Product Description
War and Peace is a vast epic centred on Napoleon's war with Russia. While it expresses Tolstoy's view that history is an inexorable process which man cannot influence, he peoples his great novel with a cast of over five hundred characters.Three of these, the artless and delightful Natasha Rostov, the world-weary Prince Andrew Bolkonsky and the idealistic Pierre Bezukhov illustrate Tolstoy's philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful and Broad
This book is about relationships, adultery, marriage, love, hate, communication, religion, politics, agriculture, suicide and God.

It's beautiful in that Tolstoy's a craftsman. One is tempted to learn Russian merely to read him in the original. He crafts not just words, but ideas and concepts, preceptions and feelings. Tolstoy captures so much of what it is to be human and to experience what humans experience everyday, that to read him is to see both the beautiful and the vile, the exiting and the mundane, the attractive and the repulsive with great clarity and insight. To read Tolstoy is to experience life brilliantly and vicariously. Such is always the case with good authors.

It's broad in that _Anna Karenina_ touches on so many issues. Tolstoy is a important, if recent, voice in the Great Conversation. After having read this twice, I wonder if there is anything of consequence that this book doesn't touch on. There's also breadth in the cast of characters. Tolstoy weaves many different personalities together in his narrative. Once again, they're all quite human, each exhibiting a broad range of qualities. The great hero of the book, Levin, is quite pitiable sometimes. The great villainess (if she can be called that), Anna, is oftentimes beautiful, attractive and sensitive.

This older translation reads well. I've not read the new translation by Pevear & Volokhonsky, but I've heard good things about it. This Maude translation will suit you just fine, however. The Everyman's Library Classics edition is sturdy and will last for years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Read..... and learn about life.
I wish I had read this book when I was 20 (I'm 54 now) because I might have understood the world much, much better at an earlier age.
First, I wish to address Tolstoy's story: This is quite possibly the finest piece (tome) of literature ever written -- to me, it IS. Most folks are put off by the length of the book but it is what it is. Having now read it twice, I wish it was even longer!
WAR AND PEACE is, of course, about Napoleon's invasion of, first Austria, (and the Russian alliance with that country), and then of Russia, and his embittered retreat back to France after having held a burned and much-abandoned Moscow. Having read other, (non-fiction), historys of these invasions, I can say authoritatively that Tolstoy's version is spot on the money. Essentially, most of his "fiction" in this brilliant work arises simply from having changed many of the actual names of the principals. But if you wish to know what actually happened in regard to Napoleon's invasion of Russia, you would be quite remiss in not reading this phenomenal work.
The book is also, perhaps more importantly, about the Russian people and examines their culture of this significant period, from both the aristocratic and peasant perspectives. Many of these Russian proclivities carry over to this very day. There is a particular focus on three aristocratic Russian families and Tolstoy has made it an absolute joy to read about them. My favorite character, by far, is Pierre -- Pierre is simply timeless and proves out to be the very essence of what being a decent human is all about.
Of the BIG FOUR of all Russian literature, written by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, respectively, ("War and Peace"; "Anna Karenina"; "The Brothers Karamazov", and; "Crime and Punishment"), WAR AND PEACE clearly stands well above its competitors as the absolute King. One is taken on a literary sojourn from the pinnacle of the highest aristocratic mountain down to the lowest serf poverty-stricken valley and back again. The humor herein (Yes! Humor!) has prevailed well beyond the period, (which is a key positive feature of the Maude traslation), in which it was written -- I expect it will prevail for eternity since it is so shrewd and well-written. Only Ivan Goncharov has come close in the humorous facet of the work to matching Tolstoy in this realm with his hilarious Opus Magnus, "Oblomov".
To summarize, WAR AND PEACE is truly world literature and Americans will extract at least as much from this book as do the Russians. I cannot say enough good about it except to say that maybe it is too short! ... Read more

Book Description
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) commonly referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer - novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher - as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. He was the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy family. His first publications were three autobiographical novels, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852-1856). They tell of a rich landowner's son and his slow realization of the differences between him and his peasants. As a fiction writer Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all novelists, particularly noted for his masterpieces War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). In their scope, breadth and realistic depiction of 19th-century Russian life, the two books stand at the peak of realist fiction. As a moral philosopher Tolstoy was notable for his ideas on nonviolent resistance through works such as The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894). ... Read more

