War and Peace: The Epic Masterpiece in One Sitting

by Joelle Herr

Undeniably epic in scale, Tolstoy's masterpiece has intimidated readers since it was published in 1869 -- until now. This deluxe mini edition makes this massive yet masterful work accessible to readers, who can get to know the greatest novel ever written in just one sitting. It includes comprehensive summaries of each book of War and Peace along with descriptive character profiles, an introduction, and biography of Leo Tolstoy, complemented with two-color illustrations throughout.

Genres: Classics, Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2014

About the author

When I'm not committing various sacrilegious acts (literarily speaking) with and to the works of Dickens, Twain, Joyce, Shakespeare, and other greats, I have the best day job in the world--owning and running Her Bookshop, an independent bookstore in East Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I feel like I'm not allowed to rate this any higher because it was only a drop in the ocean compared to what I imagine the full unabridged volume that War and Peace actually is!

That being said I found this a delightful snippet into the world. It was written really clearly and thank God for the Introductory text as well as a breakdown of the principal characters.

Reading War and Peace is on my neverending list of books to attempt - who knows when I will make time or how many goes I will have at it but this little generalisation has left me aptly prepared.

[Abi Pellinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

War and Peace: The Epic Masterpiece in One Sitting, is just what it says on the tin. A Running Press Mini production, this is a teeny tiny book (like 3/4cm high?) which summarises the whole of the massive tome that is War and Peace.

I had been waiting to read this one until I'd finished the full book, after having my Aunt buy me this back in like 2017! I finished War and Peace in September 2021 (see my review here) and so it was finally time to enjoy this wee book

I think that this summary is done really well! It's surprisingly informal so lots of readers will enjoy it, and it definitely grabs the key points of the story and conveys them well. Of course it's not the same as reading the actual book but I think for 288 small pages it does a fantastic job!

It was really entertaining and this definitely has made me want to collect more of these little books and I'm looking forward to reading the ones I already have! Just gotta finish the originals now!

I didn't want to rate this one on CAWPILE because it felt a little unfair for this type of novel. So instead I just gave this a star rating myself which was 3 stars. This won't be quite so fun to read if you've not read the original novel. But I still think this is a fun one and recommend it if you're interested in War and Peace!

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once the author mentions the movie The Hangover early on in the book, i knew I was half checked out.

Imagine if you were sat with a friend who had just seen a new movie and they were retelling you the story, occasionally talking to you directly with their opinions and interjections.

Instead of a spoiler filled YouTube video summary of the book, I was hoping for a condensed retelling of a complex story.

[Booknerdslife Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book, a summary of plot of the famous Classics War and Peace. And I did read it in one sitting! :D The parts I’ve enjoyed the most are the introduction of the book and biography of the author, there’s also a detailed chart of characters and a few annotations throughout the book by the author, & I don’t mean Leo Tolstoy. Definitely need to read the actual book one day...when I feel brave enough!

[Amanda]

Fun little book I got in my Christmas stocking this year. Not really something I can rate, but at least now I know the basics of what happens in War and Peace!

[Debs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent precis of the original epic, very grateful that a kind person thought to do this, especially appreciated the witty comments too!

[John Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer hopefully it will help out when I read the full thing one day!

[Joss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that saved a bit of time! One day I'll tackle the real thing again and maybe even finish it...

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ironically, I actually read this AFTER finishing the real book, just to finally go through the full plot again from start to finish before finally putting it down.

The real book is such a wonderful novel - please do go and read it!