#195 The New Villa

Please find today’s 5781 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/195.html Travis review: I liked this story because it got under my skin. It the story of wealthy, well-intentioned people building a house in a small village and dealing with the petty and belligerent peasants. Unlike My Life, which had the peasants acting in selfish and horrible ways to the …

#187 At Home

Please find today’s 4973 word short story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/187.html Travis review Today’s story is very different than The Peasants although both stories feature people returning to their childhood homes. Vera comes back to the steppe after inheriting her father’s estate. Having spent several years abroad she sees potential for her old home, but she is …

#180 Anna On The Neck

Find today’s 5288 word story here:  http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/180.html Travis review: Anna on the Neck is a Cinderella story of a woman blossoming and realizing the power of youth and beauty that she possesses. I like the efficiency and completeness of this story. Chekhov starts off with a couple boarding the train just after getting married, but …

#168 An Anonymous Story

Find today’s 30,510 word novella here http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/168.html Travis review: This story feels like a 19th century French bildungsroman with Chekhov’s touch. In 18 chapters we follow a would-be revolutionary hampered with consumption who takes on the job of a manservant for the son of a hated government official. He watches as his master who has means and intelligence, …

#156 A Dreary Story: From the Notebook of an Old Man

Today’s 24,250 word novella here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/156.html Travis review: With Chekhov’s track record, a title like “A Dreary Story” should not turn off the reader. Misery is one of the most powerful stories I’ve read, and A Misfortune and Mire are also great. With over 24k words in this novella, it feels like Chekhov was trying to do what …

#153 The Devil and The Shoemaker

Find today’s 2662 word story here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/153.html Today’s fantasy story is quite funny. We have a poor cobbler who feels persecuted by the weight of his poverty and constant humiliation. At first Fydor comes off like a cantankerous, petty fool, but when he walks out on the street he is teased by the public. “Students, officers, …

#145 A Lady’s Story

Find Chekhov’s last story (1762 words) from 1887 here: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/145.html Travis review I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first time that Chekhov has written in the first person from a woman’s perspective. Most of his story’s are third person, the last first person POV was the Notes From the Underground send-up, story …

#103 Drunk

Today’s story is 2359 words and can be found here:  http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/103.html Travis Review: This story could be summed up with the words “Money can’t buy happiness.” Frolov is a wealthy malcontent surrounded by sycophants. We watch him spend a night of debauchery in a restaurant with his lawyer as he insults the servers and destroys …

#040 Mari D’elle

Today’s story is 2015 words: http://www.chekhovshorts.com/stories/040.html Travis Review: I was fairly disappointed with this story, expecting more. At first I thought this would be the story of an opera singer and her daughter reunited. Like Chekhov was going against type with a tale of a selfless diva. But the daughter never shows up again after …