Tolstoy's epic masterpiece intertwines the lives of private and public individuals during the time of the Napoleonic wars and the French invasion of Russia. The fortunes of the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys, of Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei, are intimately connected with the national history that is played out in parallel with their lives. Balls and soirées alternate with councils of war and the machinations of statesmen and generals, scenes of violent battles with everyday human passions in a work whose extraordinary imaginative power has never been surpassed. The prodigious cast of characters, both great and small, seem to act and move as if connected by threads of destiny as the novel relentlessly questions ideas of free will, fate, and providence. Yet Tolstoy's portrayal of marital relations and scenes of domesticity is as truthful and poignant as the grand themes that underlie them. In this revised and updated version of the definitive and highly acclaimed Maude translation, Tolstoy's genius and the power of his prose are made newly available to the contemporary reader. In addition this edition includes a new introduction by Amy Mandelker, revised and expanded notes, lists of fictional and historical characters, a chronology of historical events, five maps, and Tolstoy's essay 'Some Words about War and Peace '.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy [Annotated]
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About the Author
Professor Tony Briggs is former Professor of Russian at the University of Birmingham, and has translated widely from the Russian, especially Pushkin, is the author of several critical books on Russian literature. Orlando Figes is Professor of History at Birkbeck and the author of A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 which was awarded the Wolfson Prize for History and, most recently, Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. Jw Perks
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gold edging, a ribbon and three compact volumes in a study well designed box. The print might be too small for some people but these books are so tactile, easy to carry and inexpensive.
Having War and Peace in three volumes makes it a less daunting read but no less enjoyable.
Having War and Peace in three volumes makes it a less daunting read but no less enjoyable.
78 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Tolstoy offered his own answer to this question, in "Some Words About War And Peace," but his answer is not very illuminating. Let me try to answer the question in the simplest way possible:
It is first and foremost the story of a handful of characters: the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, Pierre. It is not a book about war or peace in the grand, overarching sense, but about people and how they cope with such times. Tolstoy's view was that there is no point in writing only about the general course of the war - it's the people that matter.
But, unlike most other novelists, Tolstoy takes you into the lives of his characters by presenting their stories within a historical context presented with an extraordinary level of detail. From this, the popular misconception arises that War and Peace is the story of the Napoleonic Wars, as thought it were some kind of 19th Century Tom Clancy novel. It is not.
As the book goes on and the ongoing war becomes more intense, a great deal of space is devoted to descriptions of the progress of the war and analysis of its causes and effects. It can seem as though Tolstoy has forgetten his characters and readers naturally become confused and wonder what the book is all about.
But when that happens to you, persevere. It *is* worth it. At the end of the First Epilogue everything falls into place and the immense value of all that historical detail will become obvious through the way you empathise with the characters.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Prompted to write this because of those strange remarks questioning the novel's quality. Don't be misled. This really is one of the greatest novels ever written. Not only does Tolstoy have a commanding grasp of his recent history, and of Napoleon's strategy, but he makes war believable from the highest to the lowest levels. But one of the main reasons it is so celebrated is in the way the characters develop. We see them grow and change, partly in response to events and experience, partly as part of simply growing up. The transformation of Andre through the book is so credibly depicted you have to keep reminding yourself this is fiction. Many things happen to him, and each twist and turn is totally convincing, and where he ends up after all this makes perfect sense. And the momentous historical events that go on are not a "backdrop", but completely interweaved in the narrative. Tolstoy was capable of pouring everything that he, a wise, observant and insightful man had seen in his life, into a book that (another "greatness" quality) had a huge historical sweep, a cast of understandable, very human characters, and profound understanding of war. Don't save it up for later.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
War and Peace - An Opinion !
Thoroughly enjoyed the book, the characters and the story. I just found that when Tolstoy voiced his opinion, he went on rambling for far too long which distracted me.
Published 9 days ago by Caroly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story
Just a classic I enjoy. I like the history. The characters are interesting. A long book which can be read over months if necessary
Published 17 days ago by joyce wolstenholme
2.0 out of 5 stars
Boring
Thought I'd better read this before I die. Sadly, reading it made me want to die sooner.
Too many characters. Read more
Too many characters. Read more
Published 22 days ago by AgentMulderUK
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good story, bad edition
Despite it's length and parts that could easily have been edited down, this is a great book with moments of genius (even vs. Read more
Published 1 month ago by bookworm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
Occasionally gets a bit too philosophical, but a great read. Really brings the period to life. Battle scenes very vivid.
Published 1 month ago by R martin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle a passion for 'War and Peace'
These should, perhaps, be reviews of the 'product' (HB, PB, Kindle etc.),and not 'learned'(?)reviews of the creative work of Leo Tolstoy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. T. BROOKS
2.0 out of 5 stars
I would not go for this translation
I love Tolstoy's novels - both War and Peace and Anna Karenina are the most fantastic things I have ever read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John in Derbyshire
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great document
Format : excellent conditions, exactly as described in the offer
Story : great story of Russian time during the war with France
Story : great story of Russian time during the war with France
Published 1 month ago by Marie Gérard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
This book takes a long time to read but it is more than worth the time it takes. It's a bit like painting the forth bridge, once you get to the end it's time to start again.
Published 2 months ago by Tony L
5.0 out of 5 stars
War and Peace
The book was down.loaded on my Kindle immediately so I was able to start reading it straight away
I will probably buy more this way
I will probably buy more this way
Published 2 months ago by Peter Crompton
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