Reading ‘War and Peace’ by Leo Tolstoy

In September, a cast of Wellington Year 9s, 10s, 11s and 12s set out to read what is, arguably, the greatest novel ever written. In these 1,358 pages, Tolstoy sets out to try and understand why people do the things that they do.

This huge novel chronicles the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath during the Napoleonic era. We are given the stories of romantic Pierre, cynical Andrey and hot-headed Natasha, stories which intertwine with those of a huge cast of characters, from Napoleon and a range of aristocrats, to peasants and soldiers. The story moves from mind to mind, showing the reader the world and how it moves through its vast cast of characters; events are seen by one particular observer, then another person will take over in a few pages.

If this book is big and intimidating, it is one of the greatest reading experiences you can have. It deals with all the grand themes – conflict and love, birth and death, free will and faith – and there are unforgettable scenes of nineteenth-century Russia, at a historic time, making this a magnificent epic of human life.

By the end of the 1,358 pages, will we understand why people do the things that they do?

Mr Ahern