Cracking open a work by Tolstoy, the Russian author of such tomes as “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina,” is daunting to many. To George Saunders, it’s a “magic show.”

Saunders, wrapping up his turn as host of the WSJ Book Club, joined members in a lively Facebook Q&A session Thursday afternoon. He discussed his pick, Tolstoy’s final work, “Hadji Murad,” delving into the author’s talents and “God-like” perspective, as well as his own work (new novel coming soon!).

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