Reading Order
War and Peace Reading Order
Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1869) is a standalone novel — there is no series, no sequel, and no reading order to follow. It is one of the longest and most ambitious novels ever written: a panoramic portrait of Russian society across the Napoleonic Wars (1805–1812), following five aristocratic families through the campaigns, the invasion of Russia, the burning of Moscow, and the eventual defeat of Napoleon. Here is how to approach it and what to read alongside or after it.
Where to start
War and Peace
Complete War and Peace Book List
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War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy·1869·The novel itself — approximately 1,300 pages in most translations; typically divided into four books plus an epilogue; the Napoleon chapters can feel slow at first, but they reward patience; the Rostov and Bolkonsky family storylines carry the emotional weight; the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (2007) or by Anthony Briggs (2005) are widely recommended - Buy
Anna Karenina
OptionalLeo Tolstoy·1878·Tolstoy's other great novel — shorter and more concentrated than War and Peace; Anna's affair with Vronsky and Levin's search for meaning; often the next Tolstoy novel for readers who want to stay in his world - Buy
Childhood, Boyhood, Youth
OptionalLeo Tolstoy·1856·Tolstoy's autobiographical trilogy — his early work and an entry point into his thinking before the great novels; short and readable, though less essential than War and Peace or Anna Karenina
War and Peace — Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to read War and Peace?
War and Peace is approximately 580,000 words in most English translations — roughly 1,300 pages. At an average adult reading speed of around 250 words per minute, that is about 39 hours of continuous reading. Most readers take several weeks or months to finish it. There is no shame in reading it slowly; it rewards that approach.
Which translation of War and Peace should I read?
The most widely recommended translations are: Pevear and Volokhonsky (2007), which is idiomatic and closely follows Tolstoy's Russian; Anthony Briggs (Penguin, 2005), which reads most naturally as English prose; and Aylmer and Louise Maude (1923), the classic Victorian translation, which is out of copyright and freely available. The Constance Garnett translation is dated but has its advocates. Most readers are happy with any of these; the question is mostly whether you prefer a more literal or a more flowing English style.
Is War and Peace really as long and difficult as people say?
War and Peace is long — but it is not technically difficult in the way that, say, Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow is difficult. The sentences are mostly clear; the characters are vividly drawn; the story is involving. The main challenge is keeping track of the many characters, several of whom have multiple names (Russian characters are addressed differently in different contexts), and sustaining attention through the long Napoleon chapters, which Tolstoy wrote as a philosophical essay as much as a novel. Most readers find that once they are a hundred pages in, the novel becomes genuinely hard to put down.
Do I need to know Russian history to enjoy War and Peace?
A little background helps — knowing that Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 and was defeated by a combination of the Russian winter and the strategic retreat that burned Moscow gives you the shape of the historical events Tolstoy is writing around. But Tolstoy is so good at dramatizing his scenes that you do not need detailed historical knowledge. The Penguin and Oxford World's Classics editions include introductory notes that provide the necessary context.
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