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War and Peace Audible Audiobook – Abridged

Leo Tolstoy (Author), Neville Jason (Narrator), Naxos AudioBooks (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,909 ratings
See all formats and editions
A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, "Anna Karenina" is the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time. Tolstoy's masterful novel is one of the greatest works of world literature...it is a novel of social realism that perfectly bares the Russian soul, set against the fascinating panorama of life in nineteenth-century Russia. With a full-cast and stirring music, this compelling story of one woman's fate is brought to life in this powerful BBC production.
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  1. Listening Length
    5 hours and 9 minutes
  2. Author
    Leo Tolstoy
  3. Narrator
    Neville Jason
  4. Audible release date
    October 26, 2000
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Naxos AudioBooks
  7. ASIN
    B00005471M
  8. Version
    Abridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 5 hours and 9 minutes
Author Leo Tolstoy
Narrator Neville Jason
Audible.com Release Date October 26, 2000
Publisher Naxos AudioBooks
Program Type Audiobook
Version Abridged
Language English
ASIN B00005471M
Best Sellers Rank #54,211 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#532 in Fiction Sagas
#1,114 in Classic Literature
#2,509 in Family Saga Fiction

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
2,909 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book a great classic read with an interesting storyline. They praise the author's writing style and empathy, finding the book very readable. Readers get involved with the characters and the humanity of the epic. The visual quality is appreciated, with vivid descriptions and graphic depictions of events. However, some feel the length is too long and intimidating.

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Value for moneyStory qualityReadabilityCharacter developmentVisual qualityLength
100 customers mention "Value for money"100 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great classic read. They say it's one of the greatest novels ever written, and worth the time investment. The book is considered timeless and a must-read for everyone.

"Such a classic. Don't give up in the first 10% of the book...." Read more

"...several months to get through the story, but it was a great read for the daily train ride...." Read more

"Great value for money" Read more

"...The book had some of the best and clearest maps I have seen on any kindle book, but there could have been more of them...." Read more

53 customers mention "Story quality"53 positive0 negative

Customers find the story interesting and thought-provoking. They appreciate the good characters and insights into history. The journey with many twists and turns is amazing, with brilliant battle descriptions. The book provides valuable life lessons for the dedicated reader.

"...The story is more interesting than the philosophy discourse." Read more

"...The storyline about the civilians was interesting but then reading the chapters on the war I found myself wanting to get back to the story about..." Read more

"...It has been quite an amazing journey with many twists and turns. There seems to be many things to be learned about Russia...." Read more

"...love/hate, youth/age, pride/humility, searching/finding, destiny/free will, sincerity/pretense, upstairs/downstairs...." Read more

43 customers mention "Readability"34 positive9 negative

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They appreciate the author's keen observation and empathy, which helps them understand the world from many perspectives. The vivid descriptions of events are appreciated. Readers describe the story as beautifully written, embedded in the wars with Napoleon. It is a must-read for everyone and teaches about social protocols and fitting in.

"...One final comment... Thank you Kindle! This translation is rife French passages, of which I would have been at a loss without the translation feature..." Read more

"...Fascinating thoughts from a genius but not easy to comprehend. I held off reading this for years but was so glad to have plunged in...." Read more

"...time and through their experiences, so you get to know and understand them quite well...." Read more

"...War and Peace is a massive book, but I found it much easier to read than Atlas Shrugged(fiction displaying what pure socialism could produce) which..." Read more

16 customers mention "Character development"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters engaging and relatable. The author skillfully blends historical events with fictional characters, creating an immersive narrative. Readers appreciate the insightful psychological portraits and portrayal of human emotions.

"...Tolstoy's fictitious characters are very interesting and you will find that they change and mature (or not) throughout and so will your opinion of..." Read more

"...Lots of characters to keep track of -- Tolstoy's characters are portrayed in terms of how their lives and viewpoints change over time and through..." Read more

"...Liked how Tolstoy intermingled fictional characters, their struggles and triumphs with the harsh reality of the Napoleonic Wars." Read more

"...The psychological portraits are superb, with a good dose of cynicism thrown in...." Read more

7 customers mention "Visual quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the visual quality of the book. They find the second epilogue informative about war and its causes. The events of 1805-1820 in Russia are well-presented with detailed graphics. Readers value Tolstoy's art and philosophy. While the story is not fancy, they appreciate the honest portrayal of the characters' motives.

