War and Peace Group Read 2011 - Vol 2, Part IV

Discussions75 Books Challenge for 2011

Rejoignez LibraryThing pour poster.

War and Peace Group Read 2011 - Vol 2, Part IV

Ce sujet est actuellement indiqué comme "en sommeil"—le dernier message date de plus de 90 jours. Vous pouvez le réveiller en postant une réponse.

1Deern
Modifié : Mar 2, 2011, 3:35 am

New thread for Vol 2, Part IV

Thread for Part V: http://www.librarything.com/topic/111218

2Deern
Mar 9, 2011, 6:03 am

I read this before Part III, so I was a bit surprised at first about the big time jump and then about the engagement of Natasha and Andrei.

I am so sorry for the Rostovs' money problems. The old count seems to be a decent man, maybe too good and trusting for this world.

The hunting: I have no idea if this was meant to be symbolic in any way. I never liked hunting scenes (not so much the blood, I just find them boring), so I didn't read those scenes too thoroughly. I wonder if this neighbour will be playing a role in the future. Nice and down-to-earth uncle. I was impressed by Natasha (especially having missed part III she suddenly seemed so grown-up, lively and almost modern).

So Sonya is getting her Nicolai... I am not sure if I like the idea. I understand he wants to marry for love, but if Julie's dowry was the only way to save his family from ruin, he should at least have considered it. Such things were not unusual. Does he know Marya? She could have been the less ugly alternative.

And I don't want to analyze why he needed Sonya to dress in a man's costume and to wear a painted moustache to finally fall for her.

3kac522
Mar 10, 2011, 7:30 pm

Yeah, the hunting and the dogs and the wolves--I kept looking to see how many more pages it would drag on. But the wonderful uncle and his house and servants and music--that was real Russian life, which I felt were missing up to this point. It reminded me of when we first meet the Rostov family, and they seemed so happy and charming.

I thought the observations on Nicolai being reluctant to leave the "safe" place of the military was very illustrative of his character. I'm actually relieved that Nicolai has finally "found" Sonya...but I likewise don't understand the moustache thing and definitely don't want to go there....And will Natasha hold out for Andrei?

4JanetinLondon
Avr 21, 2011, 3:17 pm

Finally finished this section today and really enjoyed it. I felt for the first time the real panorama Tolstoy is showing us - not just the narrow soldierly upper class and their families, but the more "Russian" people, who like hunting, and mummers (is that in this section?) and so on. I mean, I know they are all rich, but within that, there are very different characters here. I love the thought that the Rostovs are "poor", so might have to sell the house they never go to, where 20 some odd people apparently live in luxury. It's all relative, and I guess that was part of the support system for the "gentile poor".

5cushlareads
Mai 7, 2011, 1:12 am

I'm really enjoying this section and the next and had similar reactions to yours. I know you three are alraedy finished or nearly but I thought I'd post here in case there are any other slowcoaches out there lurking!

I wanted the hunting sections to be over too, but they were interesting because I'd never read a hunting description before. I thought the people hunting shot the animals, not that the dogs mauled them! If this was meant to be a metaphor for something, I missed it. I might buy Cliff's Notes or another guide when I'm done to see what else passed me by.

I'm loving the Russian society parts in this part and Vol 2 Part V and was halfway through the scene at the uncle's place when I realised it's what Orlando Figes' book Natasha's Dance is named after.

Nathalie, I liked Natasha quite a bit till she got utterly bored with waiting for Andrei to come home and ran around the house acting like a spoilt princess because she's so bored. She's less bratty in Part V already though.

6JanetinLondon
Mai 7, 2011, 7:34 am

I kind of liked Natasha being a brat, because after all she is only a child - these poor people are trapped into their roles in life at such a young age. I mean, I don't feel that sorry for them, but still....

7Rebeki
Juil 9, 2011, 3:46 am

I've now finished the book (hurrah!), but am going over all the group read threads to see what everyone else thought of the various sections.

I, too, got bored with the hunting scene, but, echoing what Janet said, I thought that it and the subsequent scenes with "Uncle" served as a portrait of "real" Russian life, compared with the artificiality and Frenchness of St Petersburg.