From 1000 versts away. . . Half way through WAP

Bon Bini from Aruba (aka 1,000 versts away). I didn't think I wanted to lug WAP to the beach with me on vacation but I'm actually quite happy to have brought it with me. I think that you really need to have quality time with the book to make headway. There are very few books that take 400 pages to set the scene and that are worth reading! I never thought I'd get to a point where the pages would go by quickly but at half way through, I feel like things are finally picking up! Of course the warm Arbua breeze helps, but it is hard to hold that book up (and alongside a Tropical Trance (by drink of today!).

I feel like I got to know some of the characters at this point--where I actually cared if Prince Andrey lived or died, and whether Prince Andrey will (re)marry Natasha. And I like the freemasons and their virtues. And I was also glad to read that Prince Andrey said "No, life is not over at thirty-one." Thank goodness!

Okay, so where is everyone else in the book?? What do you think? Where have you been?? I might take a break tomorrow to read something lighter on the beach. . . until I'm fewer versts from you all...Bon Bini, Shani

thoughts on Book 1 Part 1

What struck me about our first installment was that we went from party to party to party---or maybe it's more accurate to say from one social engagement to the next. Is this Peace or is this War? I wondered what it would be like to be part of a world like that. To me that sounds exhausting, especially the careful navigating and scripted backing-and-forthing our characters do---it's clear that Pierre is regarded as either a doofus, a threat, or both for not knowing how to behave. The "socializing" is a lot of maneuvering and not so much fun, at least not the way I see fun. I did like the old weirdo aunt in the corner that everyone had to greet at Anna Pavlovna's party. I also liked meeting Prince Andrei's cranktastic father.

I thought it was tricky to start this huge book and meet so many people just in the first section. I didn't know who was going to be important throughout the book, so I kept trying to remember everyone. That was tricky.

Welcome back Katherine!

On behalf of the WAP bookclub, I'd like to welcome you back to the states! We must set up our first official discussion book conference call. I propose we come in character and have it on 10/31. Anyone second that? 4pm?

introductions

Since I'm the person who has invited a few more people to join our bookclub, I think some introductions are in order. Shani Fisher is my good friend I've made at Houghton. She lives in New York and works as an editor. Edwin Hill is another dear friend from Houghton; he lives in Boston (Somerville, specifically) and works on the very same floor that I do as a marketing manager. Lauren is my friend here at Houghton, my right-hand woman, the marketing associate for the history team.

Edwin and I were having lunch one day at the end of September when this idea of reading a big book together came about. Edwin's dad has a reading group that has read a bunch of "the classics" together. We were talking about how when fall comes whether it's the change in weather or the excited feeling in the air of going back to school, we like to have a big book to chew on. And so we decided to read WAP. Shani came to mind right away because she loves to read and is a good friend of ours. Lauren and I had a good time talking about Anna Karenina this summer, and this seemed like something she'd be interested in.

On to the other characters: Liz is Liz McMahon, my friend, and also my friend Allison's partner. Liz and Allison live about a mile from me here in Roslindale. Melissa is Melissa Caughlin, my friend who lives in Chicago. We discovered each other when we were both working as marketing managers at McGraw-Hill. She now works for Rand McNally. I've read books with Melissa and Shani before, and Liz and I trade books back and forth.

Have you started reading yet? I have to admit I read quite a lot when I was away, a bit more than halfway through, and am having a great time.

Liz pointed out in her comment from another post that the NYTimes is copying us (no surprise) in honor of the new translation. Here's a link to an essay by Richard Pevear, one half of the celebrated translating team: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/books/review/Pevear-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

And here's a link to the vastly inferior NYTimes book club (reading a part a week?!?): http://readingroom.blogs.nytimes.com/

translations

I bought my copy today at Borders; I ended up with the Penguin Classics paperback edition. It's been interesting to use the internets--a series of tubes--to learn about the different translations. Some of the popular ones are:
1. by a couple called "the Maudes," which was approved by Tolstoy
2. one by Rosemary Edmonds, first published in 1957 and revised in 1978
3. and one by Constance Garnett.

In 2005 a version by Joseph Briggs came out that used a more modern-day vernacular. It's controversial.

Another new translation is on the way this very month from Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Pevear, a couple who are well-known for their English translations of Russian works; they won awards for their recent translation of Anna Karenina. Here's an article from The New Yorker about the various translations, and some interesting thoughts on what makes a "good" translation.

syllabus

Friends, I propose the following syllabus:

10/24: Book 1, Part 1
10/31: Book 1, Part 2
11/7: Book 1, Part 3

11/14: Book 2, Part 1
11/21: Book 2, Part 2
11/28: Book 2, Part 3
12/5: Book 2, Part 4
12/12: Book 2, Part 5

12/19: Book 3, Part 1
12/26: Book 3, Part 2 (alert: this is a lot of reading, more than the other parts)
1/2: Book 3, Part 3

1/9: Book 4, Part 1
1/16: Book 4, Part 2
1/23: Book 4, Part 3
1/30: Book 4, Part 4

2/6: Epilogue, Part 1
2/13: Epilogue, Part 2 (alert: this section looks like it's philosophical/political ideas, not our regular story...enter at your own risk!)