".../age, pride/humility, searching/finding, destiny/free will, sincerity/pretense, upstairs/downstairs...." Read more

"...Yes, it's very long, but it paints such a great picture of the events of 1805-1820 in Russia and what goes on in parallel in society...." Read more

"...Although this is a novel, the second epilogue gave a very factual look at what causes war and why it continues to today...." Read more

"...and thoughts of characters are well developed and graphically presented with a lot of detail...." Read more

34 customers mention "Length"9 positive25 negative

Customers find the book long and intimidating. They mention it's a classic, but there are lengthy passages of description.

"...More difficult was the long exposition on certain topics, where statements were made, trains of thought were followed, then the same statements were..." Read more

"...But I said an evening - and this book is so long it's more like a month...." Read more

"This book is a monster. It's long, old, epic in scope, and relates to a society long removed and a land far away...." Read more

"It's hard to write anything original about such a classic. Yes, it's very long, but it paints such a great picture of the events of 1805-1820 in..." Read more

Historical but hardly readable
1 out of 5 stars
Historical but hardly readable
This is more of an archival piece. Looks like a print of a copy of a copy. Like a late night Kinko’s copier edition of the original translation. And it warns “some pages may be missing?” Get the cloth bound Penguin Classics edition.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Anthony S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars More than worth the time and effort
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    At the outset, I found myself continually asking... Why is this a classic? He (Tolstoy) is just a story teller. A bit wordy, but not really earth shattering. I wondered if something was perhaps lost in the translation. But I slogged on, and on and on... Maybe I should have started with the final prologue (who has more than one prologue?) but, I confess, without the story line, the machinations of men and women, small and great--the conclusions would have lost much of their impact. From and to this current age where it seems that there are no absolutes, his ability to cut through much of the fluff to the underlying truth was actually refreshing.
    I would recommend this to anyone with time on their hands, a love of reading and a mind open to a different age and and philosophy. In our 30 minute society of instant gratification, few will be so inclined. Ah, such a pity.
    One final comment... Thank you Kindle! This translation is rife French passages, of which I would have been at a loss without the translation feature. This made for a much richer experience. The vocabulary was at times archaic, words that I was unfamiliar with, and again, Kindle to the rescue. If you plan to read this version, you will appreciate the technology!
    And now, I can finally claim success, I have read "War and Peace"! 😀
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Coach Z
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tolstoy brilliantly merges his fictitious characters with these events
    Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Such a classic. Don't give up in the first 10% of the book. Initially you wonder where this is leading but realize that it is setting up characters that play a major role throughout. Also know that this is a history of Russia/France relations during 1805-1813 which includes Napoleon's march to Moscow making it a centerpiece of the novel. It is worth giving yourself a short review of the history of these years and Napoleon's term as Premier of France.
    Tolstoy brilliantly merges his fictitious characters with these events. However, he also includes actual French and Russian generals and other heads of state that directed the war. I looked them up on Wikipedia to get more insight as to who they were and what role they played in history.
    Tolstoy's fictitious characters are very interesting and you will find that they change and mature (or not) throughout and so will your opinion of them. At the end there are a couple of epilogues where Tolstoy relates his opinion to history in general and how history is created. Fascinating thoughts from a genius but not easy to comprehend. I held off reading this for years but was so glad to have plunged in. It is a masterpiece.
    34 people found this helpful
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  • JSchl
    4.0 out of 5 stars Long but Interesting Story - Drawn Out Epilogue
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Took me several months to get through the story, but it was a great read for the daily train ride. Lots of characters to keep track of -- Tolstoy's characters are portrayed in terms of how their lives and viewpoints change over time and through their experiences, so you get to know and understand them quite well. A more intellectual theme that runs through the book is the notion that history is not really defined by the actions of specific hero figures (i.e, Napoleon or Kutuzov), but rather the collective actions of many people in a almost fatalistic sense. The end of the book is a somewhat repetitive essay on "what is history?" I can only assume that there was an academic argument going on over this question back in the nineteenth century. The story is more interesting than the philosophy discourse.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ramsin khangaldi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great value for money
    One person found this helpful
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  • James M. Larson
    3.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Novel ever written??????
    Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This was a long read sometimes easy and other times hard to get through. The parts dealing with the war were very hard to follow. The book had some of the best and clearest maps I have seen on any kindle book, but there could have been more of them. Sometimes it seemed that parts of the book were written by two different people. The two epilogues were really hard to get through and really had no part in the book, They were very hard to understand and had no meaning to understanding the rest the book. Why some think that this is one of the greatest novels ever written is beyond me. The storyline about the civilians was interesting but then reading the chapters on the war I found myself wanting to get back to the story about the civilians.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Paul Brantley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, easier to read than first thought.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I will be finishing this epic novel in a week from now.
    Its been a month since I started it and read other books along with it. I like to read more than one book at a time to break things up a little bit. Who watches only one television series for a month? Well OK, there are those that probably do that.

