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War and Peace (Modern Library Classics) |  | Author: Leo Tolstoy
Creators: Constance Garnett, A.N. Wilson
Publisher: Modern Library
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Rating:  115 reviews
Sales Rank: 116508
Media: Paperback
Pages: 1424
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.4 x 2.3
ISBN: 0375760644
Dewey Decimal Number: 891.733
EAN: 9780375760648
ASIN: 0375760644
Publication Date: July 9, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Often called the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is at once an epic of the Napoleonic Wars, a philosophical study, and a celebration of the Russian spirit. Tolstoy’s genius is seen clearly in the multitude of characters in this massive chronicle—all of them fully realized and equally memorable. Out of this complex narrative emerges a profound examination of the individual’s place in the historical process, one that makes it clear why Thomas Mann praised Tolstoy for his Homeric powers and placed War and Peace in the same category as the Iliad: “To read him . . . is to find one’s way home . . . to everything within us that is fundamental and sane.”
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 115
 An incredible book August 8, 2009
George
This is an imposing work, let's be honest. Leo Tolstoy is and excellent author, and this book is exemplary. But this will take longer than a couple nights to read, and is not a book that intends to just entertain with a delightful yarn. It is a serious book that intends to shatter our notions about cause and effect and the ability to freely decide the path that is "right". If you are interested in history, and the art and science of the historian, then this book is absolutely for you.
War and Peace is set in Russia of the early 19th century (~1805-1813), with an epilogue that jumps to 1820. It presents the staccato conflicts between Napoleon and Alexander, respective leaders of their empires - or more to Tolstoy's point, the unavoidable pendulum swing of whole peoples in the throes of circumstance. In the telling, Tolstoy paints a canvas of relationships and familial responsibility that interplays with the conflict to grip the reader's heart and mind.
Most of the book is narrative and conversation relating to the details of the story: relating the moods and actions of the numerous love triangles and intrigues of court, describing battles and duels. But Tolstoy attempts to interweave philosophical ruminations on history. These are prolonged essays on the ways historians distort the facts, and the nature of necessity and its relationship to free-will, as well as very thoughtful pondering of the events that made up the Napoleonic era. In fact, the tale itself is meant to point the reader to his thoughts on the subject of cause and effect, and the complete lack of real control held by individuals, especially those who are often praised by the historians as the decision-makers.
I don't believe that Tolstoy is completely successful in his attempt to prove that free-will is bound by necessity in a sort of symmetry, a conservation of will. His attempts to show that leaders have little control over the decisions they make are well-written, but anecdotal, and wrongly assume that these singular instances will convince the reader that all leaders and decisions suffer from this same inability to overcome the situation and setting.
Tolstoy is the master of painting characters. In 1400 pages of text one should, I suppose, be able to describe and illuminate a couple characters for a reader. But Tolstoy, in one statement, can present both the outward appearance and the underlying reality - often comparing and contrasting others in the same phrase - with vividness that I have seen in few other authors. In War And Peace, he shows an intimate knowledge of body language and the minutest facial expressions. He recognizes and expresses the import of a wrinkle, a down-turned head, a phrase uttered a moment late.
He is also a master at painting scenery. You can taste the smoke and smell the horses and sweat. You can feel the dew and see the most noble clothing. You can hear the blast of cannons and the smallest sigh. But this, combined with his expressiveness in relating characters' thoughts and statements is the reason for the incredible length of the book. At times I simply wished he would move along! Then, once I got to the prologue, I saw what speeding up the flow did for Tolstoy. The slow and steady progress of the majority of the book is much better than the choppy and forced character of the prologue.
I can't really imagine reading it more than once, though.
 Worthy of Its Reputation August 5, 2009
James C. Slattery (Arlington, VA United States)
I picked up War & Peace with the same trepidation most people do -- how am I ever going to finish this monster? And will it even be interesting? To my surprise, I not only made it to the end, but also found myself wanting more, even though this version clocks in at just under 1400 pages. With no doubt in my mind, I can say that it is worth it. If you consider yourself a well read, intellectually curious person, or if you just love a good story, you must read this book.
Need convincing? In brief, the novel describes the impact of the Napoleonic Wars on three or four Russian families from 1805-1812, with a brief epilogue of sorts years after the wars have ended. The novel reaches its climax with Napoleon's invasion and occupation of western Russia, producing wrenching changes in the lives of all of the major characters. Separately, Tosltoy uses the narrative to ask a larger question: what force pushes history forward? God? Free will? Some form of inevitability?
