One of my favorite novels of all time. I read it in 2001 in China. I had a lot of quiet evenings, and it was a treat. Anna Karenina is very good, but War and Peace transcends. My favorite thing about Tolstoy, is his ability to bring you into the thoughts of distinct people with distinct ideas, and make you empathize with them. I have been waiting to read it again. The second part of the epilogue has largely impacted my historical thinking. That is a must read.
I read Anna but I never loved it. I was so wrapped up in War and Peace, I remember finishing a "War" chapter, being pissed that I was slung back to the Rostovs worrying about who their daughter would marry and by the end of the Rostov chapter being pissed to be slung back into the damn war when I really, really needed to know what was going to happen to that girl.
Ha that is brilliant. I felt the exact same when reading George RR Martin -- the POV characters would switch and I would have to resist the very strong urge to skip right ahead to that character's next chapter.