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Product Description
Product Description
Considered by many to the greatest novel ever written, Tolstoy's masterpiece is a story of family life set against the backdrop of war. The novel begins in 1805 in the crowded and gossip-filled rooms of a St Petersburg party and follows the fortunes of the aristocratic Bolkonsky and Rostov families as Napoleon's armies sweep through Europe, culminating in the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and Napoleon's defeat. Tolstoy's vast novel takes in both the epic sweep of national events and the private experience of individuals, from the keen young soldier to Napoleon himself, and at the heart of it all the complicated triangle of affection that binds his central characters.
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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
I've read several versions of W & P, and this is by far the best translation I've read. Tolstoy's wit, compassion, and, above all, wisdom are rendered so perfectly that at times I was moved to tears.
By the way, Tolstoy should be compulsory reading for all those who presume to lead us into fruitless wars. His argument on why guerilla fighters will always win against large, invading armies is particularly compelling and timely.
By the way, Tolstoy should be compulsory reading for all those who presume to lead us into fruitless wars. His argument on why guerilla fighters will always win against large, invading armies is particularly compelling and timely.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
This is a novel that I have read about five or six times now, and will always come back to. The characters and settings are so vivid, and so real, that it feels as if we, as readers, are in early 19th Century Russia with them.
From the calculated coldness of Prince Vasili, to the dashed innocent hopes, and pure love of Pierre Bezukhov, to the sadly cynical Andrei Bolkonski, Tolstoy creates men of the world who impact those around them, and who serve as contrasts to one another yet are a million miles away from being cliches.
Tolstoy even manages to keep a hint of controversy in the relationship between Pierre's first wife Helene, and her brother Anatole, whom, in early drafts, shared an incestuous relationship. As it is, only hints of this remain, though Helene is, in a sense, a player in deciding whom her brother will place his affections on - shown in her suggestions he take up Natasha, the beautiful, vivacious fiance of Andrei Bolkonski, who seems to come alive in her presence, and who is, unwittingly to all involved, slowly becoming the object of Pierre's affection.
It is beutifully written, and contains such historical detail regarding the Napoleonic Wars, that it is impossible not to find the War segments of the book interesting, even when the key characters are not featured. I have to admit that there has not been a time I have read it when I have not shed a tear. At the sweetness with which Pierre - then very much in love with her - speaks to Natasha when she thinks all her hopes of happiness have fallen to pieces; at the resignation of Andrei Bolkonski on the retreat from Moscow; at the end of Platon Karataev; at the resolution of the love triangle of sorts between Nicholas, Mary and Sonya, and the acceptance of the last of the reality of the situation; at the loss of young Petya in defending his country; Pierre running off at the last minute to join the war in a fight for Natasha as much as for Russia.
For me it is the intricacies and detail in this work that makes it stand out so much. Everything interweaves, and plots flow into one another as the characters lives with each other. I first read it at 17, and now at 25 I still read it over and over again, and it was this novel that began my appreciation for Tolstoy's work generally, and have since read - amongst others - Anna Karenina, Resurrection, Hadji Murat and many of his short stories. The appreciation I have for his work is one that, like that which I have for Jane Austen, will be lifelong.
For all the bloodshed and anguish that one would expect in a book set in this period, and all the interweaving problems and triumphs of the characters, my favourite scene will always remain between Pierre and Natasha, when he goes to her after she feels her life has crumbled, and tells her that if he were not himself, but the best of men, and unattached, he would instantly ask for her hand in marriage, and her love.
I would recommend this to anyone - it is 110% worth the time and patience required for a first read through of the novel.
From the calculated coldness of Prince Vasili, to the dashed innocent hopes, and pure love of Pierre Bezukhov, to the sadly cynical Andrei Bolkonski, Tolstoy creates men of the world who impact those around them, and who serve as contrasts to one another yet are a million miles away from being cliches.
Tolstoy even manages to keep a hint of controversy in the relationship between Pierre's first wife Helene, and her brother Anatole, whom, in early drafts, shared an incestuous relationship. As it is, only hints of this remain, though Helene is, in a sense, a player in deciding whom her brother will place his affections on - shown in her suggestions he take up Natasha, the beautiful, vivacious fiance of Andrei Bolkonski, who seems to come alive in her presence, and who is, unwittingly to all involved, slowly becoming the object of Pierre's affection.