The beauty of the novel is that Tolstoy's range is so large that, regardless of one's taste in fiction, you are likely to find something you love about this book. If you like love stories, there are several love affairs -- and betrayals -- in the book. If you like war novels, War & Peace follows the Russian and French armies through multiple campaigns and details life under enemy occupation (with, frankly, some haunting parallels to modern day events). If you like novels about high society, Tolstoy chronicles life among the Russian nobility in the early nineteenth century. If you like novels about politics, Napoleon and Alexander, and their aides, are major characters in the book, scheming and outmaneuvering each other. If you like novels that try to make some philosophical point about the human condition, Tolstoy reflects at length on the human condition and sprinkles a meditation on the forces shaping human history throughout the novel, culminating in a fascinating essay at the end on the forces shaping human events.
Further, Tolstoy writes convincing descriptions of characters from wildly separate walks of life. His dialogue between infantrymen sitting around a campfire on the eve of battle seems just as real as Russian generals discussing grand strategy, or young teenagers describing their feelings of being in love for the first time.
I found the novel very slow at times. I couldn't wait for the court life scenes to end. However, I think this reflects more my taste in novels than Tolstoy's abilities as a writer. To me, the battle scenes were gripping, as were the political machinations of the national and military leaders of the Russians and French. So, if you feel that you are getting stuck, I recommend pushing ahead -- you are likely to come across a type of scene more to your liking.
To prevent this review from going on much further, thereby taking on War & Peace-like proportions, I'll close with this thought: if none of the above has convinced you to read this book, just think of the bragging rights you'll have by being able to honestly claim that you have read War & Peace, besides the pleasure of a truly great read.
War and Peace January 13, 2009
Jerry Clyde Phillips (Sutton, Vermont)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If the impressive bulk of War and Peace seems daunting to the prospective reader, it is nothing compared to the bewilderment of one who has finished the book and then attemtpts to make some sensible remarks about the experience. After all, this book is considered by many as the greatest novel ever written - it has acquired a literary stature that has made it, in the eyes of many, the equal of anything that has been achieved with the written word. Added to the sheer bulk of the book is the nature of the work itself. Tolstoy peoples his novel with hundreds of characters (most with those pesky Russian patronymic names that so confuse the reader who is new to Russian literature); assumes that his readers have at least a cursory knowledge of the Napoleonic wars and early nineteenth century Russian history; and is not adverse to a hodgepodge of literary styles and genres running the gamut from soap opera to scholarly discussions of historiography. With all this facing the reader, no wonder so many begin the book but never finish it (or for that matter, never even attempt it). What a pity!
Taken at its most basic level, the novel is the story of three Russian aristocratic families (the Rostovs, Bolkonskys, and Bezuhovs) as they react to the portentous events threatening their way of life, from republican sentiments of the younger generation to the military aggressions of Napoleon. Tolstoy works as a miniaturist, creating detailed character studies and social commentary and then projecting his creation onto the huge canvass that was the Napoleonic period in Russian history, thus giving his work the foundation of historical legitimacy. And instead of creating one single "hero" for his novel, Tolstoy contrasts several main characters with one another allowing him to make important statements about the human condition and his own views on Russian society. There is the idealistic Pierre (only seldom referred to by his Russian name, Pyotr), the illegitimate son of Count Bezuhov who balances spiritual quests with wealth and dissipation and clashes with the maliciousness of his wife and in-laws, the Kuragins; Natasha Rostov, the inconstant woman-child who ultimately achieves happiness after breaking off an engagement to Andrey Bolkonksy; Nikolay Rostov, Natasha's brother, the consummate Russian soldier who cannot come to grasp with the "new" Russia and thus clings to the past, is contrasted with Andrey Bolkonsky, a proponent of a reformed Russia, who frees his serfs, but is unable to free himself from the demons that possess him; and Marya Bolkonsky, the plain and fanatically religous sister, who finally achieves happiness at the expense of the ever faithful Sonia. Historically, there is the contrast between the pretentious and egotistical Napoleon and his Russian counterpart, General Kutuzov, the epitome of Russian stoicism and calm strength. It is, however, with Russian society that Tolstoy reserves his sharpest contrast. Aristocratic Russia is seen as fractious and frivolous, more at home speaking French (the language of the "Antichrist" Bonaparte) than Russian, and worrying more about its supply of caviar that the plight of the army; whereas peasant Russia, as personified by the peasant, Karataev, is described as grounded to the soil and to its religious traditions and represents the soul of the country. To Tolstoy, Russia, with its peasant backbone, could never be subjected by anyone like Napoleon.
