1 quarter SSR

The book I chose for 1st quarter was War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It has a little more than 1000 pages and is considered a historical fiction novel. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Era and spans the many wars of the coalitions including the empires of Austria, Russia, and England, who try to defeat Napoleon’s seemingly unstoppable army. The majority of the novel takes place in the city of Saint Petersburg but sometimes travels to the battlefields of Austria or the city of Moscow as they follow the main families, the Rostovs, the Bezukovs, the Bolkonskys, the Kuragins, and the Drubetskoys. The story begins in a salon run by Anna Pavlona who is one of he attendants to the empress and at this salon a majority of the inner court drama and machinations take place. You meet many of the counts and ladies but this is also where you meet Pierre the illegitimate son of Count Bezukhov. Pierre is the main character of the story and when he first arrives he is relatively new to he Court having just returned to Saint Petersburg from education in a foreign country. You soon after meeting Pierre realize that he is very anti-social and prefers to stray away from the spotlight however after the death of his father with no legitimate heirs he is forced back into he spotlight a the most likely candidate for the Bezukhov inheritance. Pierre also differs clearly from the other Russians in that he views Napoleon as the hero compared to the rest of the nobility who view him as a villain which only crushes him when his friend Prince Andrea Rostovs leaves him to fight in the battlefields of Austria. Pierre then has to learn and adapt to the Russian court as he has suddenly become the most desirable bachelor among the nobility. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a challenge since in the beginning it may be a little bit of a struggle to understand but it’s a fantastic read and you begin to understand the characters especially Pierre ad can relate to his inner struggle as the outcast.