War and Peace

'...not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle' - Leo Tolstoy. Oscillating between philosophical discussion and compelling story-telling, War and Peace transcends the restrictions that Tolstoy perceived in the conventional novel. Set in Russia during the Napoleonic era, Tolstoy's epic novel follows the fortunes of five aristocratic Russian families over the course of the French invasion. His timeless portrayal of familial existence against the backdrop of war is ultimately optimistic and life-affirming; with the educated, but socially awkward Count Pierre Bezukhov often giving voice to Tolstoy's own beliefs. Weaving together the historical and the personal, this powerful work of Russian literature traverses the entire scale of human life.