Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 198
 great book at a classic price November 11, 2009
Jay R. Foehner (Quince Orchard Md)
no problems at all very satisfied with purchase process and pleased with the timely delivery. would certainly not hesitate to recommend this seller.
Amazing!! October 30, 2009
Tien D. Pham
I suppose everyone one who is reading these reviews are wondering about the books condition and quailty and not it's world famous content. So i'd like to say these 3 books are beautifully crafted, it's hardcover is covered by linen and it can be placed flat on a table for reading.(it also has a nice little sturdy string for a bookmark)
The Maude translation is amazing and is certainly one of the best. They are still snippets of French, so have google translator near you. The font is a very readable size and all the pages have the same colour ink.
Some other reviewers have commented that the paper is too thin, and that made me hesitant to buy at first. I can tell you now, that the paper has a good thickness and is not as thin as bible paper, it's not opaque.
There is no typos i have come across so far.
I only have one complaint, I'm not sure if this was the case for everyone but the books I purchased were a little smelly, perhaps the binding. The smell has luckily faded.
I highly recommend this all who are interested in the great classics. It's a very good read, and it's will look nice on your shelf :)
An Amazing Epic and a Great Translation October 18, 2009
Julie Merilatt (Chicago, IL)
Reading War and Peace was truly an amazing experience. It consumed my life for a month and it was well worth it. This incredible historical epic was much more accessible than I thought it would be, and I think much of that has to do with Rosemary Edmunds great translation. Having looked at a few other editions and translations, I was pleased with Edmunds' straightforward style. It was not burdened with too much French or footnotes and was comprehensive throughout.
The story itself was so vast and the characters so authentic and fallible that I was completely absorbed with the saga unfolding before me. I adored Pierre in his humanity, I got frustrated with Natasha for her immaturity, I respected Marie for her morality, and felt so many other emotions pertaining to the immense cast of characters. Until I really got used to the style and pace, I struggled a bit with keeping names straight, but taking notes really helped in keeping everyone in order. Sometimes the battle scenes were mildly tedious, but the results from these military campaigns affected every character. I was pleased with the "happy ending" that describes everyone's lives seven years later in the first epilogue, but I struggled through the second epilogue and Tolstoy's philosophical dissection of history
I am so thrilled with the feeling of accomplishment having concluded this daunting but highly enjoyable endeavor. However, I have spent so much time with these characters that I will miss them. This was a rewarding read and an incredible classic.
TIMELESS AND WORTHWHILE CLASSIC October 13, 2009
Benjamin Gaumond (Ely, NV)
Written well over a century ago, although I am an American and not a Russian, this classic by Russian Leo Tolstoy is timeless and a worthwhile read.
It is timeless because although we are well beyond Napoleon Bonaparte's time, Tolstoy engages the reader and turns history into a discussion of what could cause so many Europeans (many of whom were God-fearing) to kill their fellow men. Many attribute it primarily to Napoleon; yet Tolstoy does not accept such an overly simplistic answer, attributing much of what occurred in the French/Russian war to the spirit of the everyday soldier.
It is worthwhile owing to Tolstoy's skill in bringing out the dynamic individual in each one of the key characters. Pierre Bezuhov, a wealthy heir who is wondering where life is going. Natasha Rostov, a woman in search of love, struggles to find happiness in the tumultuous world that was the early 1800s. Andrei Bolkonsky, a man also in search of love, but who is so fervently committed to his Motherland that he would so lay down his life.
Whether you are an American, a Russian, or maybe a lover of literature/philosophy, War and Peace (hardly a light read at 1444 pages) is not just what you will find to be a book -- it is an endeavor of the mind to understand the world's happenings and the human condition.
 cramped April 7, 2009
D. Streltsov
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
After receiving this book I realized that it's a tall order to try to fit "war and peace" into a single volume. Both times I read this novel in the past, it was printed as a two volume edition, in a decent font. I think this is important for a book like this. Also, although this book is near new, the pages are already turning tan, tanner than my 1950's vintage Soviet printed "War and Peace" edition. The paper is also thin and hard to leaf through. Then again, you get what you paid for and I guess I can't complain for having spent under $20.
As to the translation, I would rate it very well (better than other English translation of this work) except that I hardly find a reason to translate into English the passages spoken in French.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 198
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