It is beutifully written, and contains such historical detail regarding the Napoleonic Wars, that it is impossible not to find the War segments of the book interesting, even when the key characters are not featured. I have to admit that there has not been a time I have read it when I have not shed a tear. At the sweetness with which Pierre - then very much in love with her - speaks to Natasha when she thinks all her hopes of happiness have fallen to pieces; at the resignation of Andrei Bolkonski on the retreat from Moscow; at the end of Platon Karataev; at the resolution of the love triangle of sorts between Nicholas, Mary and Sonya, and the acceptance of the last of the reality of the situation; at the loss of young Petya in defending his country; Pierre running off at the last minute to join the war in a fight for Natasha as much as for Russia.
For me it is the intricacies and detail in this work that makes it stand out so much. Everything interweaves, and plots flow into one another as the characters lives with each other. I first read it at 17, and now at 25 I still read it over and over again, and it was this novel that began my appreciation for Tolstoy's work generally, and have since read - amongst others - Anna Karenina, Resurrection, Hadji Murat and many of his short stories. The appreciation I have for his work is one that, like that which I have for Jane Austen, will be lifelong.
For all the bloodshed and anguish that one would expect in a book set in this period, and all the interweaving problems and triumphs of the characters, my favourite scene will always remain between Pierre and Natasha, when he goes to her after she feels her life has crumbled, and tells her that if he were not himself, but the best of men, and unattached, he would instantly ask for her hand in marriage, and her love.
I would recommend this to anyone - it is 110% worth the time and patience required for a first read through of the novel.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
War & Peace hardly needs further endorsement. Though it's a long book, you won't regret reading it and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised by the amount of soap opera-like drama throughout. W&P really does have everything - romance, vivid battle scenes, philosophical rumination on the workings of history. And unforgettable characters and scenes. This vibrant new translation by Anthony Briggs, the first in nearly 50 years, is faithful to the original while feeling a lot fresher and more modern than previous versions. In particular, Briggs has a fine feel for the language of the peasants and soldiers who people the book. Put aside a couple weeks or take it to the beach this summer - you won't be disappointed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of my favourite book
I bought this as a bit of a whim and I don't normally read novels - and how many times have you heard someone describe something as 'it's not War and Peace. Read more
Published 14 months ago by David I. Brown
Tedious
Achingly dull, terribly repetitive, a narrative that feels distant. I don't understand how this dreary book could be thought of as a classic. I stopped reading after 100 pages. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Victor Atkins
The Mine Seekers
'Tubby' Millstones decides 'enough is enough' and leaves his humdrum nine to five job behind the counter at AK Electronics in Station Road Enfield. Read more
Published on 7 April 2009 by Gargantua Pantaloon
NOt the longest book there is!
Although it is long, I would say Don Quioxte is longer, so i don't know who coined that phrase for War and Peace. Marvellous novel anyway.
Published on 1 April 2009 by A. L. Wilkinson
What's all the fuss about?
Well, I'm quite glad that's over really. Whilst I didn't doubt that I would finish it, I can't say it was necessarily worth the effort. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2008 by Beano
unfinished business
On arrival in Brighton for a weekend's relaxation , what did I find stowing away in my luggage? A copy of this book that's what. Turns out my sister had hidden it there. Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2008 by harold adams
Magnificent Achievement
"Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the
Buonapartes. But I warn you, if you don't tell me that this means war,
if you still try to defend the... Read more
Buonapartes. But I warn you, if you don't tell me that this means war,
if you still try to defend the... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2007 by Bentley
Honestly, the Greatest Novel Of All Time
I'm 16 years old and have just finished War and Peace. Funnily enough I didn't actually buy the novel to bask in the glow of pretension that such an achievement could have me in. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2007 by Daniel Mathews
New translation breathes life
This translation has the power to take you back into the days of Napoleon and Alexander, into the social whirl of Russian aristocracy in all its glitter, into the mud and terror of... Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2006 by JM Carpenter
A deep and profound classic
WAR AND PEACE successfully captured life's promises, challenges, joys, triumphs, and losses in a way that no other novels has done before and after. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2006 by Sergey
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