Just realized in looking at the dates that we've been working on this book since the end of June! The summer goes by so fast. And it's awesome to be on the closer side of finished rather than the slight start of just tucking into the reading of such a large narrative.

So this section...

Okay--my bad. I included the end of this week's reading into my thoughts about the last section, specifically Pierre and Andrew's discussion of Masonry and philosophy. Trying to get all my posts in, and misread the section cut offs. Yikes!

Anyways, in this section came the surprising development of Andrew's romance/engagement with delightful Natasha Rostov. I did not see that coming. And yet when it happened, I was like, "Well, that's actually quite sweet!" Yes, Andrew seemed a bit on the elder side of her (she's only 17 and a gay teenager and he's apparently closer to or just on the other side of 30 and a widower) but seeing him fall in love after all of that early tragedy and self-inflicted isolation was lovely. I also found Pierre's easily duped sense of justice a sad folly (his accountant really puts one over on him with the peasants working his land), especially in light of his ruthlessly cuckolding and popular wife, Helene. All the description of how she's considered an intellectual bluestocking merely by being able to HOST the intellects well in social gatherings is pretty blistering social critique of female aristocracy. I'm still not sure where Tolstoy sits in terms of how he sees women -- much of this may be he as the omniscient author revealing how Russian men of that day saw the women around them -- as vain socialites, youthful butterflies, devout spinsters, dutiful daughters, loyal mothers, etc. The characterizations pile up fast and furious and it is only the men that seem to get the comprehensive evolutions. Though I am still intrigued by how Natasha is evolving. We'll see.

I'm feeling quite a sense of pity for poor, run-to-the-ground Princess Mary. Her father can be so cruel. Yet I am also wondering if this is a portrait of Alzheimer's before the disease was identified in modern times. As well, Andrew's depression was very spot on.