Reviews

The Complete Prose Tales Of Alexandr Sergeyevitch Pushkin by Alexander Pushkin

rickyturner's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I give Pushkin's writing a 5, but sometimes the translation felt a bit goofy and the compilation itself had a lot of back to back very short unfinished stories and it made me lose interest partway through the book. But this was my first reading of Pushkin and I was blown away by his narrative style. I definitely want to read more by him.

100reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Will read anything by Pushkin.

avinsh10's review against another edition

4.0

Pushkin's prose is filled with elegance and romance. This volume is an excellent collection of the pre-Soviet Russian spirit. John Bayley's introduction and Paul Debreczeny's translation are proficient.

Here's my individual rating.

The Blackamoor of Peter the Great - 4 Stars

The Guests were arriving at Dancha - 3 Stars

In the Corner of a Small Square - 3 Stars

A Novel in Letters - 4 Stars

Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin:
The Shot - 4 Stars
The Blizzard - 4 Stars
The Undertaker - 4 Stars
The Station Master - 3.5 Stars
The Squire's Daughter - 4 Stars

A History of Village of Goriukhino - 3 Stars

Roslavlev - 4 Stars

Dubrovskii - 3 Stars

The Queen of Spades - 5 Stars

Kirdzhali - 4 Stars

A Tale of Roman Life - 3.5 Stars

We Were Spending the Evening at Princess D.'s Dacha - 3.5 Stars

Egyptian Nights - 4 Stars

Maria Schoning - 3.5 Stars

The Captain's Daughter - 4.5 Stars

A History of Pugachev - 4 Stars

Regards,
Vinay A

matt_sheffield's review against another edition

4.0

Notable works: The Tales of Belkin, Dubrovksii, The Queen of Spades, The Captain's Daughter

omaciel's review against another edition

4.0

My first Pushkin and I can honestly say that I really liked it. Though most of his stories don't align with the realities of our times, they are very captivating specially if you enjoy reading about the times when honor and staying true to one's word still meant something. It is too bad that many of his stories were never finished... Definitely read "The Queen of Spades" for a different style.

msgtdameron's review against another edition

5.0

What can I say it's Pushkin!! These are the short stories that created Russian Lit out of almost nothing. If Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Gogol are great it's because they stand on Pushkin's shoulders. Just fantastic a well done translation that embodies all of the passion and pain that the Pushkin and Russia has.

shostakovichtchaikovsky's review

adventurous funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

scottyreadsstuff's review against another edition

4.0

4.5/5 stars

I'm very surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. I will definitely be picking up more Russian literature, especially Pushkin. However, the one thing that bugged me about this anthology was that Pushkin never completed half of the stories in this volume.