War and Peace, Volume 1

De: Leo Tolstoy

Narrado por: Neville Jason

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.

© and (P) Naxos Rights International

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

outstanding

Utterly flawless narration! Like an earlier reviewer, I have tried a couple of times to read War and Peace and always got mired in Part Two. Thanks to this talented narrator and a relaxing 40 minute commute, I made it through Part Two and am now totally engrossed. I am now inspired to go back and read the book.

Favorite audiobook thus far

Any additional comments?

A great thing about audiobooks is I find I'm able to get through lengthy classics I wouldn't have tackled otherwise. Neville Jason made it easy for me to love this novel, making characters so real that it felt like I was watching a movie. There's plenty of action. But what's more surprising is how fresh Tolstoy's observations on people and human nature--about politics, love, and the difficulty of living up to our own ideals--are today. His dry humor would be right at home on Letterman. Kudos also to the production team. Jason obviously doesn't read this all in one sitting, but I almost never noticed the transition between takes that has been a mild distraction in other audiobooks. Great job!

My all time favorite book.

I read this book twice in Farsi and twice in English. Both translations are fantastic. I saw the production starting lily James and James Norton which is the closest to the book. I had to listen to the story on audible. Just love it.

Tolstoy’s masterpiece, Neville Jason at his finest

I put off reading War and Peace for so long because of its reputation as the archetypal weighty, unreadable tome. Neville Jason proved how wrong I was. Through Jason’s superb narration of men, women, children, dogs and trees, employing the accents of upper-class, west country, cockney, French, Italian and German, Tolstoy’s characters spring to life, even in death, weaving a compelling narrative that it pained me to pause and even more when I had none left to read.

The only fault with the recording is Audible’s lack of Tolstoy’s chapter titles in the chapters screen. These would have been simple to add with a few hours’ work, and I had to go back and add my own bookmarks at passages I wanted to return to.

The narrator Neville Jason is amazing

War and Peace was the first Leo Tolstoy book that i had the pleasure of listening to, and im glad to have discovered such amazing narration.

Amazing and still better

The reader infuses this remarkable chronicle with life. His characterizations are illuminating and speak volumes about all the players in this epic-- from Bonaparte to troika driver.

An exceptional book with an exceptional narrator

This is one of the greatest books ever written and Neville Jason does full justice to it as the narrator.

Tolstoy is genius!

So far so good! Tolstoy has the ability to capture the smallest and yet most singular details of the human experience through what I think is, so far, one of the most epic of war-time sagas. This story sweeps across such various facets of life (war, language, family, love, etc.) and characters and ranks. Though long and involved, it has the potential to teach all of us about the way that we have been, the way that we are and what we might we might become.

A masterpiece brilliantly read

Neville Jason's reading makes this classic come to life. His impersonation characters ike the old Prince Bolkonski is particularly memorable. I highly recommend this version.

Superb performance!

There are other performances of this great story, but I don't think anyone could top Neville Jason as a reader. Absolutely terrific!