After reading it, I wished that I knew Denisov in real life.
Yeah, he's quite the character! In fact, Tolstoy was great at creating memorable characters. Pierre was one of my favorites.
People should not be put off by the length. They should read it.
I completely agree. It can get slow at times with some of the essays and details about movements of armies, and it's true there are a lot of characters to keep up with, but it's very much worth reading.