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ep916's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gajeam's review against another edition
3.0
Boy, Chekhov sure does have a lot of thoughts about infidelity.
burialshroud's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
oscardb's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
saralynnburnett's review against another edition
5.0
Russian authors rule and Chechov is the master of the short story. Each one is a delight to read and his insights to the human mind keep you thinking all day long.
annienormal's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
margaret_adams's review against another edition
I had to go pretty slowly with this collection because, classic as these stories are, I got bludgeoned by the disillusionment-and-failed-ideals. I was okay with the breakdown of aristocratic society, the death and the disease, but watching idealism die on repeat got rough. The editor was right: these stories still feel very modern.
gautamgopalk's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Essential Tales of Chekhov is a collection of 20 short stories by Anton Chekhov, selected from his span of writing from 1886 to 1899. These stories are an embodiment of realism where the stories end without resolution as each story is a slice of life in late nineteenth century Russia. Any reader who likes to ponder about human nature will find themselves gravitating towards certain stories in this collection, depending on their life experiences and what they find relatable.
Personally, the story that stood out was Ward No. 6 which is top notch story telling. Chekhov demonstrates his literary prowess with his writing of The Grasshopper, The Darling, The Kiss, Enemies and Gooseberries which were highly enjoyable. The stories like Neighbours and The New Villa are well written and also shine a light on the class structure and thoughts of peasants prevalent at that time. The stories vary in length, depth and quality which makes the rating of this book a difficult task. Consequently, the rating is merely a very rough amalgamation of feelings about individual stories.
Personally, the story that stood out was Ward No. 6 which is top notch story telling. Chekhov demonstrates his literary prowess with his writing of The Grasshopper, The Darling, The Kiss, Enemies and Gooseberries which were highly enjoyable. The stories like Neighbours and The New Villa are well written and also shine a light on the class structure and thoughts of peasants prevalent at that time. The stories vary in length, depth and quality which makes the rating of this book a difficult task. Consequently, the rating is merely a very rough amalgamation of feelings about individual stories.
jodylynnw's review against another edition
3.0
"To think that it is the duty of literature to pluck the pearl from the heap of villains is to deny literature itself. Literature is called artistic when it depicts life as it actually is.... A writer should be as objective as a chemist," said Anton Chekhov. His writing is objective and precise. He lingers on his characters and takes the readers carefully through their emotional and mental journeys. Nowhere is this truer than in The Essential Tales of Chekhov, an anthology that covers Chekhov’s stories from 1886 to 1899. Richard Ford, no slouch in the short story writing department, picked the twenty stories to help the reader “become more aware of the breadth of experience, humor and temperament he cultivated and was heir to.” For somebody new to Chekhov, this particular selection covers his wide range. The greats – “Ward No. 6” and “The Lady with the Dog” are present, but so are the humorous “A Blunder” and the animal story, “Kashtanka.” Whether Chekhov’s precision came from his training and practice as a doctor or from some great well of writing craft deep within his writer’s soul is debatable, but his careful objectivity exhibited in this anthology makes for great reading.
What may be considered the sister story to “The Lady with the Dog,” “The Grasshopper” is a love triangle between Olga Ivanovna, her husband, Osip Dymov, and her lover, Ryabovsky. Chekhov immediately alerts the reader to Olga’s personality with the first sentence: “All Olga Ivanovna’s friends and acquaintances were at her wedding.” Notice family is missing. Chekhov then has Olga talk to her friends about her “simple, very ordinary” husband. The genius is how Chekhov portrays this woman through lengthy descriptions and revealing dialogue. For example, her husband brings her caviar, cheese, and salmon that he ends up not getting to eat; however, her artist friends get to enjoy the meal. She has dramatic conversations with her lover, Ryabovsky, that inevitably lead to apathy on both their parts. What is a story about a self-indulged, spoiled woman who does not appreciate her kind, loving husband becomes a study of the mendacity of people. Chekhov captures the appeal of an affair as well as its inevitable demise.
Amazingly, he shows the contradictions of human life with a dog in “Kashtanka.” The protagonist is red dog that resemble a fox. The reader finds out that her owners abuse her. Fortunately for Kashtanka, she is rescued by a circus performer and his menagerie of circus performing animals; a gander, a cat named Fyodor Timofeyitch, and Havronya Ivanovna, the pig. While receiving love and affection, Kashtanka still dreams of her former owners. “And as she dropped asleep, she always felt that those figures smelt of glue, shavings, and varnish.” The story progresses with Kashtanka learning circus tricks, dealing with the death of the gander, and readying for a performance in front of an audience. In the final moment where the reader finds out whether Kashtanka will save the circus performer from ruin, her former owners are in the crowd. Without a thought to what she is leaving behind, Kashtanka “was passed from hand to hand, licked hands and faces, kept mounting higher and higher, and at last got to the gallery…” As she walked home, she thought, “all that seemed to her now like a long, tangled, oppressive dream.” Chekhov built this story around the perspective of a dog and dissects human foibles through Kashtanka.