Product Description
Small (9 X 15.5 cm.) green cloth hardcover, 428 pages, issued with a dustjacket.Vol. II of 2. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A crowning achievement in world literature
I wish I had read this book when I was 20 (I'm 54 now) because I might have understood the world much, much better at an earlier age.
First, I wish to address Tolstoy's story: This is quite possibly the finest piece (tome) of literature ever written -- to me, it IS. Most folks are put off by the length of the book but it is what it is. Having now read it twice, I wish it was even longer!
WAR AND PEACE is, of course, about Napoleon's invasion of, first Austria, (and the Russian alliance with that country), and then of Russia, and his embittered retreat back to France after having held a burned and much-abandoned Moscow. Having read other, (non-fiction), historys of these invasions, I can say authoritatively that Tolstoy's version is spot on the money. Essentially, most of his "fiction" in this brilliant work arises simply from having changed many of the actual names of the principals. But if you wish to know what actually happened in regard to Napoleon's invasion of Russia, you would be quite remiss in not reading this phenomenal work.
The book is also, perhaps more importantly, about the Russian people and examines their culture of this significant period, from both the aristocratic and peasant perspectives. Many of these Russian proclivities carry over to this very day. There is a particular focus on three aristocratic Russian families and Tolstoy has made it an absolute joy to read about them. My favorite character, by far, is Pierre -- Pierre is simply timeless and proves out to be the very essence of what being a decent human is all about.
Of the BIG FOUR of all Russian literature, written by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, respectively, ("War and Peace"; "Anna Karenina"; "The Brothers Karamazov", and; "Crime and Punishment"), WAR AND PEACE clearly stands well above its competitors as the absolute King. One is taken on a literary sojourn from the pinnacle of the highest aristocratic mountain down to the lowest serf poverty-stricken gutter and back again. The humor herein (Yes! Humor!) has prevailed well beyond the period, (which is a key positive feature of the Maude translation), in which it was written -- I expect it will prevail for eternity since it is so shrewd and well-written. Only Ivan Goncharov has come close in the humorous facet of the work to matching Tolstoy in this realm with his hilarious Opus Magnus, "Oblomov".
To summarize, WAR AND PEACE is truly world literature and Americans will extract at least as much from this book as do the Russians. I cannot say enough good about it except to say that maybe it is too short!

A fascinating book
This book developed a fascination within me for the history of this time period.With this book you will feel as though you are riding with Napolean's army on one page and the next you will be a Russian watching your capital be sacked.Tolstoy's beautifully woven tale is a master piece.The book is intimidating due to its size, but it is well worth the time and effort. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1903 edition by Grant Richards, London. ... Read more

Book Description
This volume contains Tales for Children, including "God Sees the Truth, but Waits," "A Prisoner in the Caucasus," and "The Bear-Hunt"; Popular Stories including, "What Men Live By," "A Spark Neglected Burns the House," "Two Old Men," and "Where Love Is, God Is"; a Fairy Tale, "The Story of Ivan the Fool"; stories written to pictures, including "Evil Allures, but Good Endures," "Little Girls Wiser Than Men," and "Elias"; folktales retold, including "The Three Hermits," "The Imp and the Crust," "How Much Land Does a Man Need?," "A Grain as Big as a Hen's Egg," "The Godson," "The Repentant Sinner," and "The Empty Drum"; adaptations from the French, "The Coffee-House of Surat," "Too Dear!"; and stories given to aid the persecuted Jews, "Esarhaddon, King of Assyria," "Work, Death and Sickness," and "Three Questions."Download Description
ONCE upon a time, in a certain province of a certain country, there lived a rich peasant, who had three sons: Simon the Soldier, Taras the Stout, and Ivan the Fool, besides an unmarried daughter, Martha, who was deaf and dumb. Simon the Soldier went to the wars to serve the king; Taras the Stout went to a merchant's in town to trade, and Ivan the Fool stayed at home with the lass, to till the ground till his back bent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Take a look at REAL Christian Fiction
While thousands of books have been written to tell us what Christianity is all about, there are few works outside the parables in the Gospels themselves that actually show us what it really is all about.In this book you will find some stories that are short and simple, others longer and more complex in structure, but all of them with the signature of the literary giant who after receiving world recognition for his masterpieces "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" converted to Christianity and gave up the then popular idea of art for art's sake for one where art always serves a higher purpose.That is very clear in this volume, where the stories simple plot lines and explicitly stated "moral of the story" at the end of each one make few demands on the reader in regards to interpretation, but nonetheless leave one pondering on its meaning long after having finished it. At a time when the term "Christian Fiction" has sadly come to mean catastrophic, apocalyptic tales with Jesus a harsh, merciless judge who has little in common with the gentle Teacher in the gospels who talks to people in parables; preachers, priests, and other clergymen would do well to encourage people to read this book which drives home the meaning of timeless Christian truths (i.e. love of one's neighbor, self-sacrifice, redemption through suffering, the futility of man's efforts without God's grace, etc..) in a way few others have been able to do. ... Read more

