Whatever it is called, it is a triumph whose breadth and depth is perhaps unmatched in literature. Tolstoy himself refused to call it that, saying it was ânot a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle.â It contains elements of history, narrative, and philosophy, the latter increasing in quantity as the book moves towards its climax. War and Peace is generally considered to be Tolstoyâs masterpiece, a pinnacle of Russian literature, and one of historyâs great novels. Hundreds of characters populate War and Peace, many of them historical persons, including Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I, and all of them come to life under Tolstoyâs deft hand. Part of the EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannicaâs Great Books of the Western WorldĪgainst the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, five aristocratic families in Russia are transformed by the vagaries of life, by war, and by the intersection of their lives with each other. Translated by Louise Maude and Aylmer Maude. Standard Ebooksĥ70,063 words (34 hours 33 minutes) with a reading ease of 69.41 (fairly easy) Translated by Louise Maude and Aylmer Maude - Free ebook download - Standard Ebooks: Free and liberated ebooks, carefully produced for the true book lover. Andrei sees Natasha and falls in love, but his father will only permit the marriage if.

A few months later, Pierre and Andrei meet again.

Andrei is captured and later released by the French, and returns home only to watch his wife die in childbirth. The marriage ends when Pierre discovers his wife's true nature.

He is attracted to Natasha Rostov (Audrey Hepburn), Nikolai's sister, but she is too young, so he gives in to baser desires and marries the shallow, manipulative Princess Helene (Anita Ekberg). Pierre's life changes when his father dies, leaving him a vast inheritance. Count Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), a friend of Andrei's, and self-styled intellectual, who is not interested in fighting. Amongst the Russian soldiers, are Count Nikolai Rostov (Jeremy Brett) and Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer). Russia, one of the few countries still unconquered, prepares to face Napoleon's troops together with Austria. By 1812, Napoleon's (Herbert Lom's) forces controlled much of Europe.

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