Human shortcomings is a recurrent theme with Chekhov. In “A Trifle from Life,” a jealous lover, Nikolay Belyaev, breaks a promise to a small child, Alyosha. Like the careful construction of his other stories, Chekhov portrays Belyaev as a man changed by the innocence of young Alyosha. However, Alyosha tells Belyaev that his father thinks him a scoundrel. In a defining moment, Belyaev accuses the wife’s ex-husband of wrong doing even though Alyosha begs him not to tell. The fact that the ex-husband is insignificant in the family’s life has no bearing on Belyaev. Ignoring the bond that he created, he lambastes the wife for her ex-husbands libel, and young Alyosha is taught a hard fact of life.
This particular anthology reveals not only Chekhov’s range in understanding of character, but also his range as a writer. The collected stories range in length, content, and style. His dialogue is telling and his landscapes echo the workings in his characters’ inner emotions. It is easy to dissect his stories, to peel apart layers until the reader can see how his words fit with the next. If Chekhov required objectivity in the writing of his short stories, then the reader needs objectivity to read these stories, because, like Chekhov said, literature is artistic when it depicts life as it is, and sometimes, his words can turn into a mirror, reflecting our own faces back at us.
What may be considered the sister story to “The Lady with the Dog,” “The Grasshopper” is a love triangle between Olga Ivanovna, her husband, Osip Dymov, and her lover, Ryabovsky. Chekhov immediately alerts the reader to Olga’s personality with the first sentence: “All Olga Ivanovna’s friends and acquaintances were at her wedding.” Notice family is missing. Chekhov then has Olga talk to her friends about her “simple, very ordinary” husband. The genius is how Chekhov portrays this woman through lengthy descriptions and revealing dialogue. For example, her husband brings her caviar, cheese, and salmon that he ends up not getting to eat; however, her artist friends get to enjoy the meal. She has dramatic conversations with her lover, Ryabovsky, that inevitably lead to apathy on both their parts. What is a story about a self-indulged, spoiled woman who does not appreciate her kind, loving husband becomes a study of the mendacity of people. Chekhov captures the appeal of an affair as well as its inevitable demise.
Amazingly, he shows the contradictions of human life with a dog in “Kashtanka.” The protagonist is red dog that resemble a fox. The reader finds out that her owners abuse her. Fortunately for Kashtanka, she is rescued by a circus performer and his menagerie of circus performing animals; a gander, a cat named Fyodor Timofeyitch, and Havronya Ivanovna, the pig. While receiving love and affection, Kashtanka still dreams of her former owners. “And as she dropped asleep, she always felt that those figures smelt of glue, shavings, and varnish.” The story progresses with Kashtanka learning circus tricks, dealing with the death of the gander, and readying for a performance in front of an audience. In the final moment where the reader finds out whether Kashtanka will save the circus performer from ruin, her former owners are in the crowd. Without a thought to what she is leaving behind, Kashtanka “was passed from hand to hand, licked hands and faces, kept mounting higher and higher, and at last got to the gallery…” As she walked home, she thought, “all that seemed to her now like a long, tangled, oppressive dream.” Chekhov built this story around the perspective of a dog and dissects human foibles through Kashtanka.
Human shortcomings is a recurrent theme with Chekhov. In “A Trifle from Life,” a jealous lover, Nikolay Belyaev, breaks a promise to a small child, Alyosha. Like the careful construction of his other stories, Chekhov portrays Belyaev as a man changed by the innocence of young Alyosha. However, Alyosha tells Belyaev that his father thinks him a scoundrel. In a defining moment, Belyaev accuses the wife’s ex-husband of wrong doing even though Alyosha begs him not to tell. The fact that the ex-husband is insignificant in the family’s life has no bearing on Belyaev. Ignoring the bond that he created, he lambastes the wife for her ex-husbands libel, and young Alyosha is taught a hard fact of life.
This particular anthology reveals not only Chekhov’s range in understanding of character, but also his range as a writer. The collected stories range in length, content, and style. His dialogue is telling and his landscapes echo the workings in his characters’ inner emotions. It is easy to dissect his stories, to peel apart layers until the reader can see how his words fit with the next. If Chekhov required objectivity in the writing of his short stories, then the reader needs objectivity to read these stories, because, like Chekhov said, literature is artistic when it depicts life as it is, and sometimes, his words can turn into a mirror, reflecting our own faces back at us.