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War and PeaceWar and Peace Reading Order
War and Peace (1869) by Leo Tolstoy is the largest novel in the Russian literary tradition and one of the greatest novels ever written — a panoramic account of Russian society during the Napoleonic Wars (1805-1812) centered on five aristocratic families and their intersection with the historical events of the era. Its major characters include Pierre Bezukhov (a wealthy illegitimate son who inherits a vast fortune and spends the novel searching for meaning), Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (a proud, brilliant man who is wounded at Austerlitz and transformed), and Natasha Rostova (a young, vital woman whose vitality and openness make her the emotional center of the novel). Tolstoy interweaves the personal stories of these characters with chapters of historical analysis and philosophical reflection, building to Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 and the burning of Moscow. The novel is simultaneously a family saga, a war narrative, a philosophical treatise on history and free will, and an exploration of what makes life meaningful.
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War and Peace (1869)
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War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy·1869
War and Peace — Frequently Asked Questions
How long is War and Peace, and how do you read it?
War and Peace is approximately 1,200-1,400 pages in most English translations — comparable to Les Misérables in length, though the reading experience is quite different. Tolstoy's prose is clear and direct rather than digressive, and the novel's main narrative moves quickly. The novel has two types of chapters: narrative chapters (the stories of Pierre, Andrei, Natasha, and the other characters) and philosophical/historical chapters (Tolstoy's analysis of why events happen and why conventional historical accounts of agency are wrong). Many readers skip the historical chapters on first reading; others find that those chapters are where Tolstoy's genius is most concentrated. The best translation for most readers is probably the Pevear and Volokhonsky version, though the older Constance Garnett and the newer Anthony Briggs translations are also widely used.
Do you need to know Russian history to read War and Peace?
No — Tolstoy provides everything you need to understand the historical context, and a brief summary of the Napoleonic Wars at the outset is more than sufficient preparation. What helps more than historical knowledge is a willingness to track a large cast of characters across a long narrative. The novel has approximately 580 named characters, though a much smaller number are central to the story. Most readers find that the characters become vivid quickly and that tracking them is less difficult than it sounds. A cast of characters list at the front of the book (most editions include one) is useful for the early chapters.
What is Tolstoy's argument about history in War and Peace?
Tolstoy's historical argument, developed in the philosophical chapters and embodied in the narrative, is a rejection of the 'great man' theory of history — the idea that events are caused by the decisions of extraordinary individuals (Napoleon, Alexander, Kutuzov). Tolstoy argues that events are the product of millions of individual acts and decisions, none of which is independently significant, and that the appearance of historical causation is an illusion constructed after the fact. Napoleon at Borodino is not directing the battle — the battle is proceeding according to its own logic, and Napoleon's commands either coincide with what would have happened anyway or fail to be transmitted and implemented. Kutuzov, Tolstoy's historical hero, understands this and tries to obstruct, rather than direct, the movement of events — what he does is mostly sleep and wait. The novel's philosophical argument is inseparable from its narrative: the fictional characters' fates are shaped by forces that exceed anyone's intention or control.
Who is better: Pierre, Andrei, or Natasha?
These are Tolstoy's three central characters, and they embody three different ways of being. Pierre is the seeker — clumsy, earnest, perpetually wrong about everything important, and continuously searching for meaning through Freemasonry, debauchery, the Napoleonic ideal, and finally through practical goodness and love. Andrei is the man of pride and intelligence — capable of extraordinary clarity and depth but prone to withdrawal from life when life disappoints him. Natasha is the embodiment of life itself — her vitality, her openness to experience, her capacity for joy and love and shame and recovery, make her the most magnetic of the three. Tolstoy's own sympathies are probably with Pierre (whose search ends in domestic happiness and practical engagement with the world) and with Natasha (whose vitality he finds more life-giving than Andrei's severity), but readers tend to have strong personal preferences among the three.
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