Book 7, the section dealing with Nikolai coming home is, for me, the reason why I fell in love with this novel and all of Russian culture. No other book, no painting, no piece of music, no other work of art comes close to what Tolstoy wrote when he described the hunt, Natasha’s dance, and the sleigh ride. All of Russia is on this section, all of what they fought for, died for, loved for, and lived for is in this.