War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

"The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience."

Against the backdrop of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, this monumental work follows the lives of five aristocratic families. It traces the spiritual journeys of the awkward, illegitimate Pierre Bezukhov, the cynical Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, and the spirited Natasha Rostova. Their personal stories of love and loss are interwoven with vast battle scenes and essays on the nature of history.

Tolstoy's epic is often cited as the greatest novel ever written. It is a panoramic study of Russian society, exploring the conflict between individual free will and the inexorable march of historical necessity.