This classic novel by Tolstoy focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and the story revolving the three literary characters – Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostov. The story features the unforgettable scenes of the magnificent nineteenth-century Russia and its imperfections. Which scene left the deepest impression on you, and why?

 War and Peace is a historical novel that chronicles the struggles these characters faced unique to their era, their history and their culture during the Napoleonic Wars. It is a mix of romance and reverence – how would these elements differ in today’s settings?

The story revolves around the fight for inheritance, the farewell before being sent to fight in the war against Napoleon and the romance between Natasha and both men. Are there elements of conflict and love, birth and death or free will and fate in this story? Which aspect touched you most and why?

As the historical novel progresses, readers will also learn that there are ways to find a moral in the Russian defeat or the triumph of patience over hubris – have you found any? Do you think these morals are inherently true or myths constructed by participants of the war to explain to outcome?