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War and Peace

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War and Peace

By: Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude - translator, Aylmer Maude - translator
Narrated by: Thandiwe Newton
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About this listen

Tolstoy’s epic novel of love and war, in an unabridged performance by Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning actress Thandiwe Newton.

Some call it the greatest novel ever written. Whether it’s your first time, or you’re ready to dive back in, what better way to experience this epic novel than in this exquisite unabridged reading by Thandiwe Newton?

War and Peace is at once an epic war chronicle and an exploration of everything that make us all human: love and hate, ambition and despair, life and death. Allow yourself to get lost in the lives of three Russian aristocratic families, whose triumphs and challenges are every bit as resonant to today’s listener as they were to original readers. Thandiwe Newton inhabits each character with such flair that it is easy to forget that you are listening to one voice.

So cancel all plans, sit back, and let Thandiwe transport you to 19th-century Saint Petersburg....

Public Domain (P)2021 Audible, Ltd Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction War & Military War Military Thought-Provoking Funny Russia

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Featured article: 6 Must-listen classic audiobooks


When you finally get a break from the day-to-day it's the perfect time to get stuck into a classic story. We asked the greatest fan of classic literature in the Audible HQ building for his top picks.

Featured article 6 Must-listen classic audiobooks
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Excellently narrated. I tried to read the physical book, but found it too difficult with all the Russian names. This was a delight - to have it so expertly read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Excellently narrated

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After the ghastly experience of trying to listen to the alternative version offered by Audible (why?), switching to this one was a huge relief - a fantastic achievement, read with verve and vivid characterisation. The only thing that spoils it for me is the ridiculous caricature accents she gives to the French and Germans, Making Napoleon sound like Rene in Allo Allo is a great disservice to Tolstoy, and to Bonaparte himself I expect, He wasn't really French after all, but Corsican.

tour de force

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Excellent narration. Good balance of history and fiction.
Enjoyed it until the second epilogue which was too philosophical.

A long listen but worth it.

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This is an old favourite. Spellbinding, superb, saga storytelling.

Having read it decades ago, I remember being forced to tear my paperback into chunks so that they could easily fit into my handbag.

This is so much easier!

And the narration is faultless. Gripping. Superb. Please do ask this lady to narrate more times for Audible.

One of the best narrators on Audible

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Gripping incredible telling of a huge piece of history, making it relatable by reference to key characters. So powerful were their emotions of joy, loss, grief, you felt alongside them.
At a time when there are so many wars in the world, you could really empathise with the characters

Powerful and gripping

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What a magnificent book. What a perfect mix of intimate personal drama and grand-scale nation-forming action. I was wary at first, having been confused by all the names in Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina’. But in this earlier, longer novel of his, the characters are more distinct, and the writing easier to follow (at least in the translation by Aylmer and Louise Maude).

Initially, the personal dramas seemed more interesting than the battle scenes, and my interest flagged during the Battle of Austerlitz. But as the chapters rolled on, the war parts because more intriguing and moving, especially when Tolstoy framed them with his philosophical thoughts about war, power and the writing of history. When 1812 started, the book really took off, and it was like learning history, but in the most entertaining way possible.

Funnily enough, I was glad I watched Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ last year, becuase although flawed and messy, it gave me a good introduction to the years tackled in more detail here, and it also allowed me to better see both sides of the conflict.

I could have done without the two epilogues, although they both had their charm. But overall, I enjoyed every word, and now understand why it is such a classic, and the book all Russians are taught in school. Over 150 years old, but it still sounds fresh and feels highly relevant. Masterpiece.

And Thandie Newton gives one of the best audiobook experiences I have ever encountered.

Excellent narration of a peerless classic

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I listened to Anna Karenina first, expecting that book to be my favourite out of the two. But even though I enjoyed that book, this was my favourite. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It is so well written by Leo Tolstoy, full of wisdom, history, philosophy, great story telling, life in Moscow and St Petersburg, and great characters. I loved the main characters of Natasha, Andreii and Pierre. I did not know so much of the history of Napoleon and the war in Russia. But I felt like I had been transported to the battlefield of Borodino, those poor men, and what they endured. I really feel like this was not just listening to a story, it was experiencing it. And this will definitely be a book that will stay with me for the rest of my life. This experience was made even more enjoyable by the reading of Thandwie Newton, honestly beyond excellent! And such a long book for her to read and put so much passion into! Narration was so good, possibility one of the best on audiable. Thank you Leo Tolstoy for enriching me in Russian culture and life, history and the beauty of Russia!

Such A Beautiful Enriching Story

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Really wanted to read this book so perfect for audible. Thandiwe Newton's reading made this possible. A VERY long book with challenging names and characters were made engaging by how Ms. Newton presented them. I can not speak highly enough about her rendition, so much so that I have been searching for other books she has narrated.

Classic with the most marvellous reader

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I didn't dislike much about this book, except maybe it was the longest book I've ever read , but I knew that getting into the book, so, that's not really something to criticise the book for. I enjoyed every bit of the book.

Thandy's narration was entertaining

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📚 It was time! I was in my twenties when I first read War and Peace. For a while I have wanted to come back to it, and then this came out. Thandiwe Newton, one of my favourite contemporary actors, narrating W&P in a 60 hour marathon. I began it on New Year’s Day and finished it during this morning’s exercise routine. TN is brilliant – so many characters, experiences, contexts and nuances come expertly to life as she reads. As for the book, with its blend of large scale history and smaller scale human life and loves, WHAT A BOOK! It has again amazed me. I cannot better Dostoievsky’s verdict – who can? “My strong conviction is that a writer of fiction has to have most profound knowledge—not only of the poetic side of his art, but also the reality he deals with, in its historical as well as contemporary context. [In Russia] as far as I see it, only one writer excels in this, Count Lev Tolstoy." 🎧 (Michael).

WHAT A BOOK!

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