After deciding to do this project I suddenly found myself reluctant to actually get started on the reading. I think my preconceived ideas about the novel were holding me back. I expected a tough, dense and not really pleasurable reading experience. It seems, now that I've started, I was very much wrong.Chapter 1 throws the reader straight into the midst of a soiree being held by Anna Pavlovna Scherer. It's a fairly breathless beginning - a lot of information (and a lot of characters) are introduced quickly but somehow it's not overwhelming.
I found myself really enjoying the descriptions. This is what Tolstoy has to say about Anna:
To be an enthusiast had become her special role in society, and she would sometimes wax enthusiastic when she didn't feel like it, so as not to frustrate the expectations of those who knew her. (p. 6)
It's a succinct way of delivering a great deal of detail about Anna. She's clearly going to be an interesting character.
In Chatper 2 the party continues. The various characters are introduced rapidly and the reader's attention is whirled from one to the next in a manner that reflects the kaleidoscopic nature of the party. The mysterious Pierre is introduced but it's not immediately clear why Anna is so worried about him.
At this point it still isn't clear to me exactly what's going on and which characters are the ones to be paying attention to. Everyone seems to be potentially important. But from reading the Introduction I know not to really expect a conventional narrative.
The cast of characters continues to grow in Chapter 3 - and the relationships between them is a bit confusing. At this point I'm just trying to go with the flow. The mystery of Anna's interest in Pierre continues.
"There's nothing more important for a young man than the company of intelligent women." - Prince Vasily (p. 17)
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