I enjoyed every day that I opened that book. I can see now that it is an easy book to abridge. You just cut all the many levels of detail and thoughts and perceptions until you are left with the bare plot. It’s much better to read the entire book. The only parts that drug for me were when Tolstoy expounded his theories of history.
Yes, I agree. The Historical Comments though, are interesting, as they show a totally different view of Napoleon than one often reads in the West.
Here’s what I found amazing though...in all 1386 pages, there is not a single reference to a struggling young nation on the other side of the planet who is going through a “War of 1812” of her own!