War and Peace Book 1

Name: War and Peace Book 1
Author: Leo Tolstoy
ISBN: 9781802563047

Author: Leo Tolstoy
Read by: Eloise Fairfax
Language: English
Length: 4 hours 41 minutes
ISBN: 9781802563047
Published: 5 February 2025
Imprint: Sovereign

Russia
aristocracy
Napoleon
war
family
love
society
ambition
1805
inheritance

All titles

Description

"War and Peace," an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy, unfolds during the Napoleonic era in Russia. The narrative intertwines five aristocratic families amidst the tumult of war and societal change. Amidst political intrigue and military campaigns, Pierre Bezukhov inherits a vast fortune, embarking on a quest for meaning and spiritual fulfillment. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, disillusioned by the futility of war after severe injury, grapples with love, despair, and the search for purpose. Natasha Rostova, a vivacious young woman, experiences passionate love, heartbreak, and personal growth. The novel masterfully juxtaposes individual destinies against the sweeping backdrop of history, exploring themes of free will versus historical determinism, the human capacity for change, and the timeless questions of war's destructive nature and peace's elusive pursuit.

Author

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was born to a titled family at Yasnaya Polyana, served in the Crimean War, and wrote the two novels that made Russian fiction a world event: War and Peace and Anna Karenina. The first holds a nation at war and at home; the second holds a marriage until it breaks. Later he turned from the worldly novel toward essays and moral tales, arguing with church, property, and his own fame. One hundred and six titles here.

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