Andrei is on his way to visit the Rostovs, on the way he sees an old, weathered oak and identifies with it, continuing on he sees a young girl which is full of life and spontaneous. The Count invites Andrei to spend the night, which he readily accepts. From his window, Andrei can hear the girl he saw earlier, Natasha, who is enamored by the moonlit night. Andrei feels his world weariness going away, being replaced by hope. On his way back, Andrei sees that same old oak tree sprouting new leaves.

A very strong part where three of the principal players in the novel, Andrei, Nikolai and Pierre all go under different crises.

About: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a fictional book first published in 1869. The work is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature. The copy I read was translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. 1350 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; New edition ISBN: 0199232768 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Leo Tolstoy Thoughts: What stood out in Book 1 Part 3 is the characterization which Tolstoy employs. The physical attraction Pierre feels for the busty Hélène is extremely convincing and Hélène’s descriptions of being a sexual siren are fabulous. One of the techniques that Tolstoy employs in his characterization is not only writing about the “what” and the “how” – but also about the “why”. For example, we know Pierre lacks will or confidence which makes Hélène’s advances at him uncomfortable, but also understandable to how easily Pierre has succumbed to the charms of a woman whose family he considers to be appalling. Tolstoy also creates scenes of uncomfortable comedic brilliance, ones that you cringe when you read as if you were an unwanted fly on the wall….

About: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a fictional book first published in 1869. The work is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature. The copy I read was translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. 1350 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; New edition ISBN: 0199232768 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Leo Tolstoy Thoughts: I liked Book 1 Part 2 of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy much better than part 1. This part starts with the Austrian campaign where Russia and Austria have formed an alliance to wade off Napoleon’s armies. The campaign is told through the contrasting viewpoints of Andrei and Nikolai. Tolstoy is doing something here which has been done later (probably before but I’m not aware) to great success. Telling the story from the view of the higher-ups (Andrei – adjutant to Commander-in-Chief of the Russian forces) and from the point of view of the men in the trenches (Nkkolain – a cadet). The paths of the two idealistic men parallel along the story. My favorite character in this section was Dolohov. From some…

Recently I read the novel Anna Karenina which, to my surprise, I liked. It is a complex novel and upon doing more research on the subject, I decided it merits its own Fun Facts post.

“Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy is a fictional book which was first published between 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Even though the complete novel was published to mediocre reviews, others consider it the best realistic-fiction story written.

September 23, 1862 marks the wedding of one of them the most tumultuous couples in literary history when Leo Tolstoy married Sophie Andreyevna Behrs