Find today’s 5553 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/055.html Travis Review: Today’s story has a similar Chekhov theme of people misunderstanding each other. In this case it is between Kunin, a well off and ambitious permanent Rural Board member and a shabby, young priest in the district. This story is only seen through Kunin’s eyes as he judges …
Find today’s 4182 word story here http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/054.html Travis Review: This sad tale of adultery seems to hold a universal truth about some women’s attraction to condescending, scornful men. I was under the impression that what I’ve personally witnessed has been more of a late twentieth century American phenomenon, but the nineteenth century Russia also had cads …
Find today’s 1696 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/053.html Travis Review: The words can have such a profound impact on another that it can affect their lives forever. The joke that the narrator tells in the first person point of view is with four words: “I love you, Nadya!” The girl (we’re not sure of her age) is …
Find today’s 3373 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/052.html Travis Review Today’s story, like yesterday’s, starts off very Poesque with macabre atmosphere, dark rooms with flickering candle light, images of death and melancholy, and in this case, a suicide attempt. The story is also told in first person, which Chekhov doesn’t write in much (but Poe does.) After …
Find today’s 4756 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/051.html Travis Review In today’s story there is a question of whether or not Raïssa is a witch. Chekhov titled his story “The Witch” and her husband Savély — a sexton, who seems to be lucky enough to have a married a pretty, young bride and gained property (although it seems like …
Our fiftieth reviewed story comes in at 2236 words. Find it here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/050.html Travis Review: Today’s story about a procrastinating intellectual and his dense protégé makes me wonder if Chekhov was writing about himself in an abstract way. The “fairly well-known man of learning” tells his wife he’s going to fire his assistant, Ivan Matveyitch. …
Find today 2059 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/048.html Travis Review: Societal prejudices can run deep, even against family members. Such is the case for Andrey Andreyitch, a shopkeeper who believed he was doing the right thing by requesting a prayer for his departed daughter. The problem is how he wrote the note. “For the rest of the soul …
Find today’s almost 2500 word story here http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/047.html Travis Review This is a comic-tragedy of a simpleton actor used more for his size than talent. He’s dying in a dilapidated room, mostly from heartbreak than from an specific illness. Shtchiptsov seems like Lenny from Of Mice and Men, a hulking man with simple thoughts. In this …
You can find today’s 2814 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/046.html Travis Review This story hit close to home for me. My first few jobs living in Los Angeles were in the entertainment industry. There were ruthless bullies who had power through celebrity, nepotism or position attained by calculative tenacity. In Mahenka’s case, she is working her first …
This 2293 word classic can be found here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/045.html Travis Review: Stories like this is why I read Chekhov. Misery is a sincere, gut-wrenching examination of humanity, our desperate need to communicate, and kindness. When I saw this title was coming up, I remembered the story was significant, although I couldn’t recall the details. Reading the …