War and Peace: End of book (Page 1315), Day 79

The end. I never thought that I would get to it, or say that I was sorry to read those words. I'm excited to have finished, but sad that there is no more of War and Peace for me to read. It took an extremely long time, but I think that this is the first book that I have really read. 

The second epilogue was a huge letdown. All of the characters that we have been following for the past 1,200 pages are pushed aside so that Tolstoy can rant about his own views of history, and towards his novel. All I can say is that if this epilogue was a prologue, I would have given up long before I reached the book's actual body, which would have been a huge loss. 

Tolstoy is like one of those house guests who overstays their welcome, but your thrilled to have them around. Once their last night comes you feel depressed, but they're beginning to ramble on far too much so you're ready to say goodbye. Will that one bad night cancel out the two great months that you've spent together? Of course not. You will remember the guest fondly, and tell everyone about how great his visit was. Although War and Peace had a whimper of an ending, the novel radiates greatness thanks to all of the snapshots of humanity that Tolstoy provides us with. 

Reading War and Peace was all the adventure that I hoped. I always thought that when I finally finished this tome I would celebrate in some way. Now that the time has come I feel that I need to sit and process it all for a good hour. In the appendix, Tolstoy states that War and Peace is "not a novel." Oddly enough, I would have to agree with him. War and Peace is nothing like any other book that I've ever read. It deserves it's reputation as one of the best classics, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge. Yes, the book was repetitive and didactic at times, and there were moments that I wanted to scream while reading it, but after reading it I have been changed for the better. War and Peace is the Everest of literature. At over 500,000 words, it is clearly the ultimate challenge and the ultimate experience.