War and Peace

By: Leo Tolstoy

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 61 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Often called the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is at once an epic of the Napoleonic wars, a philosophical study, and a celebration of the Russian spirit. Tolstoy's genius is clearly seen in the multitude of characters in this massive chronicle, all of them fully realized and equally memorable. Out of this complex narrative emerges a profound examination of the individual's place in the historical process, one that makes it clear why Thomas Mann praised Tolstoy for his Homeric powers and placed War and Peace in the same category as The Iliad.

War and Peace was translated by Constance Garnett.

Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio

wow

What was one of the most memorable moments of War and Peace?

was Tolstoys’ assessment of free will he said the factors that limited it were time and space. Take as an expression of freewill me lifting my arm my freedom is limited by space I cannot lift it any direction I choose or through any objects that obstruct it. Just as limiting is time because in order to show that my raised arm is an act of free will I must show I could have not raised my arm which because time is a one way street is impossible. So when I look into the past I can see that at that moment, because of the series of events leading up to it, I had no choice but to raise my arm in an attempt to prove my free will.I think it is the infinity of time and space that lead us to have the necessity of creating a framework with which to reference our existence, us supercomputers risen from the earth and water. What do we know about our existence? Well the piece of infinity we have to work with is pretty small and any piece of infinity is almost zero. How do we make the most of the piece that we have? I have read that it is estimated that we can focus our attention on about 25000 bits per second but the subconscious records hundreds of thousands. So it seems to me we need to enlist our subconscious to make the most of what we have to work with and point our consciousness where it will be most be the most effective in creating a positive effect if we want to make the most of our free will. I think it is our beliefs that direct our subconscious to determine where we focus our attention. Tolstoy’s novel is about the French invasion of Russia and there is only one person Kitrusov, the commander in chief, who’s beliefs align with reality in a way that it allows him to focus his attention where his free will, such as it is, will do the most good. He alone sees the inevitability of the events that have been set in motion. That Napoleans’ army cannot be stopped or checked in it’s drive to Moscow and to stand in its way would lose the Russian army just as he saw the French army was doomed once it got there it was too late in the season all stores had been burned and it will melt away burdened with plunder trying to make it back to France through the harsh Russian winter and did his best to hold the Russian army back though half of it was lost through the exuberance with which the Russian soldier would undergo forced marches poorly clad through the snow with the thought of getting at the invader.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

ha ha

Great classic with a terrible narrator.

The performance was very disappointing. Absolutely terrible. It's a shame since War and Peace is such a classic.

I'm so grateful to Tolstoy to the reader, Bravo!

Indeed one of the greatest novels of all time and I am so happy that I took the time to read and study this incredible Masterpiece!

Shockingly Horrible narration!!

I love this story but I can’t listen to this guy!! Don’t bother even though it’s free.

amazing

Narrator with many intonations which made book even more interesting. Very easy to listen.

A long listen but worth the time and effort

While the characters are fictional, it gives a human element to the chaos that was the Napoleonic wars. As you listen, you find yourself contemplating the motivations of the characters and their actions. It gives a glimpse of what life would be like in the lead up to war, how civilians and soldiers do their best to survive in the chaos of it all, and how they resume normality after the guns fall silent.

awesome

awesome. loved the epilogue. highly recommended. it was hard keeping track of the segments as they have their own chapters..

meh

from the beginning, this book is hard to follow, and did not capture my interest

yuh

ggbb h h b uh hn bh ub tv un tv un yb un yb njyb un yb im byb nu.

War and Peace - timeless treasure.

get thru this book at least once in your life! Narration is superb, I wonder how he kept all those characters straight.