Tolstoy said that the best Russian literature does not conform to standards and hence hesitated to classify War and Peace, saying it is "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle". Portions of an earlier version, titled The Year 1805, were serialized in The Russian Messenger from 1865 to 1867 before the novel was published in its entirety in 1869. The book highlights the impact of Napoleon on Tsarist society through five interlocking narratives following different Russian aristocratic families. The work chronicles the Napoleonic era within Russia, notably detailing the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath. It is regarded as Tolstoy's finest literary achievement and remains an internationally praised classic of world literature. First published serially beginning in 1865, the work was rewritten and published in its entirety in 1869. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work mixes fictional narrative with chapters discussing history and philosophy. My only complaint would be that there is not more of this spellbinding story.War and Peace is a literary work by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy's ability to tell a complex love story is already showing through, and the lesser characters like Prince Vassily, Andrei s sister Marya and Jim Broadbent's wonderful cameo as Andrei's father make this first rate entertainment. But the war was clearly going to decimate many of the leading members of Russian society. Its therefore no wonder that characters like Prince Andrei found the military a perfect vehicle for their ambitions and patriotism. Napoleon was terrorising all of Europe and like many before and after him, thought that Russia would fall under his spell. The series does not feel terribly Russian but clearly the culture and problems that existed at the time were peculiar to continental Europe. So far there is rather more peace than war, but the three central characters, Pierre, Prince Andrei and Natasha seem remarkably well cast and the eternal triangle is forming in a complex way, as expected. The story line seems a little bit rushed at times, but this was a truly mammoth story and Andrew Davies has a reputation for making fine series out of monumental classics. After Anna Karenina, I was looking forward to War and Peace being more epic and heart rending.
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