Community Reviews
(Audiobook) - Honestly, although it was well written and had several novels worth of excellent material, it also had several novels worth of boring, repetitive, overwrought garbage. I don't think the length is at all justified and I generally found it to be overrated. Even if you were to make an abridged version that cut out all the parts not to my taste - namely the romance - or at least cut them down to their bare minimum, it would still be a pretty flawed book with some really strong parts (battlefield epiphanies, Pierre's various shifts in purpose and philosophy, the historical analysis) that often get repeated and lots of filler. I'm glad I got all the way through though. Also, I will admit my opinion may have been influenced by a poor audio performance (by Thandiwe Newton - she was particularly bad at male voices and all foreign accents and Natasha, in other words huge amounts of the dialogue).
War and Peace is the Everest of world literature. Climbing it is an undertaking that defines a reader, leaves an indelible mark, and changes the way one looks at life, history, and human relationships.
If you decide to read it, my advice is: take your time, use a character guide, and, above all, abandon the idea of "finishing it." Accept its pace, as you would accept that of a majestic river. The reward is proportional to the effort.
If you decide to read it, my advice is: take your time, use a character guide, and, above all, abandon the idea of "finishing it." Accept its pace, as you would accept that of a majestic river. The reward is proportional to the effort.
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