I got one reference :P :P* (hide spoiler)]

@Smitha - don't worry, take it at your own pace. Others are yet to join and I am sure this will be a slow paced read initially at least. However, for me, at least with the Maude's version, the chapters are small and I find myself reading quickly; provided I put my mind to it and not get distracted by other books ;)

@DeeJ - Nope you are not alone and I believe that there are about 500 different characters, mostly minor ones in this group. The names are bound to be alike and it is going to get more confusing. :)

My chapters are biggish.

@Smitha - which translation are you using? Paperback or ebook version?

I will have to modify chapters accordingly then..so that no one feels overwhelmed.

Can you put up the chapter break up for your book..The distribution that I have created is roughly 60-70 pages of the Maude book.

My ebook is the amazon kindle free version
It is called
War and Peace -Leo Tolstoy
Translated by Louise and Aymler Maude
with bonus material from Give war and peace a chance by Andrew D Kaufmann
16 chapters in book 1
16 chapters in book 2
Must be the same as yours?

Plus its not showing page breakup, only location breakup is there.

Nope.. mine has 28 chapters in the first book. This is not the free version..but I also have the free one..so will check that and put it up along with this one, in case people follow that version. Thanks for the heads up :)

@all - will post the alternate chapter details by tonight or max tomorrow morning. In any case in week 1 and 2, we finish Book 1 :)

yeah the Kindle version shows only location break up...I got the page numbers from the physical book that I have.

Psmith wrote: "My ebook is the amazon kindle free version
It is called
War and Peace -Leo Tolstoy
Translated by Louise and Aymler Maude
with bonus material from Give war and peace a chance by Andrew D Kaufmann
16..."

I'm reading the same version of you. We are on the same page (not literally) ;)

Sri, to your reply in Chapter 2

(view spoiler)[ I’m not surprised about “the grass is greener on the other side” view the two men have. Also, I’m not surprise to read the lack of passion in the marriages. It reminds me of a Victorian novel, when “female hysteria” was at its height. I can totally see Russian marriages like that, of course not all of them but the majority. This is also a time when mistresses were very common and proper women didn’t do those naughty sinful things. It reminds me of the Russian physician Sabina Spielrein and her involvement with Carl Jung, especially during her breakdown. This of course was about 50 years after this book was written. Watch the movie about them, “A Dangerous Method” with Keira Knightley. I couldn’t imagine lustless (invention of my own word) and passionless marriage to where I’d have to have a mistress or go to a doctor to take care of female hysteria.

I like to know what is going on around the time the book was written and the story takes place so I can gage what societal views and getting a deeper meaning in why the people do what they do. This is why I see it like a Victorian novel. (hide spoiler)]

RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Psmith wrote: "My ebook is the amazon kindle free version
It is called
War and Peace -Leo Tolstoy
Translated by Louise and Aymler Maude
with bonus material from Give war and peace a chance by Andr..."

@Rachel
:-). I am at the part where Boris is taken to meet his God father to eke out money for his uniform. (9%).
Where are you at?

@Smitha, Rachel and all others - I have included the details of this free version as well as defining the end chapters for each part, in case there are other versions, in the reading schedule thread. Hope this helps.

Sorry for the delay in putting it up.

@Srividya, Thanks for all the trouble you are taking on our behalf.

@Smitha - My pleasure :)

Yayy. I am at chapter 9. According to my edition, only 2 more chapters to go .

@Smitha - I thought that would perk you up :)

Was smiling as I was typing this out as I kept thinking of you and Rachel feeling good about the fact that you are almost done with this part :)

@Psmith, I'm at 11%, half way through chapter 12.

@Sri, wow, good job and way to go on adding the other version.

@Sri, oh wow I'm done with this part, yay! Celebrate!

@Rachel - YAYYY indeed :) I read your previous comment and was waiting for you to realise it!