Napoléon

– Not many episodes left.
– Sorry?
– War & Peace. The television adaptation. It's almost over.
– Of course.
– I've been quite swept away by it all. The sumptuous palaces, the bloody battles, the broken hearts. The Russianness of it all.
– It is certainly very Russian. You should try reading the book.
– It seems a long book.
– It is a long book.
– Whereas the television series is only six hours.
– I think it would take you longer to read the book.
– It seems quite a commitment.
– Well, yes. But then it is a pinnacle of Western literature.
– Many of the great novels seem a little on the wordy side.
– I suppose they are. David Copperfield,  Les Misérables, Don Quixote, Moby-Dick.  Enough to keep you going for a few weeks at least.
– Perhaps something to take on the summer holiday.
– Depending on your luggage allowance.
– I could just put them on one of those electronic reader devices.
– I think that's cheating. It's not the same if you're not lugging around half a ton of paperbacks. Besides, what's the point if no one can see what you're reading?