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The Complete Stories of Anton Chekhov, Vol. 2
- 1886
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories
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Fifty-Two Stories
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The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
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The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories is a bizarre and colorful collection containing the finest short stories by the iconic Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. From the witty and Kafkaesque "The Nose", where a civil servant wakes up one day to find his nose missing, to the moving and evocative "The Overcoat", about a reclusive man whose only ambition is to replace his old, threadbare coat, Gogol gives us a unique take on the absurd.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Contents are horrible; disappointed.
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The Seagull
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- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 113
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 96
Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull is considered one of his most haunting and atmospheric character studies. A would-be playwright is at war with his egoistic mother while the town has become intoxicated by a sensational author. And as the alluring newcomer steals away Kosta’s only love, their new romance could have devastating consequences.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent, but the audience is distracting
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Uncle Vanya
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
Adapted by David Mamet from a translation by Vlada Chernornirdik. In this classic of Chekhov’s canon, an overbearing professor pays a visit to his country estate, where Sonya and Vanya, his daughter and former brother-in-law, have slaved to maintain his wealth. But Vanya is enchanted by the professor’s new wife, while Sonya has fallen for the town’s melancholy doctor. Includes a conversation with Rosamund Bartlett, author of Chekhov: Scenes from a Life.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Poor American soap
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Here are 11 short stories and one novella by Anton Chekhov, one of the finest masters of what is acknowledged as a difficult genre. There is the richly comic "Oh! The Public" about a hassled ticket inspector, a wry look at morals and manners in "The Chorus Girl", and the melancholic tale of a cab driver in "Misery".
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-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 21
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From the celebrated, award-winning translators of Anna Karenina and War and Peace: a lavish, masterfully rendered volume of stories by one of the most influential short fiction writers of all time.
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2 out of 5 stars
-
Annoying narrator
- By Mida on 07-01-20
By: Anton Chekhov, and others
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The Shooting Party
- By: Anton Chekhov
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
In Moscow an unknown author approaches a publisher (the narrator), asking him to read and publish his manuscript. The narrator agrees to read it before the author returns three months later. At the heart of the story in the manuscript is a love triangle and themes of corruption, concealed love, and fatal jealousy. When one of the central characters is discovered dead, the narrative becomes a murder-mystery as the search for the culprit begins.
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-
The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
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- Length: 17 hrs and 2 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories is a bizarre and colorful collection containing the finest short stories by the iconic Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. From the witty and Kafkaesque "The Nose", where a civil servant wakes up one day to find his nose missing, to the moving and evocative "The Overcoat", about a reclusive man whose only ambition is to replace his old, threadbare coat, Gogol gives us a unique take on the absurd.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Contents are horrible; disappointed.
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The Seagull
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- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 113
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 96
Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull is considered one of his most haunting and atmospheric character studies. A would-be playwright is at war with his egoistic mother while the town has become intoxicated by a sensational author. And as the alluring newcomer steals away Kosta’s only love, their new romance could have devastating consequences.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent, but the audience is distracting
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-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Publisher's Summary
A Russian author, playwright, and physician, Anton Chekhov is widely considered one of the best short-story writers of all time. Having influenced such writers as Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and James Joyce, Chekhov’s stories are often noted for their stream-of-consciousness style and their vast number. Raymond Carver once said, “It is not only the immense number of stories he wrote - for few, if any, writers have ever done more - it is the awesome frequency with which he produced masterpieces, stories that shrive us as well as delight and move us, that lay bare our emotions in ways only true art can accomplish.”
In The Complete Stories of Anton Chekhov, Volume 2: 1886, Blackstone has compiled fifty-five of Anton Chekhov’s short stories: Art, A Blunder, Children, Misery, An Upheaval, An Actor’s End, The Requiem, Anyuta, Ivan Matveyitch, The Witch, A Story without an End, A Joke, Agafya, A Nightmare, Grisha, Love, Easter Eve, Ladies, Strong Impressions, A Gentleman Friend, A Happy Man, The Privy Councillor, A Day in the Country, At a Summer Villa, Panic Fears, The Chemist’s Wife, Not Wanted, The Chorus Girl, The Schoolmaster, A Troublesome Visitor, The Husband, A Misfortune, A Pink Stocking, Martyrs, The First-Class Passenger, Talent, The Dependents, The Jeune Premier, In the Dark, A Trivial Incident, A Tripping Tongue, A Trifle from Life, Difficult People, In the Court, A Peculiar Man, Mire, Dreams, Hush!, Excellent People, An Incident, The Orator, A Work of Art, Who Was to Blame?, Vanka, and On the Road.
Anton Chekov (1860–1904) was the author of hundreds of short stories and several plays and is regarded by many as both the greatest Russian storyteller and the father of modern drama.
Critic Reviews
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Don’t be daunted by the towering reputations of Russia’s literary giants. Listening is the perfect way to appreciate the masters. Russia is a sprawling country with a rich and complex history, which is reflected in its literature. Whether you’re keen on brushing up on classic Russian literature or you want to find a new author to explore, we’ve rounded up 13 of the best Russian authors, classic and contemporary, whose work you should know.
