Penguin edition - Briggs translation - Black cover w/ chandelier:
Volume 1, Part II, chapters 1-21, 96 pp.
Signet edition - Dunnigan translation - tan cover w/ flag:
Book 1, Part II, chapters 1-21, 100 pp.
Modern Library - Garnett translation - Olive cover w/ gold stripe:
Part Two, chapters 1-21, 136 pp
Amazon edition - Maude translation - light blue cover:
Book 2 (1805), chapters 1-21, 152 pp
Analysis, Chapters 1-8:
Tolstoy arranges these chapters to illustrate the pyramidical structure of the military chain of command. First, reproducing some of the men’s conversations, he shows us the broad base of the mass of common soldiers. Then he scales to the top as he depicts Kutuzov and the general staff of the Russo-Austrian alliance, including the now-alert Prince Andrey. We discover how the aging Russian general shows primary concern for the welfare of his men as he tries to avoid battle because the troops are exhausted and ill-equipped.
When the troops move toward the front we see how the closeness of death quickens their morale and how each man forgets himself during the critical moment. Tolstoy now individualizes Nikolay Rostov to show how one person becomes part of the whole and takes his place as a smooth-working cog in the military machine. The vehicle for this statement is the incident of the theft, where Nikolay asserts his personal honor and then must reconsider his action in terms of regimental honor. Under fire, the need to apologize to the colonel disappears. Having faced death in the line of duty, Nikolay has signified his commitment to the regiment. The pervasiveness of death is symbolized by the indifferent heavens whose sunny peace Rostov envies in that helpless moment on the bridge.
Analysis, Chapters 9 - 21:
Tolstoy uses the Schöngraben engagement as Nikolay’s"baptism of fire," a ceremonial rite initiating him into the world of anonymity and death. His happy childhood is a dream of the past as he abandons himself to the grim presentness of war. By contrast, Prince Andrey sees war as the background for self-assertion, and he dreams his life will become significant when he is a hero. Twice he is disillusioned in these chapters. Bringing the news of Kutuzov’s victory to the court at Brünn, Bolkonsky’s exhilaration vanishes among the cold responses of the politicians for whom war is an instrument of gamesmanship. For the first time he is aware of the gap between the commanders and the men who do the actual fighting. His second disappointment occurs when he bears witness to Captain Tushin’s courage, which otherwise would have remained in obscurity. That heroic acts can be undiscovered and unrewarded fills Andrey with bitterness. Bolkonsky has not yet learned that heroism expresses submissiveness and resignation, like that of Captain Tushin, and not egotism and self-assertion. General Bagration understands this, realizing battles are won or lost according to the confidence and tranquility within each soldier and not according to the commander’s plans. He does not initiate action himself, but reflects and underscores the best qualities of his men during battle. By submitting to inevitable forces, Bagration, as well as Kutuzov, can gain ultimate victory.
Tolstoy thus states an important idea that he repeats throughout the novel: Heroism and greatness derive from unselfconsciousness, whereas egotism and intellectuality lead to alienation, weakness, and illusion.
Analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes.
Oh my what a bumbling war! Thinking about your comment from first section, @kim.kovacs. These guys seem to have no clue.
@Anne_Glasgow Your summary of this section is fitting…clueless individuals in a bumbling war. It is amazing the characters weren’t all killed in the chaos. If they had, War & Peace would have been a novella versus a tome. 
@Gabi_J you made me laugh. As the soldiers were standing on the banks of the river looking UPHILL at the French soldiers appearing I was screaming “bad strategy guys, get the h*** out of there.”
Imagine if W&P were a novella.
I thought it was interesting that in Part 2 the main characters are referred to only by their last names.
I thought Part 2 continues with \the concept of honor and that wartime honor functions differently than peacetime honor.
Yes it was obvious there was no strategy. It’s ironic that the generals who may have sacrificed more but were boisterous about their heroism were not looked upon favorably by the common soldier. The common soldiers showed more favoritism to the generals that showed humility.
Interesting about the names but maybe military tradition?
Yes, the unpopular generals seemed largely disregarded. The one shot on the bridge was kind of shrugged off as at least only one death in Andrey’s report.
Hahaha, why didn’t someone tell me I had a typo in the topic??? It says “War and Peach.” Hahaha. Fixed now. 
