Reviews

The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov

alyssafraley's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

violainend's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

countrymouse's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

There is nothing wrong with the writing style and the prologue piqued my interest. Unfortunately it was hard to find interest in the actual plot. All kinds of things happened, but as a reader it felt just insignificant. 

None of the characters became my favorite. The further the book continued, the more the main character and Olga started to annoy me. 

Ending twist was so primed that I knew it long in advance and there was no surprise for me. There was also a lot of unfairness in the ending for my taste.

All in all, this was a somewhat "pointless" reading experience.

gautamgopalk's review

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The only full length novel by famed Russian writer, Anton Chekhov, is structured in an ingenious manner which is astoundingly brilliant. The Shooting Party is incredibly gripping and defies all norms that a modern reader will expect in a murder mystery. For starters, it is not the "murder" or the "mystery" that is gripping, but the story telling, the lifelike characters and an incredible presentation of events that hooks the reader to the book. The story centers around a handful of prominent characters who have fascinating relations with each other that ultimately centers around themes of love, romance and jealousy.

This book is a must read for fans of Anton Chekhov for his acclaimed writing, for fans of murder mysteries to discover a new style in a genre that is well understood today, and for fans of good stories in general to discover a powerfully addictive story. Published in a serial form in Russian in 1884 and translated to English in 2004 by Ronald Wilks, this translation is a delightful story that is easy to follow, cleverly construed and entertaining at it's core.

andika's review

3.0

i liked what he wrote about i just didn't enjoy how he wrote it.

cinaedussinister's review

3.0

It is clear that Chekhov is not a prolific writer of novels: the structure of this book has so much potential - it’s beginning and end are fantastic - but throughout most of the middle act (which takes up most of the book) all that the reader is left with are thinly-veiled allusions to what is to come. That said, had it been structured somewhat better, this book would easily be worthy of five stars: as said before, the beginning is so packed with characterisation and the end is so full of suspense and mystery, those classic characteristics of a crime novel, that one can only describe them as fantastic. Though a short book, and arguably longer than it needs to be, Chekhov’s only venture into novel-writing should be acknowledged as something which does not leave on unsatisfied when one reaches the end; it gives you everything you came for, and more.

doctortdm's review

2.0

What a bore, good reason the author forgot the book. Sutherland introduction is pitiful.

richardr's review

Hmm. I'm very much afraid that if Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse collaborated on a Dostoevsky pastiche, it would look a great deal like this.