There as been some commentary among the reviewers regarding the incredible difficulty of the novel. Some recommend taking notes, reading only a few pages at at time ("until you get the hang of it"), taking a crash course in Russian history, or creating elaborate charts to keep track of the various characters. Come on now - you're not preparing to undertake a translation of the Summa Theologica or some such endeavor, only preparing to read one of the greatest books ever written! Tolstoy has a very modern style and he develops his characters with such diligence that the reader soon develops an emotional attachment with them that by the end of the book it seems that the reader has known them most of his life. There are some pitfalls, however. Even after the novel was first published there was discontent with Part II of the Epilogue where the author precipitously drops his narrative and enters into a discourse on the nature of history. Don't ignore this section, despite its somewhat ponderous prose, as it capsulizes Tolstoy's idea that history is not dependent upon the actions of great men like Napoleon and Czar Alexander for its movement, but upon a myriad of causes all interacting independently of one another. The somewhat unsatisfactory conclusion to Tolstoy's novel in which the author seems to lose interest in the characters whose stories he had been detailing for some 1400 pages or so, is reflected in this theory. Although the possibility of peace and happiness exists, there is much evidence, such as Nikolay's obstinacy in face of the political and social reforms that surfaced after the defeat of Napoleon, that nothing is really settled and that once again war would eventually supplant peace.
 What other authors leave in their heads January 2, 2009
Scott Walker (Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tolstoy goes far beyond just hitting the peaks of the story but also, writes at length on the hills, valleys, and everything in between (the material that other authors leave out). It is exhaustively detailed, down to the most mundane description of a character. Being that the high-points are few and far, I did have to trudge through this mammoth work. But what an opportunity to perfect, enhance and, give character to our own writings, through these wonderful, brilliant prose.
The story is played out in the present tense but sporadically, Tolstoy intervenes in short chapters with a second person history lesson on how the historians got things wrong (we discover history revisionists are nothing new) and a delving into the workings of the human mind. The epilogue is almost completely devoted to these assessments and can be read virtually on its own merit. This edition (translated by Garnett) is complete with helpful footnotes and endnotes.
Always with a spiritual force, Tolstoy captures well the cultural interactions and the Russian aristocrat families as they are caught between their fanciful lives and the looming French invasion, lead by the delusional Napolean. There was a feeling of contentment at the beginning, but that would soon be dispelled as Russia would be forced to wage unconditional war to push the French out. And it would be spirit that ultimately wins the war for Russia. Finally the story brings us to the aftermath and what befell the families.
Tolstoy reminds us, the varied perceptions of the war can only give us a partial understanding of the truth: We must dig deeper to understand. This straight-forward thinker finds a way to search through the clutter to critique the cause, and the why, and with it, generate a unique hindsight. For Tolstoy I believe it was more important to find the goodness and cheerfulness amongst the chaos, as if the war didn't exist----life moves on. Most enthralling of all is his examination of the contradiction, or is it conundrum, that arises between mans' free will and law through reasoning, that "if the will of every man were free, that is, if every man could act as he chose, the whole of history would be a tissue of disconnected accidents", though "once admit that human life can be guided by reason, and all possibility of life is annihilated".
May the LORD bless you
Scott
What invigorates historical leaders to trespass into one's country ... enervates my comprehension. December 18, 2008
Sammi Zeder (Florida)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I would not have chosen to read this book if I were not curious about history. Since I am wet behind the ears on the subject and want to put my nose on Russian literature, this novel has the perfect potpourri.
Tolstoy's elaborate account of French and Russian war is debilitating. His excellence in composition and ingenuity of his analogies though are as sip of water for every mile ran. Most impressive is how he blends fictional characters with real ones. For instance, when the young soldier Nikolay Rostov exchanges glances with King Alexander, or when an inconsequential adjutant delivers a message to Bonaparte. Not a mere story of how and why Napoleon decides Russia belongs to France but also of the lives of five families affected by the intrusive leader. Like all destructions after a war, they rebuild their houses, but the ashes of their loved ones remain burried under ground; never to rise with the house from the ground where it once stood. The valiant soldiers who narrowly escape death come home carrying with them badge of honor and peculiar behavior.
It may very well be that some of his accounts of the war were inaccurate; Tolstoy was not a historian. He wrote the novel to express his views about war, its senselessness and ambiguity of its events. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating work of a talented man surely a pride of every Russian.
Sincerely, I cannot recommend whose translation is better but Constance Garnett deserves an accolade just the same for translating a book of this magnitude.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 115
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