War and Peace is considered one of the world’s greatest works of fiction. It is regarded, along with Anna Karenina, as Tolstoy’s finest literary achievement. Epic in scale, War and Peace delineates in graphic detail events leading up to Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society, as seen through the eyes of five Russian aristocratic families.
The book’s story really hooks the reader even though it’s a long one. I’ve read it twice, about 30 years apart, and both times I loved it. The characters are vivid and easy to like or identify with. A very vivid portrayal of upper class Russia before, during, and after the Napoleonic invasion. Much better read than Anna Karenina.
None of the availabe terms are adequate for this book. There are reasons such classics endure.
I have read War and Peace at least three times. When I first read it took me three tries before I really got into it. But once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. I read it on the bus going to work and coming home. I read it at lunch time. I read it when I ate dinner and at breakfast. I just had to find out what happened next. It really is a shame that people seem to be afraid of the classics. I think they have learned in school that you have to study a classic. Why can’t they learn to just read a very good book?
Wonderful historical novel.
A book everyone should read
Too many characters! Long.
If you are up to a long read and a good read this is for you
I love, love, love this book. It is by far the best book I have ever read and, in my opinion, the best book ever written…
One of the great classics.
One of the great books
There are really good reasons why this is one of the most highly regarded classics. To enjoy it one must certainly embrace the idea of going back to the time it was written. Once that’s done and it’s seen apart from present day sensibilities it becomes a story of the inner workings of people portrayed so well that empathy is created for most of them. It made me a better person by showing me a better way to be. Now I know a bit better what I’m aiming for. I’m so glad that I didn’t read it as an assignment and need to rush through it. I took my time, read over parts that I especially liked and a year or two later, read it again. And yes, it was worth every minute it took to read it.
Justifiably deserves the title of one of the must-read books. 587,000 words, a long read, and inspirational. Highly recommended.
Good story. Volume could be daunting/
Hard to stick with it to the very end. Slow moving at the beginning,
What more can we say about this great Classic? Worth reading once more, for sure.
It’s been many years since I’ve read this. There was a year where I read Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and a few other of the great Russians. I mixed in a little science fiction, too, I think. Some of the best reading I have ever done.
I read this many years ago. Parts of it are tedious, but it’s a good read, especially if you are a history buff.
A true classic of Russian lit. Long and deep and well worth your time.
One of the great books of all time.
Another of my Top 10 all time favorites