| | War and Peace: v. 1 |  | Author: L.n. Tolstoy
Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd
Category: Book
Buy Used: £46.20
Avg. Customer Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 3062214
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Large Print Ed
Pages: 763
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.8
ISBN: 0854566252
EAN: 9780854566259
ASIN: 0854566252
Publication Date: April 1976
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Nice Book, Delivery in 1-2 weeks.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Ignore the moaners July 12, 2004
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
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.
 Well written, but not enough to make me care February 28, 2004
9 out of 20 found this review helpful
'War and Peace' is the archetypal historical epic, covering the lives and loves of some of Russia's young nobles during the Napoleonic wars (1805-1812). It blends intricate historical detail concerning prominent figures and events of the time, with a narrative concerning the growing up of a group of young aristocrats, and throws Tolstoy's own philosophy of history into the mix.
The book is undoubtedly well written. Tolstoy's attention to detail and finicky language do make this a fairly slow read, but I think that these are an integral part of a good historical novel. He transports you to early nineteenth century Russia and makes it seem very accessible, rather than remote and alien like many historical novelists do. The characters are realistic, and the size of the book allows them to grow and develop at a fairly realistic pace. You never feel like Tolstoy is employing little tricks or taking artistic license with them. He goes at the pace he needs to go.
Ultimately, though, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I had hoped. The main narrative is really about which foppish young man is going to marry which silly little girl. I found the upper class society they moved in shallow and boring. Tolstoy spends a great deal of time discussing the role of the 'little people' in history, but his 'little people' are counts and princes, not the serfs and soldiers, and the way his nobles seemed to be playing at love and war left me disinterested in them. Although some of the characters are engaging (Pierre and Andrew in my case), I just didn't care who was going to marry who. Perhaps fans of books like 'Pride and Prejudice' (which I haven't read) may enjoy this more than I did.
The philosophy of history is interesting, and I liked the way Tolstoy denies that history is directed by great men of genius, but that these men are swept along by it just as much as the little people. His description of battles being almost random in execution despite the generals' best laid plans is almost comical. However, it is clumsily interwoven with the story, and the way he ignores his narrative for long periods to discuss his philosophy is frustrating, until towards the end the narrative becomes almost totally lost. A more skillful writer would have blended the two together. Sometimes I got the feeling that I was reading two books with their chapters interspersed at random.
In short, this is an incredibly detailed and impressive historical epic. If you like historical romances this is definitely for you. I just found that too often I didn't care what was going on.
 One of the greatest epics ever written February 26, 2004
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a great masterpiece, no doubt about that. However, a few caveats: do not expect this to be the bible of Russian life, and do not expect Leo Tolstoy (unquestionably an outstanding thinker) to provide all the answers. You will probably find yourself disagreeing with him on some issues, e.g. his views on the role of women in society. I also found it slightly difficult to empathise with the characters as much as I did in other works by Tolstoy. (And I must confess that I skipped the long-winded descriptions of army manouevres!). But having said all that, 'War and Peace' is without any doubt one of the greatest books ever written. I'd even go as far as say it is a must-read for a cultured person.
Amongst 19th Century fiction, peerless. February 8, 2004
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
After reading 'War and Peace', I had two regrets; firstly, that it was over and, secondly, that I couldn't read Russian.On the strength of this work alone, Tolstoy deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Homer, Dante, Chaucer and Shakespeare. I have yet to encounter a novel which achieves the same level of (to borrow a word from the blurb on the reverse of this edition) 'gravitas'; for me, 'War and Peace' is the pinnacle of 19th Century fiction and deserves to sit among the greatest literary works of all time. I envy those who can read the original, but Edmonds' translation has a clarity and poetry that seems entirely at ease with even the most abstract parts of the text and the dialogue is given a British twang that fits the characters perfectly well. Another reviewer has justly made reference to the second part of the Epilogue; it is perhaps the most ambitious ending to a novel you could possibly imagine, but it succeeds totally. If your geography of eastern Europe and Russia is at all lacking (as mine was), it will probably help to have an atlas at hand to make sense of the movements of characters and armies. I would also recommend that, in spite of its length, people take as much time as they can spare to immerse themselves in 'War and Peace'; the philosophical elements of the novel warrant it. It is difficult to describe the experience reading 'War and Peace' yields without appearing to descend into hyperbole. If a better novel exists, I look forward to reading it.
The greatest epic in literature August 14, 2003
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
War & Peace is not a conventional novel. It is not a historical chronicle, despite its accuracy. Designating War & Peace the greatest accomplishment in literature is far too narrow-minded.War & Peace is a phenomenon, however Once you overcome the complicated but beneficient problem of immersing yourself with the characters, you do not just want to keep reading the chapters - but due to the extraordinary scenes of romance, tragedy and the ferocity of the battle scenes that are definitely the highlights of the book, you develop an unbearable anguish to actually breathe in the book and savour the outstanding taste of true literature, and I guarantee you,the taste will be a great souvenir of the book after you finish it. Do NOT be deterred by the amplitude of the book. A subject of so much intrigue and artistic phenomena deserves to be displayed in one of the longest novels in the world
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