be patient - it's worth it!

I loved this book. Tolstoy makes the war real and personal, smoothly switching between historical commentary and the lives of the book's complex, relatable characters. The apparent chaos of the battlefield is contrasted by the predetermination of actions and events not by the will of a man, but by the sum of the millions of independent actions of millions of people who are all just doing what they need to do to get by. The narration gives voice to the characters' thoughts and motives, while in the same breath making broad philosophical statements that really resonated with me.
In the beginning, I found myself checking back often to remember who the many characters were, but soon felt deeply connected with first one character and then another as they grew up, made mistakes, and learned about what it means to live, love, grow old, and die.

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