War And Peace
Simon Schama once said of this book, 'you don't just read it, you live it,' and it's hard to argue with that after turning the final page. Tolstoy's monumental story opens in a glittering St Petersburg drawing room in 1805, where the idle chatter of high society is already shadowed by the threat of war. When Napoleon's forces push deep into Russia, that threat becomes catastrophe, and three young lives are caught in its wake. Pierre, idealistic and perpetually lost; Andrey, cold-eyed and sardonic; Natasha, vivid and headstrong. Their paths twist and cross against a vast canvas of characters stretching from the aristocracy down to foot soldiers in the mud, with Napoleon himself making an appearance. What makes the novel so extraordinary isn't simply its scale, though the scale is genuinely staggering. It's the precision with which Tolstoy renders human frailty alongside human courage, the way love and ambition and grief all compete for space within the same beating heart. The novel holds its contradictions without flinching. This edition, translated by Anthony Briggs and featuring an introduction, notes, and an afterword by historian Orlando Figes, gives readers real context for both the historical period and the literary legacy. A formidable, rewarding read.
- Author: Leo Tolstoy
- Publisher: Penguin
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- ISBN: 978-0140447934
- Pages: 1440 pages