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Quick answer: If you read War and Peace, read Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, then Doctor Zhivago, Life and Fate, Les Miserables and A Tale of Two Cities. All are large, humane novels set against war and revolution.
Leo Tolstoy's 1869 epic follows several aristocratic families in Russia through the Napoleonic wars, from the salons of St Petersburg to the battlefield of Borodino, mixing characters like Pierre, Natasha and Prince Andrei with philosophy about history. It is long but absorbing. The books below offer similar big novels about history, family and fate.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | Adult | Tolstoy's other epic |
| The Death of Ivan Ilyich | Leo Tolstoy | Adult | short and powerful |
| Hadji Murat | Leo Tolstoy | Adult | late novella |
| Doctor Zhivago | Boris Pasternak | Adult | Russian epic |
| Life and Fate | Vasily Grossman | Adult | Stalingrad epic |
| Les Miserables | Victor Hugo | Adult | French epic |
| A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens | Adult | French Revolution |
| Crime and Punishment | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Adult | guilt and punishment |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | Adult | revenge epic |
| Vanity Fair | William Makepeace Thackeray | Adult | satire of society |
| Middlemarch | George Eliot | Adult | provincial life |
| Gone with the Wind | Margaret Mitchell | Adult | epic of survival |
| The Brothers Karamazov | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Adult | family and ideas |
| Fathers and Sons | Ivan Turgenev | Adult | generation clash |
| The Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett | Adult | historical epic |
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A married woman's love affair challenges Russian society. Long, wise and moving.
Best for: Tolstoy's other epic.
2. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
A judge faces death and reconsiders his life. Brief and devastating.
Best for: short and powerful.
3. Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy
A Chechen leader switches sides in the Caucasus. Short and gripping.
Best for: late novella.
4. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
A doctor and poet lives through revolution and war. Long, lyrical and sad.
Best for: Russian epic.
5. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
A huge novel of the Second World War on the Eastern Front. Often called the War and Peace of the 20th century.
Best for: Stalingrad epic.
6. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Jean Valjean tries to escape his past in nineteenth-century France. Sweeping.
Best for: French epic.
7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Two men are bound together by love and sacrifice in Paris and London. Classic.
Best for: French Revolution.
8. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A student commits a murder and is tormented by it. Intense and psychological.
Best for: guilt and punishment.
9. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
A wronged man escapes prison and takes revenge. Long and thrilling.
Best for: revenge epic.
10. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Becky Sharp schemes her way up in Napoleonic-era England. Witty and sharp.
Best for: satire of society.
11. Middlemarch by George Eliot
Dorothea Brooke and her neighbours seek meaning and love. Long, wise and rewarding.
Best for: provincial life.
12. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Scarlett O'Hara survives the Civil War and its aftermath. Sweeping and controversial.
Best for: epic of survival.
13. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Three brothers face their father's murder. Deep and demanding.
Best for: family and ideas.
14. Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
A young nihilist clashes with his elders. Classic Russian realism.
Best for: generation clash.
15. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Builders, monks and nobles struggle through twelfth-century England. Vast and gripping.
Best for: historical epic.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with War and Peace: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
To stay with Tolstoy read Anna Karenina or The Death of Ivan Ilyich. For other Russian epics choose Doctor Zhivago, Life and Fate or Crime and Punishment. For European epics pick Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities or Vanity Fair. For modern popular epics read Gone with the Wind or The Pillars of the Earth. War and Peace is long, so many readers read it over a season with a character list and a good translation. Tolstoy revised the novel several times, and the translation you choose matters. Pevear and Volokhonsky, Anthony Briggs and Rosemary Edmonds are well regarded, and many readers like editions with a list of characters and maps.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is War and Peace about?
Five Russian families during the Napoleonic wars.
Who wrote it?
Leo Tolstoy.
When was it published?
1869.
Is it hard to read?
It is long, but the story is lively and clear.
Which translation should I choose?
Pevear and Volokhonsky and Anthony Briggs are popular.
How long is it?
Around 1,200 pages.
Is it a love story?
Partly, among many other things.
What should I read next?
Try Anna Karenina or Doctor Zhivago.
Which book here is best for Russian epic?
Try Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, which suits readers looking for Russian epic.
Which book here is best for French Revolution?
Try A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, which suits readers looking for French Revolution.
Which book here is best for satire of society?
Try Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, which suits readers looking for satire of society.
Which book here is best for family and ideas?
Try The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which suits readers looking for family and ideas.