War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

At a glittering society party in St Petersburg in 1805, conversations are dominated by the prospect of war. Terror swiftly engulfs the country as Napoleon's army marches on Russia, and the lives of three young people are changed forever. The stories of the thoughtful yet impulsive Pierre Bezukhov and his friend the ambitious and cynical Prince Andrei and the woman who becomes indispensable to both of them, the impetuous and enchanting Natasha Rostov interweave with a huge cast, from aristocrats and peasants to soldiers and Napoleon himself.

In War and Peace, Tolstoy entwines grand themes - conflict and love, birth and death, free will and faith - with unforgettable scenes of 19th century Russia, to create a magnificent epic of human life in all its imperfection and grandeur.