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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I haven’t read a “new to me” short story collection in so long that I’ve forgotten just how much I appreciate the short story. How, in just several pages, a story full of all the emotion of a 300+ novel can deliver the same kind of punch. Maybe it’s Chekov’s flawed characters, many possibly struggling with undiagnosed mental health issues, who just feel so real. Perhaps it how so many of them are quite heartbreaking and some even have elements of horror which is made all the more powerful because of how believable these people are. Most of the characters, like many of us in real life, don’t realize how they are contributing to their struggles, and I think it was this element that delivered the biggest emotional impact for me.
Some of my favorite stories include:
· Sleepy
· The Fidget
· Ward 6
· The Darling
· The Lady with the Little Dog
· The Ravine
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
After I read the first story I was confused. There was no real resolution, it just...stopped. After the second story was similar, but there was something about it that drew me in. After that I was hooked. He seems to have an endless imagination for memorable characters. The pace was slower, but more rewarding than what I expected.
Stunning. Thirty beautifully translated stories, thirty examples of art's highest potential. Universal.
dark
sad
slow-paced
You know when you're just ready for something? I was ready for Chekhov this year. Now, I can list him among my favorites.
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the many stories in the book do not differ much from each other in subject matter, setting, and types of character. they are also either too short to draw you in or too long to keep the reader interested, wearing out their patience. in short, nothing about the stories stood out and they all eventually began to resemble one another, rendering the reading experience dull and tiresome.
I was so hoping I'd love this book since I'd read such great things about him. I don't think he's a bad writer at all, but his subjects throughout this book were not to my liking at all.
His stories are bleak, depressing, hopeless, and sometimes, there really isn't even an ending. I found myself saying "What?? That's how he ended it?!" (if you can call that an end) Night after night of reading about sickness, mental disease, death, poverty, hopelessness, lost loves, unhappy love affairs, etc...has put me in a dark mood.
I also have a problem somewhat with the translation as it seemed sometimes that that just could NOT be what Mr. Chekhov could have really meant/wrote.
At the time I ordered this book I also ordered a book of his plays and one about his letters. Here's hoping I will like those better.
His stories are bleak, depressing, hopeless, and sometimes, there really isn't even an ending. I found myself saying "What?? That's how he ended it?!" (if you can call that an end) Night after night of reading about sickness, mental disease, death, poverty, hopelessness, lost loves, unhappy love affairs, etc...has put me in a dark mood.
I also have a problem somewhat with the translation as it seemed sometimes that that just could NOT be what Mr. Chekhov could have really meant/wrote.
At the time I ordered this book I also ordered a book of his plays and one about his letters. Here's hoping I will like those better.
As a Christian reader, I can't say I gained anything. Some stories were amusing and funny while others I know I will never be able to forget because of how sad and horrible they were, and I don't know if my distress and anxiety was worth the funny stories in between.