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This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 4 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 21 minutes

"Childhood" is the first published novel by Leo Tolstoy, released in 1852. It is part of a trilogy that includes "Boyhood" and "Youth." Tolstoy wrote the novel when he was just twenty-three years old, and it was an immediate success, earning him recognition from other Russian novelists. The story explores the inner life of a young boy named Nikolenka, using an expressionistic style that blends fact, fiction, and emotions to depict the narrator's moods and reactions. The novel raises questions about whether the innocence, lightheartedness, and boundless desire for love that exist in childhood can ever be recaptured. Overall, "Childhood" is a significant work in Russian literature and showcases Tolstoy's talent at a young age. Interested readers can find the full text of the novel in its original Russian or listen to a public domain audiobook version.