Reviews

I’m not sure the plays of Chekov are meant to be read back to back because now I feel just incredibly sad. Chekov is about life passing you by and the resulting depression from this realisation.
The perfect book to read on holiday!

Uncle Vanya was my favourite, it is absolutely excellent, especially the ending.

maticado's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Only read Uncle Vanya.

lslipper0101's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

emmaggedon's review against another edition

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2.75

The Seagull was ace. Most other things were not, but maybe I need to see them performed.

blairmahoney's review against another edition

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5.0

For whatever reason, I'd never actually read any of Chekhov's plays before, but I'll be teaching Uncle Vanya this year and decided I'd read the whole collection. Apart from Ivanov, which is an obviously apprentice effort, I can see why these are so revered and so often produced. There's a certain degree of Russian miserabilism in the plays, but it's often leavened by humour and a keen sense of irony and absurdity. My favourites are probably Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard, but I very much admired The Seagull and Three Sisters as well. Magnificent stuff.

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