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War and Peace, Volume 1
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 30 hrs and 19 mins
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War and Peace, Volume 1
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Publisher's Summary
War and Peace is one of the greatest monuments in world literature. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, it examines the relationship between the individual and the relentless march of history. Here are the universal themes of love and hate, ambition and despair, youth and age, expressed with a swirling vitality which makes the book as accessible today as it was when it was first published in 1869.
In addition it is, famously, one of the longest books in Western literature and therefore a remarkable challenge for any reader. Neville Jason read the abridged version of War and Peace and proved his marathon powers with his outstanding performance of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. These make him the ideal narrator to essay Tolstoy's epic.
War and Peace was translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude.
What the critics say
"War and Peace presents us with a complete picture of human life; a complete picture of the Russia of those days; a complete historic picture of the struggle of nations; and a complete picture of the things in which men set their happiness and greatness, their sorrow and their shame." (A.V. Knowles, Tolstoy: The Critical Heritage)
"There remains the greatest of all novelists - for what else can we call the author of War and Peace?" (Virginia Woolf)
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What listeners say about War and Peace, Volume 1
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Norma Lundberg
- 2017-11-21
A great narration of a great book
I think this audiobook might be the Maude version, that I read a few years ago during a Christmas holiday, totally engrossed. Now I wanted the experience of hearing it this winter season as I catch up with knitting projects. I had heard a sample of Jason reading on the Naxos site, and in a word, he's superb. Unlike another version, that I borrowed from the library but could not stomach the reader so returned it promptly (could not imagine listening to his voice for nearly 61 hours!), Jason's reading brings the book to life. Having heard a sample on the Naxos site, I was inspired to rejoin Audible, after having "dropped out" with so many audiobooks piling up, but now realize that it's a necessity for an avid reader whose shelf-space is already crammed, and also provides me with literature while travelling -- without the weight.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-01-25
Audible is the way to go for this length of book!
Without audible, I would probably never have 'read' these 2 volumes, completely engrossing story adding wonderful perspective to this historic period.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AKM
- 2018-12-12
Great book, so-so narration
The book - it is a classic. It is long, and sometimes convoluted. But I find myself hating, loving, despairing for, and irritated at characters - if I become emotionally involved with characters, it is a good book. So, while long, it is worth it.
The narration - Mr. Jason is a precise and good reader. Good pace, generally good inflection. It is the reading of the character dialogue that sets my teeth on edge. He does most of the men fairly well, and many of the accents. But he makes the women sound awful and the weeping and whiny voices drive me crazy. I suppose it is part of getting into character, but I find it distracting from the story, and irritating.
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