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What listeners say about The Complete Stories of Anton Chekhov, Vol. 2
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- D. Chamberlain
- 03-29-16
Translators make a big difference
What could Anton Chekhov have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Chekhov did great, it was the translator I don't like.
Any additional comments?
I wish I would have checked the listing on Amazon before purchasing because as I found out 1 minute in, its the Constance Garnet translation. Other translations are better, but publishers prefer Constance's because they are public domain, so they get it free, but still can charge us the same price.
20 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Larry
- 07-30-14
Excellent intro to Chekhov
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
very much so
What did you like best about this story?
These 50+ stories are medium length and always delight
Which character – as performed by Anthony Heald – was your favorite?
Impossible to say, but I loved Heald's ability to give the different characters individual personalities. this really brings the stories to life.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I had an extreme reaction to the idiotic review of "Bathsheba Everdene". Shameful and pathetic that that one review was the only one appearing!! This is a high quality production and deserves better!!
5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 08-10-16
Solid narrator, and Chekhov's not bad either!
What was most interesting to me about listening to volumes one and two of Chekhov's short stories, is how much Chekhov improved as a writer in a fairly short time frame. His early stories feel more like quick sketches, while toward the end of volume two there is more than just humor, there is depth, life.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dana
- 03-17-15
Even better than the first collection
This collection of stories surpassed my expectations, listening to it fresh off the heels of the first collection (which I loved) I didn't think it could get better but I was wrong. The narrator again was superb and this is such a great peek into Anton Chekhov
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-06-21
Superb! A Gem!
Chekhov’s stories are among the best in the world. This is an excellent collection, and the reading by Anthony Heald is splendid.
What more can I say? It has my highest possible endorsement.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Donald Stark
- 10-11-20
The Master of short stories
Chekhov's short stories are little windows into the lives of people. His brevity and wit are unsurpassed. The narrator read the stories extremely well.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ARS
- 02-13-20
Unbearable narration
I love Chekhov, every little sorry, I've been reading since I was a teenager, so I decided that having a collection of his stories to hear on my commute would be perfect.
What a disappointment with the narrator!
All the over acted. over the top voices, not only are very annoying, but do not depict the characters' personalities.
Really bad!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jeff Waytashek
- 03-01-22
Exceptional Conclusion
Most classic Russian literature reads like a soap opera that was written as entertainment for the wealthy. Chekhov's stories are about common men, human nature and ghost stories. They give a much better indication of what life in Russia was. I'm not a fan of most Russian classics but I recommend Chekhov.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- pibinca
- 08-21-16
Enough with the falsetto!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Unfortunately no. Here is the reason. Mr. Heald belongs to the vast cohort of audio readers who think they must somehow mimic the voice of the characters in a dialogue. The way he does it is use the same falsetto voice indistinctly for women, children, old people, and timid people. Conversely, men are made to sound gruff and mumbling. The effect is condescending towards the character, the writing, and at times it's misogynistic. These mannerisms he injects into the dialogue prevent us from entering into the story and distract us from the language. As you go on listening, it becomes more and more unbearable. A terrible pity, for it would have been so easy not to do it! Why doesn't Audible give its readers some precise instructions? No falsetto! Don't add your interpretation to the text, don't play actor. Chekhov really does not need your help!
Would you be willing to try another one of Anthony Heald’s performances?
Absolutely not; unless he changes his style and stops mimicking the characters with his falsetto voice.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bathsheba Everdene
- 07-25-12
does not help chekhov
What would have made The Complete Stories of Anton Chekhov, Vol. 2 better?
better reader who showed he understood Chekhov. Heald reads too fast and is much too facile. Reads Chekhov as if the author were O'Henry.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Would you be willing to try another one of Anthony Heald’s performances?
no
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Chekhov, who came out sounding like an American
Any additional comments?
Perhaps Mr. Heald understands Chekhov, but he didn't help me understand him at all.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan Rich
- 02-21-19
Very good, but...
I have just finished listening to both volumes of the The Complete Short Stories of Anton Chekhov, narrated by Anthony Heald, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them but for one thing. As commented upon by another reviewer, Anthony Heald resorts to a rather odd, tremulous and timid falsetto when portraying Chekhov's female characters (and a few of the male ones too), though by the end of Volume 2 this had been toned down a little. Of course there must be some form of character differentiation or the reading would be far too monotonous but Mr Heald's default voice for the women makes them sound like a bizarre mixture of Michael Jackson and Disney's version of Winnie the Pooh, which is a little distracting! Apart from that, very good. I hope that a third volume is on the way.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-08-19
Heald is relentlessly good.
the stories are brought to life with sonic resplendency thanks to the emotive, expressive narration of Anthony Heald. this is my fourth Heald book, after Homer's two epics and Crime and Punishment, and I hope dearly that he narrates some more classics. more Russian literature + Anthony Heald please!
1 person found this helpful
