War and Peace

2016 BBC Television Series

War and Peace is a story about love, war, forgiveness and growth. It is remarkably inspiring and I felt more at peace with my own self after finishing the series. It tells the story of a few Russian high society families during the Napoleonic Wars, and is based off Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel, oftentimes regarded as the greatest nonfiction work ever written. I purchased Tolstoy’s other famous novel, Anna Karenina, last winter and I intend to read it this year. His writing is known for its highly intuitive perception of women, coming from a male point of view. Just from watching the television adaptation of War and Peace alone, I can tell the assertions are correct. I was able to empathize with all of the characters. They each expressed emotions and acted the way I could only expect them to during such a tumultuous period of time, when many of them are also coming of age to enter into courtships, unfortunately laced with political interests and arrangements of aristocratic principles. Nevertheless, the ending was ultimately a happy one for me, much to my satisfaction.