Volume III

I’m supposed to be finishing this in 2 days.

LOL, as they say.

Still, I have managed to finish Volume III, so that leaves only Volume IV and the two epilogues. Easy.

Volume III is amazing, like the others. There’s a lot of plot, so I’ll sum it up in some key points in case you’re interested

• Andrei is reported as dead
• Army deserts Moscow
• Rostov’s take forever to leave (of course)
• Natasha sees Pierre as they’re walking out of the city, in a kaftan, which is odd
• Pierre buys a gun to shoot Napoleon, but gets sidetracked in pleasant conversation with an egotistical French officer – much of Tolstoy’s opinion of the French here
• Andrei ends up in the Rostov’s courtyard as part of the wounded, all brought along on the Rostov’s train out of Moscow. It takes them forever.
• Helene is rumored to be pregnant by one of the men that she’s been possibly engaged to even though she’s already married to Pierre. Did I mention she’s trying to marry someone else. Pierre doesn’t seem to mind all that much, either
• Natasha and Andrei are reunited, though at first Andrei is hallucinating. He gets better, and they are deeply attached again
• Pierre saves a child from a burning building after the callous French leave her there to die. He attacks a Frenchman who is stealing boots from an old man, and is taken away by the French
• Helene dies from the quack, um, Doctor, from Spain who is trying to help her lose her indiscretion. Unlike, Andrei, I think this one’s for real

A lot goes on. Beautiful writing, as always, taking time and giving just the right information. It’s a marvel, actually.