War and Peace is a very long novel set in Russia during the Napoleonic era, beginning in 1805. It follows several noble families, among them the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys and the awkward, kindly Pierre Bezukhov, as they live through society balls, family troubles, love affairs and the French invasion of their country. Tolstoy moves between drawing rooms and battlefields, and he also reflects on how history is really made, questioning the idea that great men alone shape events. The book is admired for its enormous scope and for characters who feel startlingly alive. It remains a central work of world literature.
Quotes
Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the Buonapartes.