A man who has looked for meaning: in the debauched antics of youth drinking and sex, in his career, in his family, and in his writing. Despite all nothing fills the void and nothing meets the longing in his soul. Until he sees Christ in the poor peasant folk living in St Petersburgh. A very rich read and an example to us all.

An extremely well written, wonderful treatment of its subject. I highly recommend this book to all persons interested in excellent, powerful writing on the subject of Religion. A truly amazing, creative work. A masterpiece.

"Loosely translated, Yasnaya Polyana means 'clear meadow' or 'clear glade,' but to say it out loud, Yas Na Ya, rhythmic and lulling, is to begin to understand the gentle sense of it as a cocoon, as a place which offered protection, guarded innocence, and a world of childhood games which created Tolstoy's moral framework." (from the Preface).
Yasnaya Polyana (2,000 acres of land situated between Kursk and Moscow) is where Tolstoy lived and wrote, and as such, it is the environment which inspired some of the greatest literature the world has ever seen. If you share my opinion that Tolstoy was far and away the greatest writer of all time (in ANY language), well, then you will undoubtedly benefit from this book by Patricia Chute. It is so well done, the author carried out extensive research at the Tolstoy State Museum, personally visited Yasnaya Polyana twice, and interviewed Tolstoy's grandaughter Mme. Vera Tolstoy, just to mention a few of her modes of inquiry. The result is this wonderful panoramic survey that reads like a novel and is not intimidating in size. In fact, for those who do not have the time to get through Henri Troyat's superb "three-course-meal" biography of Tolstoy, I recommend this book by Chute as the perfect alternative. Perfect. Bite-size in comparison.
I am very impressed with the photographs (both in amount and selection) that find their way into this book. I've read so many books about Leo Tolstoy but have never seen even half of the photos that can be seen here.
This book will not disappoint. Let this Table Of Contents whet your appetite:
1. A Splendid Orphan and the Golden Age of Yasnaya Polyana (1828-1852)
2. Soldier, Teacher, and a Terrifying Happiness (1852-1862)
3. War and Peace (1862-1869)
4. Anna Karenina and A Confession (1869-1880)
5. A Soul Divided (1880-1890)
6. A Taste For Public Action (1890-1901)
7. Flight (1901-1910)
Epilogue: Yasnaya Polyana after Leo Tolstoy.

The diaries of a genius are always a recommended read! In Tolstoy's home, everybody kept a diary: the patriarch but also his wife Sonia and their children. Some entries capture his anxieties over being read: "I am afraid my wife will read everything". Yet he uses this small inconvenience to a useful end: like when he criticises the members of his family, adding a polite addemdum reading "if you happen to read this, I am sorry, but this is a thing in you that bothers me too much".

Throughout these introspective pages Tolstoy confesses his main vices to be "wine", "women" and "gambling"; "vanity" and "wrath". Tolstoy's blunt acceptance of his own Flaws reflects his determined faith in the Human nature, like do his visions of the world and literature, which are true gems of which I will mention just a few:
"Every historical event must be explained in human terms"(which reflects his technique in WAR AND PEACE),
"It is impossible not to love people, because we all are deserving of compassion, every single one of us", or
"Thieves are not the ones who take what they need, but the ones who retain what they do not need without sharing it with others".

These diaries reflect the tribulations of the man who wrote the reputedly best nineteenth-century novel -WAR AND PEACE- : On what pillars could a worthy human society be built after Nietzsche? Tolstoy believed our human society would only be saved through "compassion" and "sharing".
Through his anxieties over the development of human social life, Tolstoy seemed to anticipate the necessary antidote for so much twentieth-century horror.

Everyone should enjoy reading the day-to-day tribulations of the Count who considered himself a fighter in the eternal war against the tyranny of the few who profit from the ignorance of the majority. Recommended for eavesdroppers of all ages.

i bought both volumes of these letters at a used book store. these are two of my most treasured posessions. i have been greatly influenced by tolstoy's spirituality and the second volume enhanced my understanding of what he felt.
that aside i have two biographies of tolstoy but this is the true way to understand this brilliant writer.

Reading this book took my enjoyment and understanding of War and Peace to another level. I am greatly pleased with the authors perceptiveness, simplicity and revealing insights into the novel. His profound understanding of Tolstoys methods and ideas has added to my pleasure when thinking about the book, and I can now see quite clearly why it is the great novel it is, why people are so overwhelmed when reading it and why it appeals to the human spirit so. I strongly urge you to read this superb criticism, and heartily thank the author for contributing so much to my enjoyment of Tolstoys great novel. I do not put forth a summary of this book for fear of diluting the authors original and clearly explained ideas.

This book was so well written that I forgot I was actually reading a book. The writer didn't once let me know that he was part of the Life that he was writting about. This is the most unbiased book I have found to date and I can't say how important the substance of his story, Leo Tolstoi, means or should mean to the whole of christian living. If I were to suggest any book to anyone seeking the path of Christ I would have to suggest this as their first reading. I became so passionate about this book that I created my own concordance so that I could mark passages and use them in my own writtings as an Authoriative Truth on the matter. Tolstoi should be a must read for everyone coming into Life!

"Every happy family is alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in their own way". So begins a Russian work of fiction that has been a classic and reminder of human experience. Leo Tolstoy wrote poignant, classic masterpieces of Russian ouevre. Anna Karenina was drawn form Tolstoy's own personal experiences with love and he comments not only on the society of his age, but on the quality of human emotion, suffering and frailty. Anna Karenina is not his best work, "War and Peace" is. But Anna strikes a modern chord and is exceptional.

Anthony Thorlby's version is still Tolstoy's, but he adds commentary that is suited for our modern social structure. Anna Karenina is herself a symbol of repressed womanhood, a product of her male-dominated society, a modern woman at heart, ahead of her time. She is married to a wealthy and influential man, but loves the dashing, handsome officer Lensky. She engages in adultery and even has his child. The tempestuous love affair is wrecked with guilt, pain, torture and exquisite tragedy. In contrast, there is the innocent, loving and simplistic romance between Kitty and her lover (who is actually a parody of Tolstoy).

Set in Imperial 19th century Russia, around the time of the Crimean War, the novel takes us to that society, becoming Westernized, full of rich culture but decaying in morals and crumbling from its center due to the fact that humans are fallible, that we cannot be conditioned to do other than our natural selves. Anna Karenina, as we all know from our college days, killed herself under a train, ending the pain that had been brewing as a romantic storm since she first met her destiny with Lensky. The moving tale is worth reading and recognizing as a masterpiece of Russian literature.

Anyone finding themselves intemidated by the works of Tolstoy should start off with reading this book. These three short stories, "Where Love Is, There God Is Also", "The Three Hermits", and "What Men Live By", are some of the most powerful words I have seen put to paper. Those troubled by today's problems owes it to themselves to read this book and absorb the relevance that in fact is timeless. Even those finding a lack of belief in God will be moved and questioned their beliefs. Any of Tolstoy's works are a must read in everyone's lifetime, but these stories remain special to this reader.

A kindly, lonely shoe cobbler prays that the Lord will pay him a visit. Three people in need come his way, and he helps each one of them, and he realizes that when he helps the "least of these" he is serving the Lord. Great story with vivid insight. A must read.