Chekhov is so hit or miss for me. His comedies were pretty amusing though. At least, I *think* it was supposed to be a comedy. ( )

Eleven short stories and one novella (In the Ravine) by Anton Chekhov, as read by British actor Kenneth Branagh in 2002. The stories are:

The Trousseau (1883)
Fat and Thin (1883)
Oh! the Public! (1885)
Misery (1886)
An Actor's End (1886)
Children (1886)
The Chorus Girl (1886)
The Orator (1886)
Hush! (1886)
The Beggar (1887)
A Story Without a Title (1888)

Overall very good although it helps to read along with the text since some of the Russian vocabulary and names are difficult to track by audio alone. It is the Constance Garnett translation, freely available online. In the Ravine is the best, a wide and colorful portrait of peasant village life - a tragic story though. "Misery" is very good. "Children" does a good job at evoking childhood. "The Chorus Girl" is also well done. The CD says "Abridged" even though all the stories are Unabridged. ( )