Shocking, romantic, and intelligent. The characters are extremely interesting, though I found it hard to get to know them at first. The book is divided into "books", with several chapters making up each book, and the setting alternates between war and peace with each book. I preferred peace books, but the later war books that were dominated by conversations between historical figures were quite engaging. Tolstoy doesn't play favorites. The main characters are all rich Russian aristocrats, and yet they're basically the same as the rest of us on the inside. They want all the same things and find them just as horribly out of reach. I imagine this would have been quite troubling to realize in 1860. They are rich enough to introspect with baffling vulnerability, but I thought it generally highlighted naivety more than worldliness. Several characters frequently muse over love, pride, and fraternity in ways I found refreshing. The author's infrequent historical essays provide a helpful window into the 17th century mind we all somewhat inherited.