The three parts of Tolstoy's first fictional work were written separately and later combined into a single volume by publishers. There is a consistent voice throughout, and these works began to make a name for Tolstoy among other writers and with the Russian public. Resplendent with stories of the author's life in his childhood home of Iasnaia Poliana, these three works provide a good baseline for the philosophical arguments explored by Tolstoy in later works, and also a healthy understanding of his upbringing as an orphaned Count and landowner.

-Oprah