Friday, 15 December 2017

In Which We Discuss War and Peace - Chapter XXIV

Chapter XXIV

Pierre leaves his dying father's room with Anna Mikhaylovna, and runs into Prince Vasili and 'the princess', I forget which one.  Anna Mikhaylovna is not liked.  Everyone is having tea in a little room where Pierre used to hide during balls.




(Having used that gif, I feel obligated to point out that Perks of Being a Wallflower was an absolutely godawful book.  The central conceit - that it was written by a 16-year-old who is an exceptionally good writer - fell totally flat.  It reads like it was written by an eight-year-old with a mental disorder.  That's not intended as an insult; I literally believed I was reading a book from the point of view of an autistic child, which would have been absolutely fine if that had been intended.  It wasn't, and it's absolutely ridiculous that characters keep lauding the main character's writing skills).

Pierre is hungry, but decides he should keep following Anna, who has returned to Vasili and the other princess (still don't know which one) and is discouraging her from seeing poor dying Uncle Cyril.  Vasili finally tells us that it's Princess Catiche who wants to see Uncle Cyril, and that he thinks she should be allowed to.  Princess Catiche starts talking about the 'real will' on Uncle Cyril's dressing table, in contrast to the the portfolio she has which contains 'just a bit of paper he has forgotten about'.  Claws come out, and Anna and Catiche politely wrestle for the paper.  Anna calls in Pierre, and Catiche accuses her of making a scene outside a dying man's room.  Catiche is not wrong.  Vasili steps in, and Catiche releases the portfolio but Anna does not.  Catiche is able to snatch it back, but then her sister comes out of Uncle Cyril's room, telling them off for making a racket.  Cyril is dead.  Catiche goes to check and comes out, mad at Pierre.  This is, apparently, just what Pierre has been waiting for.  Vasili comes out and decides to make friends with a befuddled Pierre.  So presumably the will leaving Pierre everything is the one that's standing.  Anna finally takes Pierre in to see his dead father, and leaves him alone in the dark, where he is "glad no one could see his face".  He falls asleep, eventually.


(Incidentally, Tumblr has started asking me if I'm okay every time I look for a sad gif to illustrate these recaps).

Anna comes back and confirms that the will hasn't actually been opened, but everyone is pretty sure it's all going to Pierre.  She then goes back to the Rostovs, and tells them a story of a Count Cyril who remembers everyone and offers loving goodbyes, a strong and stoic Pierre, and the shocking behaviour of Vasili and Catiche - the latter as "a great secret".


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