The world's greatest novel? It is certainly vast in ambition and scope – Napoleon's doomed Russian expedition and its effects on society. Tolstoy brilliantly evokes the human reality of fighting armies, entwining them with the vicissitudes of his deeply oberved protagonists (goodness, the emotional and spiritual intensity!). I admit I got bogged down by his excursions into moral and historical philosophising, but, coming back as an adult, I am full of admiration. Yes, a truly towering work.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 106 Autumn 2022 ) |
