Date finished 11 Apr 2020
Recommendation: 8/10
A brilliant collection; Chekhov is master of the short story. In a few pages, he can bring you closer to a character than many authors can over the course of a novel. These stories add up to a vivid picture of 19th century Russia with a patchwork of characters spanning classes. Kindness, innocence, guilt, miserliness and cruelty are all on display in sometimes surprising and somewhat shocking situations. Personally I found The Little Apples, The Ninny, The Huntsman, The Malefactor, The Peasant Women, After the Theatre, The Lady with the Pet Dog and The Bride to be the most interesting.