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beebliobibuli's review against another edition
3.0
It is a lovely short story where a young man sees a girl, thinks she's beautiful, a couple of years later, he sees another girl, thinks she's beautiful and that's it, nothing happens, twice.
What made the story interesting is its richness in feelings, the force of descriptions and the preciseness of the narrator's observation..
Light and enjoyable!
What made the story interesting is its richness in feelings, the force of descriptions and the preciseness of the narrator's observation..
Light and enjoyable!
unbyronically's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
absorbedinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
An absolutely fabulous book, with 13 beautiful, touching and evocative short stories. The stories are simple, emotion-driven tales about the Russian countryside and cities, and the lives people lead there. There is beautiful imagery and descriptions throughout the book, and the dialogues flow smoothly. Some of the original genius of Chekov might have been lost in translation, but the translator did a amazing job.
camillalice's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think I had read any Chekhov before this. I was attracted by the beautiful cover and by the fact it is published by Pushkin Press. Boy, am I glad I read these stories. I understand why Chekhov is said to be a master of short story writing. They are all amazing. The settings, the characters, the language - it's perfect!
Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
peixinhodeprata's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher that have provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One could argue that a short story book is not as fulfilling as a full novel, however it is enough to read this book to understand that they don't even compete in the same category. Chekhov creates a full book with snippets and insights, masterfully crafted around life in rural Russia in the end of the XIX century.
There's not really a story, or characters, however the book is full of situations, moments, people, whose sole purpose is to make us think and reflect, and be taken in the direction the author wishes. It is no surprise that Chekhov also excelled as a play writer, as we can clearly visualize all the scenarios and characters portrayed.
My 2 favourite short stories were "The Man in the Box" and "The Blunder" as they were such an accurate portrait of a certain type of people that we can find them everywhere in the world, be it Russia 1800's, or Portugal in the 2000's
Highly recommended to everyone who enjoys a good classical book.
Review in Portuguese below:
https://peixinhodepratablog.wordpress.com/2017/12/05/a-beleza-de-chekhov/
One could argue that a short story book is not as fulfilling as a full novel, however it is enough to read this book to understand that they don't even compete in the same category. Chekhov creates a full book with snippets and insights, masterfully crafted around life in rural Russia in the end of the XIX century.
There's not really a story, or characters, however the book is full of situations, moments, people, whose sole purpose is to make us think and reflect, and be taken in the direction the author wishes. It is no surprise that Chekhov also excelled as a play writer, as we can clearly visualize all the scenarios and characters portrayed.
My 2 favourite short stories were "The Man in the Box" and "The Blunder" as they were such an accurate portrait of a certain type of people that we can find them everywhere in the world, be it Russia 1800's, or Portugal in the 2000's
Highly recommended to everyone who enjoys a good classical book.
Review in Portuguese below:
https://peixinhodepratablog.wordpress.com/2017/12/05/a-beleza-de-chekhov/
amalia1985's review
5.0
"When you see a broad village street by moonlight, with its huts, haystacks and slumbering willow trees, peace descends on your soul."
Anton Chekhov. Among the greatest of the great Russian writers who created a plethora of the finest novels, plays and memoirs in World Literature. From a land that has captured the imagination of the brightest pens with her beauty, her mysticism and a multitude of antitheses and fables. Chekhov's plays are sought after by directors and actors. His short stories are considered classics and rightfully so. "The Beauties" contains some of the most tender, lyrical and picturesque texts created by an immortal pen.
"The Beauties" is such an interesting title. Beauty...what is beauty? Chekhov depicts the ambiguity of the term quite clearly. Beauty of appearance, of manners. The beauty to dictate your own rules in life and the ugliness that we want to think of as "beauty" because we are either too afraid or too unwilling to admit otherwise. Beauty and love are as intertwined as they are feeble. The sorrows of love is a central theme in these stories juxtaposed with issues concerning class and an underlying, elegant but very much present critique on the political and social stare of the nation. Apart from these themes, there is an almost oneiric, at times, imagery of Russia, the countryside and the cities of this vast, mystical, beautiful country. Moscow, Petersburg, Yalta, Siberia....
I would be delighted to read these stories in Russian if I had the chance, since there is a certain haunting rhythm in this language but I believe that the translator did an excellent job. The dialogue flows nicely, the descriptive passages are beautifully composed. The stories that I consider the finest in this collection are "The Lady with the Little Dog", one of the most well-known stories by Chekhov and quite scandalous for the time, "The Privy Councillor" , "The Kiss" and "The Man in the Box".
There are creations that are immortal, sacred. There is a squad of selected writers that gave us wonders to make our grey world a finer, elegant, beautiful place. Anton Chekhov is undoubtedly among them. His works are not the epic, grandiose monuments of Tolstoy nor the bleak, haunting studies of Dostoevsky or the pessimistic masterpieces of Gogol. However, like Pushkin, Chekhov realised a more humane, milder, everyday way of living and thinking, but no less accurate or powerful than his peers.
"You take lies for truth and ugliness for beauty."
Many thanks to Pushkin Press and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com
Anton Chekhov. Among the greatest of the great Russian writers who created a plethora of the finest novels, plays and memoirs in World Literature. From a land that has captured the imagination of the brightest pens with her beauty, her mysticism and a multitude of antitheses and fables. Chekhov's plays are sought after by directors and actors. His short stories are considered classics and rightfully so. "The Beauties" contains some of the most tender, lyrical and picturesque texts created by an immortal pen.
"The Beauties" is such an interesting title. Beauty...what is beauty? Chekhov depicts the ambiguity of the term quite clearly. Beauty of appearance, of manners. The beauty to dictate your own rules in life and the ugliness that we want to think of as "beauty" because we are either too afraid or too unwilling to admit otherwise. Beauty and love are as intertwined as they are feeble. The sorrows of love is a central theme in these stories juxtaposed with issues concerning class and an underlying, elegant but very much present critique on the political and social stare of the nation. Apart from these themes, there is an almost oneiric, at times, imagery of Russia, the countryside and the cities of this vast, mystical, beautiful country. Moscow, Petersburg, Yalta, Siberia....
I would be delighted to read these stories in Russian if I had the chance, since there is a certain haunting rhythm in this language but I believe that the translator did an excellent job. The dialogue flows nicely, the descriptive passages are beautifully composed. The stories that I consider the finest in this collection are "The Lady with the Little Dog", one of the most well-known stories by Chekhov and quite scandalous for the time, "The Privy Councillor" , "The Kiss" and "The Man in the Box".
There are creations that are immortal, sacred. There is a squad of selected writers that gave us wonders to make our grey world a finer, elegant, beautiful place. Anton Chekhov is undoubtedly among them. His works are not the epic, grandiose monuments of Tolstoy nor the bleak, haunting studies of Dostoevsky or the pessimistic masterpieces of Gogol. However, like Pushkin, Chekhov realised a more humane, milder, everyday way of living and thinking, but no less accurate or powerful than his peers.
"You take lies for truth and ugliness for beauty."
Many thanks to Pushkin Press and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com