I must admit my reasons for buying and beginning to read War and Peace by Count Leo Tolstoy, were superficial at first. My thoughts were, “Well, I’ll be able to say I’ve read War and Peace.” Thereby making myself an instant intellectual, of course. As I began to read, however, a strange, deepening realization began to take hold within me. This was a book that was going to change my perspective on life.
The novel takes the reader into the lives of a vast array of characters. We see the pettiness, vanity, hatreds, and self-promotions of the members of the jaded Russian Court of Tsar Alexander, and those who know them. Life is carefree in Moscow and St. Petersburg, with the hardest decision to be made is what time to appear at the Ball, or whom they should invite to their latest soiree.
The catalyst of the story is Napoleon Bonaparte who invades Russia, thus beginning the change in these peoples’ lives. Suddenly, life isn’t so carefree, and the most basic human endeavor descends upon them. The battle of survival. Some are fighting in battle, others are pretending to be fighting in battle, and still others are desperately awaiting news of their country, friends, and loved ones from the front, all while attempting to survive on very little resources.
Tolstoy beautifully shows the human struggle with not only the horrors of war, but also the battles within ourselves that allow, or prohibit, us from becoming what we want or don’t want to attain. One example of this is Pierre Bezhukov, the bastard child of a wealthy aristocrat. He is aimless and insecure in the beginning, but tries to come to terms with what he thinks are wrongs done him by others in the past. Pierre is the key character in the novel, in my opinion. He comes to a realization that most should grasp early in their lifetime. When you think back on War and Peace, Pierre will be the character you will remember most.
Intermittently, Tolstoy blatantly questions the value of historians, and their accuracy. This will leave you with a fresh outlook on the whole spectrum that is history. The veil will be lifted from your eyes so to speak. Allowing you to decide for yourself what you will believe, by questioning who wrote that part of history, and their motivations behind it.
As you read the last page and set the book down you’ll ask yourself the inevitable question. “What did I learn from this book?” Well, that’s a hard question to answer since most people extract different meanings, and capture different enlightenments from literature. But, I know without a doubt, you will gain one insight from this masterpiece. It’s the one thing this entire novel tries to convey to the reader. Everything relating to peoples’ lives, no matter how minute, comes down to one common denominator. Humanity.
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Pammy, the main character in the 
Many of those 
Editor of The Blue Rose Bouquet since 1998 and a professional writer since 1984,