A few people have asked if all this talk about great books is meant to distract attention away from the fact I am not reading "War and Peace". I ask you, seriously, would I do something like that?
No! Really, I wouldn't!
In fact, I am continuing to work my way through this rather heavy book.
In fact, I am on page 655, out of 1215 pages. Yes, that means that I am more than halfway through, which is a good thing given that the month is half over.
I can promise that I will finish the book by the end of the month. I know it will happen. I have made a promise and I will see it through. Each page I turn is bringing me closer to the end.
I'm not exactly proud though that I'm talking about "War and Peace" this way. I am generally more into the story, or the characters, or the beauty of the language, in a work of fiction than I am into counting pages. I guess that means that "War and Peace" still is not feeling like a great book to me.
I'll admit that 655 pages into it, I do feel a slight interest in the lives of the characters. What will happen to the lovely and enchanting Natasha? Will Prince Andrei find love again? Will anyone ever understand poor Pierre? I even feel a vague curiosity about how the Russian army will deal with Napoleon. Starting around 50 pages ago, I found myself picking up the book at odd times -- trying to read just a few more pages, trying to find out what happens next.
But when you think about it, isn't it a bit much to ask that someone read 600 pages before beginning to care about the characters? Most books, in their entirety, are not that long. This is an era of reduced attention spans. And in general, I try to have reading feel like less of a burden.
I do hope that by time I get through the book, I will have experienced more greatness in "War and Peace" than simply a sense of accomplishment at a task completed.
No! Really, I wouldn't!
In fact, I am continuing to work my way through this rather heavy book.
In fact, I am on page 655, out of 1215 pages. Yes, that means that I am more than halfway through, which is a good thing given that the month is half over.
I can promise that I will finish the book by the end of the month. I know it will happen. I have made a promise and I will see it through. Each page I turn is bringing me closer to the end.
I'm not exactly proud though that I'm talking about "War and Peace" this way. I am generally more into the story, or the characters, or the beauty of the language, in a work of fiction than I am into counting pages. I guess that means that "War and Peace" still is not feeling like a great book to me.
I'll admit that 655 pages into it, I do feel a slight interest in the lives of the characters. What will happen to the lovely and enchanting Natasha? Will Prince Andrei find love again? Will anyone ever understand poor Pierre? I even feel a vague curiosity about how the Russian army will deal with Napoleon. Starting around 50 pages ago, I found myself picking up the book at odd times -- trying to read just a few more pages, trying to find out what happens next.
But when you think about it, isn't it a bit much to ask that someone read 600 pages before beginning to care about the characters? Most books, in their entirety, are not that long. This is an era of reduced attention spans. And in general, I try to have reading feel like less of a burden.
I do hope that by time I get through the book, I will have experienced more greatness in "War and Peace" than simply a sense of accomplishment at a task completed.
1 comment:
Is that 3 lbs 14 oz on that scale?
If so, just thing of the exercise you are also benefiting from each time you pick up War and Peace.
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