Book Description
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) commonly referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer - novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher - as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. He was the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy family. His first publications were three autobiographical novels, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852-1856). They tell of a rich landowner's son and his slow realization of the differences between him and his peasants. As a fiction writer Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all novelists, particularly noted for his masterpieces War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). In their scope, breadth and realistic depiction of 19th-century Russian life, the two books stand at the peak of realist fiction. As a moral philosopher Tolstoy was notable for his ideas on nonviolent resistance through works such as The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894).Download Description
In Petersburg in the eighteen-forties a surprising event occurred.An officer of the Cuirassier Life Guards, a handsome prince who everyone predicted would become aide-de-camp to the Emperor Nicholas I and have a brilliant career, left the service, broke off his engagement to a beautiful maid of honour, a favourite of the Empress's, gave his small estate to his sister, and retired to a monastery to become a monk. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Magnificent Achievement
"Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the
Buonapartes. But I warn you, if you don't tell me that this means war,
if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by
that Antichrist--I really believe he is Antichrist--I will have
nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend, no longer
my 'faithful slave,' as you call yourself! But how do you do? I see
I have frightened you--sit down and tell me all the news."

- Anna Pavlovna in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

It was 1805 and the novel opens up at a reception given by Anna. With these words she greeted Prince Vasili Kuragin who we learn in the novel is a personage of stature and importance among the St. Petersburg elite.

Anna is referring to Napoleon as the antichrist, she feels that he is routing Europe; and that the king of Russia, Alexander I, must save them all against this terrible and dreadful man.

And so begins one of the most famous masterpieces of all time.

WAR AND PEACE has a simple plot which encompasses the valiant attempts by the Russian people to hold off a military invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and the French. Some of the segments of the novel deal with war strategy which could have benefited leaders if they simply perhaps had read Tolstoy.

As the story begins we find that the Russians have formed an unlikely alliance with the Austrians. Because of this alliance, we find the small and inadequate Russian army having to march from Moscow to Austria. That in of itself is daunting.

This alliance falters at best and as a consequence the Russian army loses almost all of its army resulting oddly enough in several years of peace. The Russian aristocracy does not have to make any sacrifices at first and their lives continue just as before. Thus the meaning of the title, WAR AND PEACE.

However, after 1810, another five years later, we find Napoleon becoming more successful in Europe and worries arise that he will plan next to invade the Russian homeland. In June of 1812, he does precisely that which the Russian people and the army feared most: he crossed the frontiers into Russia and the real war began.

As Tolstoy described, "an event took place that was contrary to all human reason and human nature."

We meet the Bolkonski's (the elder Prince, the younger Prince Andrei, his sister Princess Marya, Andrei's pregnant wife Lize), the Rostov's (the Count and Countess, Vera, Nicholai, Natasha, Sonya and Petya), the Bezukhov's (the dying Count, his illegitimate son Pierre and various relations to the dying man), the Kuragin's (Prince Vasili and his wife, the beautiful Helene, Anatole, and Hippolyte), Denisov, Dolohov, Boris, Kutuzov (the general) and about 600 characters in the book. The primary ones are the ones that I have named.

