Reviews
[ Give War and Peace a Chance ] records Kaufman's ongoing personal and professional quest for authenticity that has unfolded through many years of reading and rereading Tolstoy's classic, alone and with others. Alternatively chatty and probing, Kaufman offers anecdotes from his experiences and those of his students and fellow readers that parallel those of Tolstoy and his characters, reasserting its relevance in our time. This is a substantial, informative, authoritative and yet highly personal book that will impress scholars and general readers alike. Kaufman, your friend, fellow traveler, and confidant, is a great listener, an in-the-know gossip, and a virtuoso storyteller. Join him in conversation with other readers about things that matter: love, family, courage, death, perseverance, truth. Get to know them all: author, critics, characters; get to know yourself. Humorous, smart, human, pitch-perfect, alternatively hilarious and profound, this is a great 'great book' book. Give Give War and Peace a Chance a chance., Once you have taken Kaufman's well-informed yet unintimidating tour of the Russian classic, it will very likely move up to the top of your literary bucket list. Kaufman's mission is to share the wonder and power of this ageless novel he so clearly reveres and to make the case for its continuing relevance in the 21st century. He succeeds admirably., Kaufman is an adept guide, knowledgeable and passionate about his subject [and] his argument is mischievously compelling: Why waste money on motivational tapes and seminars when this fictional account of the Napoleonic Wars provides greater (and cheaper) salve for the soul'.... An attaboy to Kaufman for reminding us of its relevance to our anxious century., Once you have taken Kaufman's well-informed yet unintimidating tour of the Russian classic, it will very likely move up to the top of your literary bucket list. Kaufman's mission is to share the wonder and power of this ageless novel he so clearly reveres and to make the case for its continuing relevance in the 21st century. He succeeds admirably.... Even without ever having cracked the spine of the novel itself, readers will feel as if they have, coming to know its characters and their dreams, failures and destinies. [Kaufman] brings them to life with such affection that even the most flawed among them becomes someone we wish to know better., A serious, thoughtful inquiry into how literature can affect and change people's lives... Do give this fine, perceptive book a chance; it'll leave you more than ready to tackle Tolstoy's triumphant work., That a novel 'full of clear, honest reflection on the pain of living' is also 'one of the most life-affirming works of fiction' becomes, for Andrew D. Kaufman, a contradiction worth exploring. He does so in this alluring study with a ferocity and lightness of touch that Tolstoy himself would have admired. By exploring a handful of key themes in War and Peace , Kaufman brings us back to the shimmering pages of a classic novel, and his book is nothing less than inspiring., No other novel in world literature possesses the intimidating allure of Tolstoy's War and Peace . It is the very Everest of fiction, and most readers need a sherpa. Andrew Kaufman has not only produced a perfect guide to the setting, characters, history, and background of this epic work, all skillfully interwoven with events in Tolstoy's life; he has done so with zest and personality., This lively appreciation of one of the most intimidating and massive novels ever written should persuade many hesitant readers to try scaling the heights of War and Peace sooner rather than later., Andrew Kaufman has written the book on War and Peace for our time. In his colloquial and personal style he explores, as his subtitle puts it, Tolstoyan Wisdom For Troubled Times, recovering this wisdom not only from Tolstoy's diaries, letters, and essays, but, more importantly yet, the text of the novel itself. This is quite simply the most engaging and thought-provoking book on Tolstoy I have ever read., Andrew Kaufman has found a refreshingly informal way of reading (and re-reading) War and Peace , weaving the lives of the novel's characters together with Tolstoy's life and his own. By breaking all the critical rules, he manages to enter into the ever shifting and growing reality that Tolstoy sought to portray, producing an excellent 'companion' for new readers of the novel., Once you have taken Kaufman's well--informed yet unintimidating tour of the Russian classic, it will very likely move up to the top of your literary bucket list. Kaufman's mission is to share the wonder and power of this ageless novel he so clearly reveres and to make the case for its continuing relevance in the 21st century. He succeeds admirably.... Even without ever having cracked the spine of the novel itself, readers will feel as if they have, coming to know its characters and their dreams, failures and destinies. [Kaufman] brings them to life with such affection that even the most flawed among them becomes someone we wish to know better., Give War and Peace a Chance ...is an enthusiastic primer to Tolstoy's most famous work, which shows how genuinely exciting it can be to read., If you come from a family, then you'll understand [ War and Peace 's] deepest meaning, thanks to Mr. Kaufman's erudition and scholarship., Kaufman is an adept guide, knowledgeable and passionate about his subject [and] his argument is mischievously compelling: Why waste money on motivational tapes and seminars when this fictional account of the Napoleonic Wars provides greater (and cheaper) salve for the soul'....An attaboy to Kaufman for reminding us of its relevance to our anxious century., Kaufman looks to the novel for guidance, 'not so much as a set of answers to life's every challenge as an attitude toward living.' [He] makes Tolstoy's characters lively and palpable... [and Kaufman's] enticing invitation may well persuade readers to finally dive into one of the world's most acclaimed--and daunting--novels., This lively appreciation of one of the most intimidating and massive novels ever written should persuade many hesitant readers to try scaling the heights of War and Peace sooner rather than later. Kaufman...shows how key scenes and moments in Tolstoy's masterpiece... afford insights into the human condition that still speak powerfully to contemporary readers., Looking across the ocean, it seems that Andrew Kaufman's book represents America's best new understanding of Tolstoy's universal truths., Andrew Kaufman has done a remarkable job of combining personal interest and experience, impressive writing skill, and a remarkably wise sense of humor, with the irresistible compulsion to read Tolstoy's presentation of life itself. Many critics have had their go at this novel-few of them have displayed the personal attractiveness possessed by this lover of Tolstoyan vision., With literary insight and stylistic flair, Andrew D. Kaufman shows why War and Peace is not just a monumental work of fiction but also a kind of user's manual for a world out of joint. Read Tolstoy, of course, but then read Kaufman to uncover the hidden truths that are sometimes lost amid the cannonades and drawing-room conversations., Kaufman looks to the novel for guidance, 'not so much as a set of answers to life's every challenge as an attitude toward living.' [He] makes Tolstoy's characters lively and palpable... [and Kaufman's] enticing invitation may well persuade readers to finally dive into one of the world's most acclaimed-and daunting-novels., Kaufman makes Tolstoy's characters lively and palpable. ... Kaufman's enticing invitation may well persuade readers to finally dive into one of the world's most acclaimed-and daunting-novels.
