The Big Read 2021: War and Peace
Newsletter (Digital)
Subscribers get access to exclusive newsletters (weekly), supplemental reading suggestions, expert interviews, community discussions, and more.
2021 is the first year of the Big Read; hopefully the first of many. Our first book is Leo Tolstoy’s famous War & Peace. At over 1,300 pages, it’s one of the longer classics you’ll ever encounter, and yet surprisingly readable. It’s easier than Moby Dick; easier, at times, than Les Miserables. The beauty of Tolstoy is in his relatable characters, his avoidance of easy black and white answers, and, most relevant to today, his wisdom regarding how to live in turbulent, earth-shattering times. How do we relate to others, especially when they aren’t in the same social world as us? How do we view the tides of history when we’ve living in them? Can war and peace really be separated and easily delineated? The questions are as big as they come. Source
Actions
Media Outlet details
| Scope | National |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
|
Similarweb UVM |
Request pricing |
|
Comscore UVM |
Request pricing |
Recent Articles
Search ArticlesLes Mis: The Villainous Pauper, Chapters I-VI
A map of Paris from around the time Les Mis was published. Hello readers, Last week Marius was still wandering through Paris, hopelessly in love and seeing the whole world through rose-colored glasses. But then, because of his own fervor, he lost contact with Cosette. This week, reality caught up with him to an even harsher degree, falling deeply into de…
Les Mis: Finishing "Conjunction" and "Patron-Minette"
Hello readers, Before we jump in, a quick note: I missed last week's recap. Over at my day job, I was immersed in wrapping up a Lonesome Dove book club over at Dying Breed, and something had to give for a few days. Thanks for your patience — we're back on track now. I’ll send the next recap (for the first six chapters of “The Villainous Pauper”) tomorrow…
Les Mis: The Conjunction of Two Stars, I-V
This week’s reading covered just five short chapters, but they mark an important turning point in the novel. After spending months with revolutions, convents, Waterloo, politics, and poverty, Hugo turns his attention to something altogether different: a young man falling in love. Turns out he’s remarkably good at it. What struck me most wasn…
Les Mis: Virtue in Adversity
This week we finished “Friends of the ABC” and most of “Virtue in Adversity” (I’m recapping all of it though, so don’t read this just yet if you haven’t finished that book). There isn’t a whole lot of plot — instead, Hugo gives us something he does really well: a look at how years of hardship can quietly reshape a person.
Les Mis: Grandfather and Grandson V-VIII; Friends of the ABC I-III
Once again we had the pleasure of spending the whole week largely with a single character — Baron Marius Pontmercy. In these chapters Hugo gave us some excellent descriptions of how one’s inner life and character can change over time when exposed to new information and ideas. Next week, I’ll finish recapping “Friends of the ABC” as well a…
Les Mis: Grandfather and Grandson, Chapters I-IV
Hello readers! Apologies for being a day late — it was a busy, fun-filled last week (and weekend) here in Duluth with the 50th running of Grandma’s Marathon (I was happy to be a spectator) as well as Father’s Day. At this point, I’m sure many of you are saying to Hugo, “Let’s get a move on!” The setup seems never ending at times, and yet all of it adds …
Les Mis: The Consummate Bourgeois
Today I’m recapping the entirety of the book, “The Consummate Bourgeois.” The whole thing is only 10 pages long — so be sure to have read all eight chapters before reading on. We’ve had some very short sections in the last couple months; interestingly, we’re approaching the halfway point of the year, but we’ll be a touch less than halfway…
Les Mis: A Study of Paris Through One of Its Atoms
A Parisian boy photographed by Lewis Hine in 1918 or 1919 Hello readers! Today, I’m recapping all of the book “A Study of Paris Through One of Its Atoms,” which is the first book in the “Marius” volume. On the reading schedule, that takes us through tomorrow (June 8). But the chapters are so short that it was plenty easy to keep going and get ahead just …
Les Mis: Concluding "Cemeteries Take What They Are Given"
This week we finished the powerful section “Cemeteries Take What They Are Given” (as well as “Part” or “Volume” Two) — which is where the vast majority of my notes for the week came from. So we’re going to stay there for this recap. Next week we’ll read Chapters V-XI of “Paris Through the Study of One of Its Atoms,” and I’ll then recap wh…
Les Mis: Cemeteries, Chapters I-VI
This week Hugo dropped us back into the narrative like we hadn’t just been waylaid for the last 50 pages. It was like nothing had happened — the whole thing about the convent was just a temporary loss of consciousness and we were right back to the main event. It’s actually what makes a book like this so special. As I’ve mentioned before,…