War and Peace (Abridged 4 CDs)

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Summary: War and Peace is a great masterpiece
Review: War and Peace is a beautiful book written about Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Leo Tolstoy's mastery of language is shown as he ties the lives of five Russian families into the history of the war. This book is written in a way that allows the reader to be comfortable. With the details of people's lives and the action of war in the background this book is not a bore. War and Peace is a must have for the library of any avid reader.

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Summary: [e-mail]
Review: When I sit down and read a book, I look for several things. I look for significance. I look for meaning. I look for a good story. I found all of those here. However, what I did not find was myself. I always look for myself in a book. As I read the endless but addictive pages of Tolstoy's classic masterpiece, I found myriads and myriads of characters. I did not find one that was courageous, loving, bashful, angry, shy, ticklish, confused, clear-thinking, beautiful, handsome, tall, big-boned, wonderful, life-of-the-party, interesting, creative, and desirable. These are all qualities that I identify as my own. Although I found several characters that had one or more of these qualities, there was not one character who had them all. I am that missing character. I am the missing piece in what might have been the greatest novel of all time. I wanted to magically jump into the plot. But since I could not, I am giving this novel one star. Tolstoy is a magnificent author, and he is much better than, let's say Dickens, Swift, Hugo, Dostoyevsky, both Brontes, both Shellys, and both Shakespeares. But he does not compare to Dr. Seuss or the guy who wrote Pride and Prejudice. Please e-mail me back any responses you have to my brilliant criticsm.

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Summary: It took me 4 months, but I finished
Review: I lived with the characters for 4 months. Now that I have finished, I miss spending 30-45 minutes per day with their struggles. The book is a pleasure. I appreciate the beauty of the writing in each paragraph, more than the novel as a whole. Some sentences you have to read 3 or 4 times, as they are so perfectly constructed. I did not mind the portions related to historical philosophy. But I do agree that he went a little overboard in implying that Napolean's genius fell on him and his accomplishments were only the result of conditions present at the time. In terms of classic literature, I must rank War and Peace second only to Les Miserables.

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Summary: One of the top five Novels ever written
Review: War and Peace in really about five aristocratic Russian families Through times of war and peace. It is sometimes hard to fallow the characters, but I had very little problems fallowing the characters. It does take more of an effort though. I read the Unabridged version, which was a bit more difficult, because it keeps the russian flavor to it. Just when you get usto the Natasha Character you have Tata, Tashkalana ... , all the same person but refered to in a playful or serious way. A couple other great books by Tolstoy are Anna Karenina and Reserection

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Summary: Book of a lifetime
Review: I first read this masterpiece twenty years ago when I was 14: reading it again reminds me of how great a writer and genius Tolstoy was, and what he had to say to us about destiny and human happiness. I think it's the best of his works and the one book that is only second to "The Brothers Karamazov".

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Summary: Not bad, but not Karenina- not piercing, too revolving...
Review: I sometimes read War and Peace in the dull hours of the early morning. I find that the revolving interaction of the 5 familys during the wars leaves a lot unsaid: this I cannot appreciate. Anna Karenina was much more insightful and passionate. I always get a distanced feel from War and Peace, a feel that Tolstoy: never a soldier: did not know the battlefields he spoke of. And yet I continue to read it in those hours.

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Summary: Absolute Perfection
Review: I wish there were more stars to rate this book- it is absolutely brilliant. After finishing this, Tolstoy instantly became my second favorite writer (Victor Hugo being the top, and in my view, unreachable). Depsite its immense length, this book reads rather quickly and every bit is interesting and directly related to the plot. Tolstoy's parallel structure of the Napoleonic war and the interactions of five socially elite families creates a true masterpiece. The characters are fantastic, namely Prince Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, who struggle their way into Tolstoy greatness. I cannot say enough good things about this book- highly recommended for anyone who enjoys LIFE. A side note: buying Cliffs Notes and reading them along with the novel is a definite help, especially for keeping characters straight. This is one to read over and over, to study thoroughly, and then read through again. I have discovered new enchantments with each reading. Everybody knows this nov! el by its name and immediately associates the title with length, but it is a work of genius. Definitely ought be required reading for everyone on the planet.

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Summary: The Original
Review: Is it possible to give this book anything but five stars? Everything I have read since, including many of the other classics seem to borrow from Tolstoy's style. There are many other original books out there, but remember that this is the original novel.

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Summary: War and Peace is brillant and timeless.
Review: War and Peace is a testement to the unchanging nature of mankind. As an amature novelist and voracious reader, I am constantly scouring the world of literature for hints of the true meaning of man's struggle in the universe. Leo Tolstoy has displayed the full nature of this struggle in dazzling magnificence. From the post-modernists to the magical realists to the lore of Faulkner and the like, I am constantly discovering ideas and themes within great modern literature that seem unique to our time, only to find that all of it -- the whole ironic gauntlet of living as a human -- has already been displayed by Tolstoy with such grace and splendid honesty that it would be impossible to surmount what he has already accomplished. From the spiritual turmoil of Count Bezukhov, to the avant garde lifestyle of Anatole Kuragin, to the madness of Nepoleon, every aspect of the human condition is rendered in such epic proportion and stark reality that the characters step from the black print into your mind with the easy of the master's endlessly flowing pen. Brillant!

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Summary: Amazing book!
Review: I have read this novel thrice, the first time being when I was just 12 years old. Now I am 18, and Tolstoy's writing doesn't cease to amaze me. Each time I engross myself in the novel, I find something new, something that wasn't there before. I would recommend this piece of literature to everyone, young or old.