Okay, size matters. At 1,400-plus pages, War and Peace can seem daunting—the novel's not so much difficult as it is long. Dig in, though, and you'll quickly see why Tolstoy's exuberant opus—set in the years just before, during, and after Napoleon's invasion of Russia—is arguably the greatest novel of all time. Within these pages, you'll find family drama, trenchant social observation, military history, brilliant discourse on the question of free will, and a love story for the ages.
Try this advice to ease your way.
Article Update
How to Read a Hard Book is an excerpt from Reading: A Love Story, which won the 2007 ASME award for excellence in a section devoted to leisure interests.
What to Read this SummerWant more from Reading: A Love Story? Get 10 tantalizing beach reads.
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