How do you think it stood up to a second read? Did you remember most of it? Do feel you got more out of it as a mature reader? I’d love to hear your final thoughts since you so generously wanted to share this reading experience with us.
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I started over and hope to have it finished by the end of the year.
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Hang tough @Lana_Maskus. It is really a great tale and well worth the effort. Chime in with any thoughts you wish to share along the way.
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Yay! I finally finished, although that second Epilogue was painful!
To answer your question, @Anne_Glasgow -
First, I don’t think it helped me in this instance to listen to it on audiobook, although I doubt I would have been disciplined enough to read it over the course of the summer so it was the only way I could have tackled it. This is one of the few times that I think a physical book may have made it a more immersive experience.
My favorite scenes, both the first time I read it and this last time, were those that concerned the war - the politics, the reactions of various Russians, the battles themselves, etc. This time around, I felt much less patient with the vapid female characters, and more sympathetic with Pierre.
I don’t feel like I necessarily got more out of it as a mature reader. I’ve always enjoyed reading about military campaigns, and for the most part my opinions about the characters haven’t changed over time. Or maybe I just don’t remember my exact feelings way back when; it had to have been at least 15 years.
Regardless, I’m glad I had a chance to reread it, and I’m so glad we did it as a group. Nice job, ladies! Thank you for joining me in this endeavor.
I hope to read it again someday - maybe in another 10 or 20 years, haha.
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Thanks for your thoughtful answer @kim.kovacs. I would not want to reread this one but I would reread Anna Karenina since it’s been many years.
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Definitely agree about the second epilogue! It was dreadful. I was prouder of myself for struggling though those pages than for the other chapters in the book!
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