Now that put a smile on my face 
Maybe that book would be a better read​
@kim.kovacs intent was clear. You seem to be doing quite a lot so a little typo was easy to overlook. Besides, so far my reading of W&P is just peachy. 
This little romp through war was quite delightful. I think I laughed aloud twice.
I’m glad people are enjoying the book. See? Didn’t I tell you it was approachable?
That said, I’m woefully behind. I thought I was doing really well but then I realized I’m using the Garnett edition, which for Part 1 was nearly double the page count I thought I needed to hit. D’oh! I’m probably going to end up having to devote a huge block of time to it at some point. That, or I may switch to audio.
@Gabi_J, how do you keep the audio and print versions synced up?
After I listen to the audiobook I look through my ebook and mark the new location. I do this frequently enough that I can find where I left off relatively easily. And, I do the same when I read the ebook. It also helps that my ebook and audiobook are both Maude versions. While the section headings are different, the actual text is very close. If you are going to listen to the audiobook, I would suggest the Audible version with Thandiwe Newton as the narrator. She is very enjoyable (at least to me).
Hey, @Gabi_J, I just logged in to Audible and found the version you mention is FREE! Yay! Free is good! I think I need to convert over to listening, at least in part. Too much on my plate! There are a couple of other books I need to finish up ahead of it but I plan to devote myself to W&P after that, and listen straight through until I’m caught up.
Of course, at 60+ hours, it’s really going to mess up my reading stats, LOL.
Thanks, @Gabi_J! It seems like the Maude edition is the most widely available. When we started this, I bought a bunch of $0.99 copies and about half were Maude. I’ve been reading Garnett, but I may switch over for compatibility.
I finished Book 1, Part 2 a few days ago, but forgot to comment. A couple of items stood out to me in addition to what has been posted. As with Eurorussian society in general at the time portrayed in W&P, the Russian military was populated by the aristocracy in leadership and the lower classes in the ranks. It was believed that one’s place in high society would automatically give one the intelligence, bravery, and charisma to strategize and lead men into battle. Tolstoy shows the folly of this in Book 1, Part 2. Many of the officers were so full of themselves and cared so little about their men that it is hard for me to believe that Russia managed to hang on when Napoleon invaded. I was pleasantly surprised by Tolstoy’s composition of this specific military campaign. Even though I’ve read a lot of history including military history, I’ve always had difficulty following descriptions of battles, both geographically and chronologically. For some reason, I didn’t feel this frustration in this section of W&P. I also appreciated his characterizations of Rostov and Balonsky, especially their daydreams of heroics and recognition. @kim.kovacs was right, at least for me, when she said we would find the book to be accessible.
That’s great context @Lana_Maskus. The wealthy were not suited to war let alone leadership.
There was a Count Tolstoy mentioned a couple of times in this section. I wondered if there is any relevance? Or is Tolstoy just another common name?
@Anne_Glasgow I love to research so your response sent me down the rabbit hole. Regarding Count Tolstoy mentioned in W&P, this is the AI generated response to my internet search:
Who Was General Count Tolstoy?
In the novel, he appears briefly in the historical and military background passages covering the Napoleonic Wars: [1, 2, 3]
His Historical Role: Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy (1769–1844) was a prominent military commander. During the real-world events of 1805 to 1812, he served as a high-ranking general in the Russian army and as an ambassador to Paris. [1, 2, 3]
Tolstoy’s Literary Style: Leo Tolstoy famously blended fictional families (like the Rostovs and Bolkonskys) with real historical figures like Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I, and General Kutuzov. General Tolstoy is mentioned alongside these real statesmen to anchor the fictional narrative in accurate history.
Wikipedia re: Tolstoy name:
Tolstoy is not a common name. It is an exclusive, highly distinguished Russian surname derived from an old aristocratic family rather than a widely used, everyday family name. (Highlight is Wikipedia’s, not mine).
And because you got me curious, @Lana_Maskus
Here is how they were connected:
Because they belong to an enormous and sprawling noble lineage, their exact relationship is similar to that of a great-uncle and a great-nephew. [1]
Thanks so much @Lana_Maskus. I was meaning to look it up but hadn’t yet. I feel like these are little hidden treasures we can appreciate with the distance of time.
@kim.kovacs thanks for tying it back to the author’s family. Author’s privilege, I guess, to immortalize his own name, especially if it was pretty obscure.
