I even kept notes at first as to who belonged to what family, which I referred to often. ![]() I used Spark Notes, and also read along with the audio book. The hardest thing about listening to War and Peace was keeping all the characters straight. By all means, take a listen - War and Peace's reputation is wholly deserved. I've purchased a printed version of War and Peace which I will look forward to re-reading from time to time, and may keep a few audio chapters handy for "impulse listening" in the future. The nature and actions of the many people within the book are never dull, sometimes moving, often very funny, and always authentic. Tolstoy's asides (Such as "Like all young men, he was determined to make his opinion known.") are as true today as when he wrote them. The basic character of humanity apparently does not change. It seems impossible, but he's able to portray both young and old women in a variety of circumstances in such a way that you ~never~ feel he's striking a false not, or tempt you to laugh at the voices he summons for them. Listening to it in Audio book format only adds to the pleasure, as Neville Jason narrates each scene with superb timing, and is able to pitch his voice and change his tempo to put real "character" behind each character. As one familiar with the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, I found Tolstoy's Russia of the same time period to be startlingly familiar in many ways, and quickly became engrossed in the story. I have to say that I regret not having read it earlier in life, as the characters are so very true to life, and the story, while specific to its time, has themes that are universal and timeless. War and Peace is a book that I put off reading for quite a long time. ![]() A Truly Great Book and a Truly Astounding Narrator
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