Rating: 6/10
So, I finally finished War and Peace. The thing about this book is that it isn’t bad. It’s actually quite good. The problem is, Tolstoy thinks too much of his own opinion. I’m reading the book for the story, not for his theories on philosophy, religion, history, human nature, and everything in between. It would be all well and good if he published these theories as a work of philosophy, but to hide them in a fiction book! Not only does it make remembering the different, ever-evolving, complex theories and philosophies of each character (and there are a good many characters) even more difficult, but frankly, it can be boring. It’s rather annoying to be pulled out of a particularly intriguing part of the story by a 30 page treatise on the military strategy of one particular battle, and Tolstoy’s opinion on it. From the way he writes, one would imagine him to be an omnipotent expert on every subject imaginable, the only person in the whole world who knows the truth of things. He may have been a good writer, but half the book had no plot at all, and was just Tolstoy discoursing! The characters, however, were incredibly well-developed, intricate, and complex. Despite all the dry lecturing, I actually did enjoy the book, which I would say is a testament to the admirable quality of Tolstoy’s writing.
Bookworm's Haven 
It’s one of my favorite books of all time! But, I enjoyed reading your perspective. I can see how Tolstoy’s ramblings can be distracting to some. It’s very common among the Classic writers to meander and stray away from the main storyline. In this case, I did not mind it as much as did with some other writers.
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I can definitely understand why you liked the book; like I said in my review, I was surprised by how much I liked the story even when the ramblings drove me crazy
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