Prince Andrei and Count Pierre Bezukhov (very important Tolstoy characters) are opposites in every way; yet are friends and their friendship, separate lives and families play a critical role in Tolstoy's novel. The Bolkonski's and the Rostov's lives weave and bind together as one goes further into the novel and these threads of their lives become a strong and durable fabric which will support these families as they progress through their respective years together. Though each of us, as do these characters, exercises free will; the decisions that we make (even years before certain life's events) depict the relationships that all of our decisions have upon each other and the impact they have on our future happiness or prosperity. Tolstoy even takes a detour at the end of the novel and digresses "much more than he should" about this and that...and how power is bestowed and basically how we reap what we sow (a familiar Tolstoy theme not always related to agriculture).

The novel is quite long, and that is the reason I found that I picked up this book in the past and then put it down (not completely grasping the naming structures and not having time I felt to give it my full attention). However, after having finally taken the time to read this great manuscript, it really is a simple story about life, love (true or not), loyalty, friendship, responsibility (real accountability or feigned) and leadership. It is also once again a story of families and their love for each other and how they are able to show their love for one another or how the love is still present; but remains emotionally hidden or ineffectual. And it is a story of how one must understand the true meaning of life and must be content in one's own skin; before love can truly blossom and be realized.

Truthfully, the plot does revolve around the aspects of war and peace as it relates to Napoleon invading Russia; but it also shows a country growing and changing as the characters do in the novel. Each one of the families goes through its own reflective period of war and peace in their own lives as well. The story line is superb...if you like historical fiction; and the characterizations and their development are unparalleled.

Some Helpful Suggestions:

1. Take the time to read and/or listen to an unabridged version of this masterpiece (like the one done by Neville Jason). Just start out slowly and read a few chapters every day if you are limited in time. It is one of those novels that can be reread and not only do you enjoy the story line each time; you also come away from it learning a lot about life itself and you can profit from this reflection while embarking on your own personal path. Some of the events may ring true with your own life or with your own family. Even though the country and/or time period may be different; life, heart felt emotion remain quite the same.
2. Secure a translation that you like and/or a reader you can stay with. Go to your local bookstore and/or sample a chapter on line to see if you like the language used; do you like a more traditional translation much like Tolstoy's own language or would you prefer more modern jargon and interpretations. I prefer the traditional; but that is not always what works for everyone. If you want to listen to the book, make sure to listen to samples of the reader's voice to make sure that their voice is palatable to your tastes. Everyone's taste in sound is different.
3. Join a book club or an on line discussion group to keep you going and/or read or listen to the book with a friend or family member. These discussions will add to the enjoyment of reading this masterpiece. It really is meant (I feel) to be shared.
4. Get used to the Russian naming conventions and their use of nicknames. Write them down as you come across them and then you will know which characters to associate with which nicknames the next time. Nicknames are common with us today as well. If a girl's name is Jennifer, some may call her Jennifer, Jen, Jenny or if her middle name is Patricia (JP for short) and different members of the family could call her different pet names. This Russian novel is no different than real life.
5. I gave the following assistance when I reviewed Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and the characters and names in War and Peace follow the same rules regarding patronymics and names with three parts. Here is a reprint of the suggestion: "Sometimes the names of the characters themselves can be confusing: so a hint to the reader might be to think of each Russian character's name as having THREE PARTS: the FIRST part is the first name (examples here are for Levin and Kitty) like Konstantin or Ekaterina, the SECOND part is a patronymic which is the father's first name accompanied by a suffix which means son of or daughter of like Dmitrich (son of Dmitri) or Alexandrovna (daughter of Alexander) and then the THIRD part which is the surname like Levin or Shcherbatskaya. Thus the explanations of the three part names for Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya (nicknamed Kitty) and for Konstantin Dmitrich Levin (Levin).

War and Peace is not a novel to be missed; very much like Anna Karenina (both by Leo Tolstoy). With both, but especially with War and Peace, you must envision that you will finish the book and keep at it. It really is not hard; you will get to know the characters in the book as if they were family members or best friends with all of their strengths and their frailties - the spectrum that makes these characters real in their humanness.