    It has been quite an amazing journey with many twists and turns. There seems to be many things to be learned about Russia. War and Peace is a massive book, but I found it much easier to read than Atlas Shrugged(fiction displaying what pure socialism could produce) which is also quite a large book.

    The free Kindle version from Amazon ended up being the translation from "Louise and Aylmer Maude"(1922-23) and not from "Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky" (2007) though the image shared displayed the later.

    Amazon rules for offering these classics!
    Thank You Amazon.
    32 people found this helpful
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  • Kenneth McLean
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read this.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a monster. It's long, old, epic in scope, and relates to a society long removed and a land far away. Despite these obstacles for the average reader, this is one of the best and most important books ever written. I recommend everyone from all walks of life and all interests in literature to read this. In one book Tolstoy manages to make the reader feel every emotion and feeling across the breadth of the human condition.

    That said, I have something to say about the translation, although not necessarily a negative: The inconsistent anglicizing of peoples' first names (or even French ones like "Pierre" Bozukhov) was annoying. Surnames and diminutive names were kept Russian, so why bother?
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Garima
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book. Pathetic packaging by Amazon.
    Reviewed in India on December 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The book is a masterpiece, a must read. I won't say anything more. But the Packaging by Amazon was outrageous. Just how do you send a classic, mammoth size book with 1200+ pages in a thin paper packet, not even taped properly. As a result, the book became loose and a little damaged. I am not returning this book because I don't want to cause further damage to this book. But Amazon really needs to learn how to handle books.
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  • Emily Helal
    5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisitely crafted depiction of the Napoleonic invasion
    Reviewed in Egypt on September 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Tolstoy's War and Peace is an intriguing exploration of human behavior, conflict, and philosophical thought.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality
    Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Perfect
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  • 94spider
    5.0 out of 5 stars splendida opera
    Reviewed in Italy on February 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Chiaramente parliamo di un capolavoro, essendo un grande classico della letteratura sono rimasto colpito dalla fluidità della scrittura che ne rende la lettura veramente facile e scorrevole nonostante la considerevole mole di questa splendida opera. Personaggi delineati in modo straordinario, memorabili quelli principali per la profondità emotiva e di pensiero che esprimono.
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  • M. Lawton
    5.0 out of 5 stars I can see now why it's one of the greats...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    How often do we hear books/reviews/emails etc being compared to War and Peace? I reached a point of deciding to read the book to find out what made it great and I'm really enjoying it. It helps that there was a TV drama series made of the book a few years back, and that has helped me to picture certain characters, but the book gives so much more insight and detail into why certain things occur and a greater understanding of the individuals and why they're like they are. It does take a long time to read it, especially if you only have time to read a couple of chapters a night, but it's worth it.
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