3 Review(s)

"Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth" is a compilation of three books that were written by author Leo Tolstoy in his early twenties in his old age.The early life of Nikolai, the son of wealthy landowner in Russia, is fully explored, slowly revealing this young boy's inner mind, relationships, and social standing. As he describes his tutor, angelic mother, aloof father, worldly brother, and later his moralistic friend, Nikolai displays a mind given to dreaming and a personality as complex as it is conflicted. As he grows and moves from his country home to his grandmother's mansion in Moscow, Nikolai also struggles at intervals to find a sort of moral balance, which affects his love, his education, and the type of man he might become. Tolstoy demonstrates, even in this first literary attempt, his ability to utilize a host of minor characters to fully develop the internal life of his main character. "Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth" shows in its three parts not only the deliberate building of a protagonist but also a universal story about coming of age.An early display of Tolstoy's storytelling genius, written in his classically simple yet colourful language, these chronicles provide the reader with invaluable insight into the personal and literary development of one of the greatest writers of all time.