the big kahuna

I did it.

I finished War and Peace.

Every last word.

Even the 36 page philosophical treatise on war and peace and what makes greatness and the free will of man (or as described in the summary: "Reflections on history and historian, greatness and power, freedom and necessity) which made up the second half of the Epilogue. Although, I must confess most of this was read out loud, in a funny accent, to keep my attention.

I have very little patience for circular philosophy in the best times and after 1178 pages I.D.G.A.R.A. (really). This quote did make me laugh out loud though;

"What is the cause of historical events? Power. What is power? Power is the sum total of wills transferred to one person. On what condition are the wills of the masses transferred to one person? On condition that the person express the will of the whole people. That is, power is power. That is, power is a word the meaning of which we do not understand."

I do love Tolstoy, despite his longwinded-ness. This is the third of his books that I've read, and it was simply beautiful.

"When she smiled, there could no longer be any doubt: it was Natasha, and he loved her."

"'Princess, wait, for God's sake!' he cried, trying to stop her. 'Princess!' She glanced back. For a few seconds they looked silently into each other's eyes, and the distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable. ........."

I laughed, I cried, it moved me. I was bored, I was riveted. It was like life, well worth the effort.