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War and Peace

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

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War and Peace

By: Leo Tolstoy
Narrated by: Paterson Joseph, John Hurt, Simon Russell Beale, Alun Armstrong, Lesley Manville, Stephen Campbell Moore, Roger Allam
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About this listen

Paterson Joseph, John Hurt, Lesley Manville and Harriet Walter are among the cast of BBC Radio 4's epic full-cast dramatisation. Adapted for radio by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Leo Tolstoy's epic story follows the fortunes of three Russian aristocratic families during the Napoleonic War. First broadcast on New Year's Day 2015, the drama also features Alun Armstrong, Natasha Little, David Calder, Phoebe Fox, Sam Reid and Joanna David. Duration: 10 hours approx.

©2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Classics Drama & Plays Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Russian & Soviet World Literature Funny

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Critic reviews

"Tolstoy's imagined world is recreated on air brilliantly by the extraordinary cast." ( The Spectator)
All stars
Most relevant
excellent very well presented, great story telling cast, I was very surprised I enjoyed it so much

War and peace excellent

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A dramatic and encapsulating performance of each character's storylines and development, with thought-provoking questions and narratives throughout. Some shocks dashed here and there makes this a compelling listen.
However, due to the creative and immersive way the audio has been mixed and engineered, it is best enjoyed in a quiet space. Character dialogue can sometimes sound rather distant and quiet at first, so limit the noise around you so you can get lost in the characters' storytelling.

A fantastic and thought-provoking story

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I read War and Peace over 20 years ago. Even by the time I finished I could remember little - too many names, too many threads. I had scant overall sense of it then (despite loving much of Tolstoy's other writing) and practically none at all now.

This radio adaptation, however, is brilliant, bringing it all together, giving voices to the names, and the excellent actors giving character to those voices. At last it has come alive, and almost brought me to tears three times near the end.

With those voices and emotions still with me I now feel moved to return to the original again - in audiobook too - for the 55 hour plunge into Napoleonic Russia. That's a big turnaround.

I can't recommend this radio play / audiobook highly enough. Reading Tolstoy in translation is always going to be an adaptation of sorts; this one has taken that on fully, found a unifying point in the story and woven all the threads back to that moment, making sense of the whole and bringing the myriad characters to life. This is the BBC at its best.

This audiobook restored the original to me

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A superb adaptation, gripping and moving in equal measure. Fine performances from the whole cast, which includes some of the greatest actors around.

Brilliant adaptation of very great novel

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loved it. a feast for the ears. wonderful cast. a modern way of telling the story as it is all in flashback. I imagine they are all sitting on cushions listening to the story. it's a gem!

wonderful

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