War and peace book review:

What I felt after completing this giant?

This was the book I wanted to read for a long time but kept it aside because of its page count, which was more than 1000. Then, at the beginning of the year 2021, I decided to take this up.

As soon as I began to understand the world of the story ‘War and Peace’, I was amazed. It turned out to be one of the finest fictions I have read.

***SPOILERS***

What the book is all about?

It is a historical novel that spanned around many years and two French-Russian wars: Battle of Austerlitz, where French forces, led by Napoleon, defeated the combined forces of Russia and Austria in 1805, and the French invasion of Russia in 1812. The story is woven around a few wealthy aristocratic families of Russia. Some of the main characters were directly involved in these wars.

What, I think, the writer wanted to convey by this story?

1. In the battle of Austerlitz, a few characters were directly involved in those wars and were affected by it. On the other side, there are people who were living as usual despite the Russian defeat. That is, not everyone is affected by the events as we believed it to be.

2. By this book, Leo Tolstoy wanted to tell how the real historical events occur. He described that the wars did not happen by the will of leaders. These events occur due to the combined effects of several thousands of small events, however insignificant they might seem. Millions of people, their will, desire, selfishness are the reasons why anything huge occurs.

Eg. Why did a great leader like Napoleon all of sudden lost his ability to control his forces? Why did, after invading and defeating Russia, french forces had to flee?

Because, according to Author, these events were inevitable. Napoleon ascended in power not much because he was a genius. It was more because there was a power vacuum and someone needed to fill it. Napoleon did not bring his forces to invade Russia. It occurs because out of the thousands of his commands, and decisions, the command to invade Russia succeed. Then later when they reached Moscow, his other command succeeded, not what he wanted to achieve in the first place. His main desire was to rule there not flee but he could not do so. It was because many small incidents affected his decision until he did not have another choice than to run away.

3. By the story, the author tried to depict the real picture of what had happened in Russia. Eg Why Moscow burnt? It was not because Napoleon had ordered it to do so. He wanted to restore it. As the group of cattle scattered when they see the grass after many days of walking in the search of food. French forces scattered in Moscow and acted on their own. Moscow was abandoned so French settled in the deserted houses, lit fires because of the harsh winter. And did not bother to extinguish them. That was what happened in Moscow when it burnt.

4. Psychology: By this story, the author wanted to show how people react in different situations. There was a particular scene where the crowd brought a young boy and is accusing him of looting them. The mayor of Moscow who was in a bad position due to what was happening in his city, instigated the crowd and they lynched the boy. But later they got horrified and said that what kind of people can do this.

Mayor, as if to excuse himself for what he had done, reminded himself, that it was necessary as the crowd was getting out of control and he did that to pacify it.

5. People change: People do change by time and circumstances. There was the main character, princes Maria Bolkonskya. She was submissive to her abusive father. She did not know what she wanted in her life. Then her father died. She was not only free from his abuse but also from the negativity she was accustomed to since her childhood.

This realistic approach to write a story was the main thing that compelled me to like ‘War and Peace’ and this why I recommend it to other to read.