Gavin Draper

Well, I finally read War & Peace on the 2nd attempt 15 years after trying the first time. 3 months it took. I pity the translator. “Few would dispute the claim of War and Peace to be regarded as the greatest novel in any language” so it says on the back. I’ll save you bother by telling you it isn’t even the greatest novel in its own language. 800 pages before it becomes interesting and even then it’s about a real battle not fiction. I’m glad I did it if only to say I’ve done it, like hitting your thumb with a hammer. The main character Pierre does just about manage to maintain sufficient interest to hold some level of anticipation together to keep going. As do the (real life) war events which are detailed fictionally and factually at length to bulk out the pages. Some characters enjoy a needless amount of dwelling on, only to apparently die later as an afterthought. There are a good number of amusing characters and story twists but one that isn’t worth anticipating is that the story ended 100 pages before the end of the text. As a 1400 page novel this is a novelty ending unworthy of a novel with this acclaim. The epilogues, in particular the second one, can be ignored completely without spoiling the fiction. In summary, if you are a bibliophile and have 3 months to kill, go for it. It has its merits and sufficient intrigue. But it is long for a reason, and that is to dare you to get to the end and say it was worth it, like you could say about most wars.