Customer Reviews
Comic and tragic vignettes - By: John Hopper, 22 Jul 2008 
Despite the full title, these are not reallly full stories for the most part. Indeed, there are 24 stories in 180 pages. They are, as the sub-title says, stories of Russian life; or, more specificallly, they are sketches or vignettes, many only 3-5 pages, depicting a wide range of Russian characters. As such, although mostly comicallly engaging & sometimes tragic, few reallly stand out, the ones doing so most for me being At Home, about a father's relationship with his seven year old son, & the tragic conclusion to In the Ravine.
Russian Society - By: Mr. D. J. Read, 08 Jan 2008 The great thing about Chekov, is the accesibility & simplicity. He can write a story, seemingly about anybody, in any social class, age etc, & make it believable. While he does this he often paints a bleak image of both Russia, & those who populated it. Although he was certainly more famous for his plays which aided the ressurection of theatre, his short stories were equallly compelling.
It is an ideal book for travelling, some of the stories (and there are 24), are merely a couple of pages long. The longest (and most poignant) is 'The Ravine', the final story. Though he appears only to be narrating a simple story, such themes come through as the greed of the petty bougeous (though he wrote before Marx coined that term), & the manner of which they treat the lowly proletariat.
This is an ideal introudction to a writer long underappreciated in this country. Perhaps this is due to his nationality, or the manner in which he leaves any 'action' of the story to the imagination. He is a neglected master, one who has made the short story an art form. In an age when publishers refuse short story collections, it is a reminder that they have more to offer than mere horror.
A great book to travel with - By: Sally Wilton, 27 Dec 2007 
Deep snow, blizzards, isolated inns peopled by swaddled babouchkas holding oil lamps, peeking through frosted window panes. Lonely train stations on the route to somewhere, peasants in 'straw shoes' driving horse & carts to remote places at the dead of night. An era when the horse was prized as the only way to get from place to place. If you like this evocative background you will like these stories. At only £1.99 & a handy little book you can put in your pocket it is a great travel companion, ideallly for the trans siberian railway in the middle of winter. 24 stories & my favourite is 'Champagne' as true today as ever & the same story is repeated in a different format every week in the News of the World. I read that one 3 times.
