Better than I remembered

I read War and Peace about thirty years ago. Having now completed listening to both volumes all I can say is it is better than I remembered. As a twenty year old I was obsessed with the lives of the protagonists. Now I'm in my fifties I was much more interested in Tolstoy's discussion of the how the war happened almost independently of the activities of Emperors and Generals. The final epilogue to volume 2 is a fascinating discussion of free will.



The narration was excellent throughout. I will definitely be listening to some more "classics".

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14 people found this helpful

Over 30 hours of dramatic history!

I have always meant to read War & Peace. A real 'bucket list' entry! It took me years to finally purchase the paperbacks and I only managed to find time to wrestle with the first chapter weeks later. I then hunted for it on Audible! Sublime! Well spoken diction and French inflections, makes the book all the more satisfying. It took me 2months to make my way through over 30 hours of book one and again in book two but it was worth every minute. Sat in traffic has never been more appealing than listening to the plight of Moscow and its aristocratic inhabitants during this most turbulent period. A must read for anyone and everyone!

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4 people found this helpful

It's very long!

Volume 1 and Volume 2:

Quite a challenge, but I guess that is why I took it on. Keeping a written list of the characters that make up the five main families in the book really helped me. (They are introduced during a party at the very beginning.) Also I followed Spark Notes as I went along, that helped me in understanding the very many characters who popped up briefly during the long plot, and the deeper meaning behind the story being told.

This is about the Napoleonic wars, and especially the 1812 invasion of Russia, so reading up some history before starting the book was worthwhile. That is the War part. The peace part is reflected in the "soap opera" among the 5 families - the usual period drama stuff about who loves whom, who actually has money, and so with that in mind, who will actually marry whom.

Amongst all this the narrator keeps jumping in with his philosophical thoughts on Freewill & Inevitability and their role in wars and history. For the whole of the two hour Epilogue-2, we hear nothing else.

So in all, I would say it is well worth the read, but it takes effort if you are to get anything out of it and not just let it wash over you as you doze. The quality of the writing is excellent.

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Classic despite the unexpected philosophising

Loved this book. Totally engaging from start to finish expertly characterised by Neville Jason. Tick on this years audio bucket list. 70 odd hours of listening pleasure.

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What a masterpiece!

Seriously I did not want this to end. For a book that I put off for so long ....it turns out to be one of the best. The description of actual war I just takes your breadth away. I’ve never read anything like this. I think it’s totally undersold. Then again that’s probably the reward and there has to be one after the time that you invest into this. It’s a test. Get past the first 25 hours and then everything clicks into place with the tide of your life.

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A Hard But Worthwhile Slog

Listening to Tolstoy's epic novel is probably easier than reading it as it was hard-going at times. The interminable descriptions of battle were particularly tedious but the interwoven fates of the various families balanced it out.

The epilogue was the most interesting part. Philosophical musings on the nature of mankind, the history of warfare, and an analysis of both the powerful and the powerless.

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Outstanding

Echoing a lot of the reviewers here, this is the pinnacle of audiobooks. Tolstoy's treaties on free will and history are very interesting and definitely something I'll need to revisit.

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surprisingly good book Excellent narrator

It's a actually a great book and it does not sound old fashioned or slow. good reader

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Great reading of a classic!

If it were up to the reading alone, I would give this audiobook at least a four-star. Neville Jason read it well and made it enjoyable to listen to. Unfortunately, as highly praised as the book is, I did not enjoy it as much. It's long, and at times winded. I am not one to be daunted by big books, and without a doubt Tolstoy's writing is lasting, but the vastness of the tale just did not manage to capture me. At times the story managed to transported me to 19th century Russia, but other times it talked about such miniscule things and so many people that I just couldn't keep my interest at bay. I enjoyed the Peace part, not so much the War part or the essaying like in the Second Epilogue.

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4 people found this helpful

I'm afraid we abandoned this

We enjoyed book one and having invested over 45 hours in the story really wanted to persevere and see it through to the end but the philosophical meanderings just got too tedious for us. We're probably just to plebby to enjoy it properly!

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1 person found this helpful