War and Peace (Wordsworth Classics)

This book has been on my reading list for a long time, but for some reason I have avoided picking it up - Perhaps because of the size (I am against Kindles in principle), or perhaps because of the stigma attached to this mammoth classic, I just assumed it was going to be beyond my mental faculties and I was certain I was never going to be able to finish it. I could not have been more wrong. It took me a month to read, it was never a chore to pick up and now that I have finished it, I miss it. This book is many things - It is a study on how war affects life of men and women, it is a detailed analysis of the was tactics during the Napoleonic war with Russia, it is a family saga, a coming of age tale, a quest for the meaning of life, a romance, an ode to Russia and, above all, a 900-odd page tale of what makes us human. Don't let the huge cast put you off, as the central cast is small enough, and the characters vivid enough to pose no problem in telling them apart. We have large, awkward, well-meaning lost soul Pierre, illegitimate and massively wealthy, and his devastating and unfaithful wife Helene. Then we have Prince Andrew; moody, elegant, intelligent, capable, vulnerable, a perfect masculine hero. His pious sister Princess Mary is one of the strongest female characters; She starts out plain, timid, terrorized by her father, resigned to her destiny as a spinster, but as we get to know her we see she has a heart of gold and incredible strength. Then we have the Rostovs, with the distre Count Ilya at the head of the family slowly driving them to financial ruin, the over-bearing and hysterical Countess and her children - Nicholas, Petya and not least, Natasha - Enchanting, innocent, impetuous, full of life and energy and vivacity. There is Sonya, the poor relation living with the Rostovs whose only comfort is her unwavering love for Nicholas and her satisfaction in sacrificing herself for her benefactors. There are beautiful villains like the dangerous Dholokov and Helene`s selfish, spoiled brothers, Anatole and Hippolyte. Then you have comrades in arms like Denisov, the hairy, loud well meaning friend of Nicholas Rostov and Platon, Pierre`s companion as a prisoner of war. There are cameos by Napoleon himself as well as Tsar Alexander, and a myriad of characters slipping in and out of the tale whose only importance is to create the rich, detailed and heady backdrop of this epic tale. I found myself gasping, laughing, crying and shuddering (make no mistake - the scenes of war and its aftermath are - as they should be - graphic and disturbing), as well as blown away by some of the profundity of Tolstoy's observations of human habits. I think this book should probably be read more than once, as all the intricacies are too many and too tightly packed on the page to be picked up in one read-through. My advice is, invest in a hard-back copy, try to rid yourself of any preconceptions before you pick it up for the first time, and go back to it every now and then. This is the hum-dinger of all classics, and an absolute must for all dedicated readers.

Worth Reading.

I've finally finished the book everyone has heard of but very few have read.Like a great many worthwhile things in life,it rewards effort.958 closely typed pages aren't going to be read quickly but stick in there as this book truly is an epic.It tells the story of several russian families from 1804 until after the 1812 campaign through,as it says on the cover,war and peace.The story alternates between Russia's wars with napolean and the characters who participate in them and the lives of those left behind at home. To be quite honest i sometimes found some of the peace parts a drag but Tolstoys accounts of the wars are outstanding and riveting-the notes say he served in war as a soldier in his own times and this is evident in his writing. There are a vast range of both main and secondary characters in the book,it can be quite difficult to keep up at times,but for a novel with such an epic scope this couldnt be otherwise.All the characters are three dimensional,secondary as well as main. I've often found in reading other 19th century novels that there seems to be a lot of "padding"-why use one word when twenty will do?I do not feel that this is something you could say with this book-its very long but it has a lot of ground to cover. The only fault i could give to the actual book is the constant need to flick back and fore to the notes at the end;They might better have been included as footnotes though of course the edition is maybe trying to remain true to the original page numbering so this may not have been possible.The book itself kept its shape and binding well,theres not even a spine crease despite the 1 and a half months of reading!I paid £1.74 for this,i think the value for money speaks for itself. In closing,I feel that the biggest compliment i could give this is that any novelists reading it must surely despair at what they have to aspire to.Supurb

الحمدلله انه متبهدلش من محتويات كرتونه امازون🥹 الكتاب رائع وسعر اروع الخط صغير جدا جدا بس طبعا عشان عدد الصفحات ضخم

The book cover is lovely and so are its contents. War and Peace is the kind of novel that draws you in with its depth and emotional richness. Every page feels alive with meaning, and even though it’s a long read, it’s deeply rewarding. It’s a story that makes you reflect on life, humanity, and the passage of time in a way few books can.

If you made the text a little bigger and increased the price a little more, no one would complain.

This book is absolutely amazing. It is magnificent as a literary piece. It completely deserves its title of best literature piece of all times. It is very long over 900 pages and the writings are very small so it takes a while to read it. However the literature and the story plot are thought out beautifully and skillfully. Dozens of main characters and each described in details. It is sad, happy, funny and then provocative. It is definitely full of surprises. It is hard to predict the outcome if you have no clue about the book. That is why it is awesome. In the end you are shocked with the outcome. It is a must read book. A literature treasure.

Well the review is regarding the delivery and condition of the book. I received the book on 2nd day after placing order. so yes the delivery was pretty fast but it might vary in your case depending upon the location where it has to be delivered. Speaking about the condition of the book, as you can see in the pictures it is excellent. The print too is very good,there is no over printing or faded text which is generally the main issue with paperbacks. The text size is a little small but you have to bear with it as i guess it is similar in other publications too since the book is quite elaborate with more than 500000 word count. But that wont be the problem as after a while you get used to it. For just 130 rs + delivery it is value for money. Though i was expecting a bookmark too, which was not delivered with the book . Summing up! It is an excellent purchase.