Sadly it's pretty clear that I haven't read that much since I last wrote. I'm not going to say that it is because I didn't have any time, because if you really want to do something you make the time for it. There it is, I guess I just didn't want to read. Having said that, I'm really glad that I did read some tonight, because I am enjoying it again! I've gotten through the meager text of Part 4, and so far Part 5 is keeping me entertained. It might sound awful, but reading about Pierre's misery as he gets over Natasha is really amusing.
War and Peace is not at all the kind of book that you can read discretely in a corner. People are always going to notice it and most likely make comments. Usually some of the things people said bother me, but today I was glad to hear them. While I was at orchestra practice the novel fell out of my bag, and the man next to me started a conversation about it. He turned out to be really knowledgeable about the text, which was extremely eye-opening for me. It made me wonder if I would be able to talk about the book fluently once I finished reading it; I really hope that I will be. The man had so much to say about the different themes (ambition, sexism, courage), Tolstoy's style, and the relevance of the title. Although he was speaking in French, I got a lot out of the conversation!
I know that so far I've been pretty bipolar about reading the novel, but in no way does that mean that I'm not enjoying the experience. I honestly love the way I feel when I read it and seeing the looks on peoples faces when they see me reading it. I'm powering through the mother of all books!
Don't worry about it, when I read War and Peace I rarely enjoyed it. The feeling when you finish it is extravagant though-such satisfaction. Keep it up.
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