Note: I like the Constance Garnett translation (it was my preference); of course, it is a matter of personal taste and comfort and that is why I suggested one read a chapter to see if they are accepting of the language and of the translator. A very important choice and decision. FYI: Ms. Garnett passed away in 1946 and had traveled to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yasnaya Polyana during her lifetime and actually met Leo Tolstoy. She remains very close to the syntax and the vocabulary of the original. Her translations of all of the Russian authors at the time were highly acclaimed. You may prefer the traditional or there is a newer translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky which may resolve issues for those who want a more purist translation done by a Russian linquist.


Rating: 5 stars - A+(Very highly recommended)

Bentley/October 2007

War and Peace (Penguin Popular Classics)
... Read more

Book Description

"In the Days of Serfdom" and Other Stories, originally published in 1911, presents in miniature themes developed in Tolstoy's longer works War and Peace and Anna Karenina. The compelling stories in this collection have largely been ignored by contemporary scholars and teachers because of their general unavailability. Now in paperback for the first time since their original publication, the stories reveal new thematic and stylisitic dimensions to Tolstoy's oeuvre.

While not all of the stories deal with actual serfdom, they all address the legacy of serfdom, of choicelessness, in Tolstoy's Russia. These stories are also thoroughly modern, concerned as they are with the market economy, changing values, and women's roles in society. Artistically and historically significant, they constitute ethical and spiritual questionings that deal with lives out of control, with characters making sense of the experience of living.

Customer Reviews (1)

A fine collection of some little-known stories
This collection consists of the 1863 novella "Polikoushka" (which the Maudes chose to translate as "In the Days of Serfdom") and the stories "A Prayer," "Korney Vasilyev," "Strawberries," "Why?" and "God's Way and Man's," each written in 1905 or 1906.It might seem an odd choice to juxtapose works written over 40 years apart, especially since Tolstoy's great religious conversion--generally seen as the major dividing line in his writing career--took place around 1880, but there's actually more continuity here than one might expect.

"Polikoushka" deals with events surrounding the recruitment of troops from an estate into the army.A member of a peasant family is chosen as the estate's last recruit instead of the title character, a domestic serf, but a tragedy that occurs to Polikoushka changes the course of things."A Prayer" is Tolstoy's brief attempt to come to terms with the tragedy of a child's death. "Korney Vasilyev" deals with a man who returns home to make amends many years after crippling his daughter and leaving his wife upon learning of his wife's adultery. "Strawberries" sets the idle chatter of liberal aristocrats against the simple life of the berry-gathering peasant children living near them. "Why?" tells the story of a Polish revolutionary who is sent to Siberia and of the woman who joins him there to marry him and some years later tries to escape with him. "God's Way and Man's" is about two imprisoned 1870's radicals, one of whom finds peace in Tolstoy's Sermon on the Mount-based version of Christianity shortly before his execution, and the other of whom is shattered to learn of the futility of his revolutionary pursuits.

All of these works show Tolstoy's impressive sensitivity toward his characters, andwe see much of his disillusionment with the artificial customs of Russian life, from the pointless meeting of the steward with the proprietress in "Polikoushka" to the absurd wording of the death sentence in "God's Way and Man's.""Polikoushka" is unusual among Tolstoy's pre-conversion work for focusing on peasants, which helps it seem at home among his later works.As for the other five stories, although by the time he wrote them Tolstoy had come to believe that the only worthwhile purpose of art was to provide a clear moral and infect the audience with the spirit of brotherly love, these stories (especially the longer ones) are really more nuanced than that.Just as Tolstoy had a hard time putting the values of Tolstoyism into practice in his personal life, it seems that in his art he couldn't help writing works more complex and interesting than what he believed to be appropriate (though he still certainly makes his message come through).

The back of the book claims that these stories are "now in paperback for the first time since their original publication," which isn't really true: the Gordon Spence-translated "Divine and Human and Other Stories" contains three of the stories (there's also a Peter Sekirin-translated book called "Divine and Human" that contains all five of the 1905-06 stories from this volume, but that book seems to be available only in hardcover).However, I'm not aware of any English-language book containing "Polikoushka," which is a very good work and the highlight of this collection, so I would tend to recommend this volume over either of the others.

These stories don't quite reach the level of Tolstoy's very best short works (I have in mind "The Death of Ivan Ilich," "The Kreutzer Sonata," and "Master and Man"), but they're still quite good, so if you've liked some of his other short stories and novellas you should take a look at this volume. ... Read more