War and Peace: Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky Author: Leo Tolstoy | Language: English | ISBN:
B005JSZJVS | Format: EPUB
War and Peace: Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky 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.”
- File Size: 2720 KB
- Print Length: 1298 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0007225350
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (October 5, 2011)
- Sold by: Random House LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B005JSZJVS
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,466 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #8
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in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Literary
- #8
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Russian - #40
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Historical - #88
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Literary
"War and Peace," by Leo Tolstoy, ? 2007,
translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Alfred A. Knopf, publisher
This review is broken down into two segments, a Descriptive Summary and an Evaluative Summary. If you're already very familiar with the story of "War and Peace," you may wish to skip directly to the latter facet of my review which is essentially the critique of this particular volume.
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:
In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Austria to expand his European empire. Russia, being an ally of Austria, stood with their brethren against the infamous Emperor. Napoleon prevailed and a treaty was ultimately signed at Tilsit. In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, again in an effort to expand his empire. The end result of this tragic war was that Napoleon's army of about 600,000 soldiers was reduced to roughly 60,000 men as the defamed Emperor raced from Moscow (which he had taken), back across the frozen Russian tundra in his carriage (leaving his troops behind to fend for themselves) for Paris. That encapsulizes the military aspect of this work.
But the more intricate story involves both the activities and the peccadillos of, primarily, three Russian families of nobility: The Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Bezukovs. The continual thorn of "The Antichrist," Napoleon, really just provides the wallpaper for this story of romance, riches, desolation, love, jealousy, hatred, retribution, joy, naiivety, stupidity and so much more. Tolstoy has woven an incredibly intricate web that interconnects these noble families, the wars, and the common Russian people to a degree that would seem incomprehensible to achieve - but Tolstoy perseveres with superb clarity and great insight to the human psyche.
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