Has anyone read or is reading War and Peace?

[savvybabygrace]

I'm currently reading War and Peace and am wondering if anyone else here has already read it or is reading it now.
My little sister and her fiance started their own W&P book club and included me - but since they live in England and BIL to be has already finished it it's difficult to keep up the motivation to keep reading!

[PhotoJournMama]

I have read it, and I loved it! I can still remember a lot of the characters and their lives, even though it has been over 4 years since I read it.

I was lucky enough at that point in my life to be single, without kids, and living in a country where I didn't speak the language - so I had a lot of time to really become engrossed in it! I was working but I had a lot of free time and on my days off I would often spend them doing nothing but reading, especially if the weather was poor. As you can see I have very fond memories - but I'm not sure if they were from the book itself, or the freedom that I had to read it through without interruption! These days I can barely read a chapter without something coming up lol

It is a very long, very involved, and very complex story line and I think it is hard to set a book like that down, and even harder to pick it back up. But if you do, you won't be disappointed.

[Tra1978]

I also read it a couple of years ago. My overall impression of it is positive and I would probably read it again at some point in my life. It took me almost 3 years to read it though. I would whiz through the society parts and when it came to the war parts I would put it down for months at a time or only read a page a night. I think you should totally keep up with it if you can.

[mammastar2]

I have actually had a lovely hard-cover copy of it since I was 10, which was given to me as a gift. I have faithfully moved it from home to home for over 20 years now, and still never read it!

...should I? I'm willing for someone to motivate me....

[Tra1978]

Do it! You should at least try it out. After 20 years aren't you even a little curious about the story inside?

[mammastar2]

Well, I've got so used to seeing it looking impressive on my shelf! But you're right...

[Twocoolboys]

Keep reading!

I read it over 12 years ago and it is most definitely one of the best books I have ever read. I would love to read it again someday. It was a very slow book for me at first, but once I got into it, I was enjoying it so much. By the time I got to the end I was wishing it was longer - lol. So, keep reading!

[Oriole]

I read it and loved it. I was about 15-16 y.o., but I did like it enough to reread just a year later.

[MamatoDov]

It's a wonderful book, one of my favorites. It's long, and the war parts can be difficult to get through, but well worth it.

[bandyr]

Ooo! I've really wanted to read this book ever since my husband studied the Prokofiev opera in college. The opera is amazing!!! Mamastar, you should totally get out your lovely HB!




SAHM to 2 nurslings ::::treehu gger:

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Guess I'll have to take a deep breath and try this one again...

I've gotten halfway through the first chapter and always get distracted by something else...

Does the whole book require 100% attention like the first chunk of pages? I love classics, but this one is daunting from what I've read so far...

[zinemama]

I read it in Peace Corps (had a lot of time on my hands and the Peace Corps office library was stocked with Penguin Classics). I remember enjoying the "peace" parts much better than the "war" sections.

[Caneel]

I have not read it but feel I should/need to read it. Sigh, so many books, so little time...

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by Tra1978

I also read it a couple of years ago. My overall impression of it is positive and I would probably read it again at some point in my life. It took me almost 3 years to read it though. I would whiz through the society parts and when it came to the war parts I would put it down for months at a time or only read a page a night. I think you should totally keep up with it if you can.

Russian Lit major here, so yes, I've read it. To your point, though I had an older Russian woman for a teacher once, and she always joked that everyone in Russia says they've read War and Peace, but the truth is that the boys have read a book 'War', and the girls have read a book 'Peace'. She and her girlfriends all read the parts about parties and fancy clothes and skipped the battles, while the boys did just the opposite.

[les_oiseau]

I have it on my bookshelf! :) Haven't gotten to it yet because there are always a million things I want to do... if you start a group read on here though I would join you :)

[pranamama]

I started reading it and finished it on the cd set from the library.   I love the book!!

[Sacagawea]

Not every Russian is able to read this book to the finish - especially in teen age. Extremely long. Too many insertions in French (Leo Tolstoy knew this language perfectly). Long discourses in philosophic context. This book is really for adults (over 30). I think I'm one of few people who read this book for 4-5 days.My graduating work (high school) was devoted to "War and Peace". And entering too (university).

Anyway, Woody Allen's "Love and Death" is a very funny spin-off.

Oh, I need help!

Now I'm looking for some tales, legends, fables from American-British folklore (not continental Europe) for my baby (1 year - up to 7 year?). We've started learning English as the second language. Could anyone recommend anything like Roly-Poly, Ivan the prince, Turnippy...? Not a particular author. Sources, sites, books?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by Sacagawea 
Now I'm looking for some tales, legends, fables from American-British folklore (not continental Europe) for my baby (1 year - up to 7 year?). We've started learning English as the second language. Could anyone recommend anything like Roly-Poly, Ivan the prince, Turnippy...? Not a particular author. Sources, sites, books?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

Many of the classic fairy tales that American children read were originally German and French, so something like this may not be exactly what you are looking for, but they are the fairy tales that are familiar to most American children: http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Book-Fairy-Tales-Classics/dp/030717025X/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top. When I think of classic American children's stories, I think of tall tales, like Paul Bunyon, Babe the Blue Ox, Johnny Appleseed, so a collection like this might work for you: http://www.amazon.com/American-Tall-Tales-Mary-Osborne/dp/0679800891/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324343412&sr=1-1. Winnie-the-Pooh would be another classic, here in the US as well as in the UK. This isn't what you asked for, but since you are looking for ESL materials, I have to put a plug in for Arnold Lobel books. His books are the rare beginning readers that are great to read: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AArnold+Lobel&keywords=Arnold+Lobel&ie=UTF8&qid=1324344437&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B000APNG74. And again, I think a good number of American kids know Frog and Toad.

Udachi! :)

[Sacagawea]

Oh, so helpful!!!

Thank you!

Merry Christmas!

S Novym Godom!