War and Peace Readalong: Week One, Book One
Thanks Hanna for hosting! My book came in the mail on Thursday and I was immediately frightened by how much the parcel weighed. When I opened it, I saw that the book was so heavy it burst the bubble wrap in multiple places. I take this as a solid sign that my 100-book goal for this year is shot, unless this one counts for multiple books (like, 100). Now, unto the prompts! (Another reason why I love this readalong already)
1) What pre-existing ideas did you have about War & Peace?
That it is looooooooooong. And about Russian families. And about War. And Peace.
2) On that note, is it as bad as you'd expected? :P
The writing is surprisingly easy to read - but I must probably credit the translation for that! It drops you right in a soiree, which is a convenient way to introduce and describe all the characters.
3) What strategies are you employing?e.g. reading in short bursts, using your Kindle on your commute, taking notes about the characters...
I have separated the book with colorful flags as finish points. They make my heavyweight book even more conspicuous; oh well.
Though it's a pain to lug around such a massive book (well, it's only been a few days), I like seeing a physical representation of how much I've read. I read in short bursts so I don't become overwhelmed with all the names that I'm trying to track! I may also start a "cast list" with brief descriptions so I can figure out who is who.
4) How are you getting on with your translation?
I am reading the Anthony Briggs translation because I heard that it has the least amount of untranslated French and is more "accessible" to readers. Hey, I'll take it. I need all the help I can get with reading this brick of a book.
... okay, cutting this short because I need to get back to reading! This is one of those books where I can't afford to miss a week because then I'll be stuck with hundreds of pages of catch-up reading to do!
Pretty much everybody seems to have the Anthony Briggs translation and I'm starting to wonder whether I'm missing out on something! I mean, I have no problems at all with the edition I have on my Kindle (you guys are going to have ginormous biceps by the time this is done!) but I am starting to notice differences in the names. I have a Prince Andrew, for example, instead of Andrei...
ReplyDeleteI'm mostly just glad that it isn't as horrific as I'd expected, really!
I'm using the Kindle version, too, and I wish they kept the Russian names instead of anglicizing them.
ReplyDeleteIt is a BEAST to carry around. Every time I turn the page I 'm afraid I'm going to break the spine! I BETTER have amazing arms by the time I'm done reading, hahaha!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my edition chose not to anglicize them - because it's mentioned during the soiree how certain people chose to pronounce their names with a French accent rather than the Russian, which demonstrated their acceptance of the growing French empire. I imagine this point would be somewhat lost with the anglicized names!
ReplyDeleteOh please, you're TOTALLY allowed to count it as like... 100 books. I hereby give you permission.
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy with the Anthony Briggs translation, but unlike you (who is a sensible person) I didn't research it or anything. I ended up with 'the good one' out of pure luck!
Yes, thank goodness for translated French!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have Hanna's blessing! Hahaha!
ReplyDeleteI googled reviews because I figured that if I was going to spend a couple weeks reading something, it may as well be fun and eas(iest) to read :)