FIFTY-TWO STORIES (1883-1898)

Jim Frangione splendidly narrates this "full deck" of stories, which Chekhov wrote from 1883 to 1898. Frangione's mastery of Russian names and nomenclature infuses this wide-ranging collection with the world of the late nineteenth century. He paces his narration to the stories' style and gives the carefully delineated characters subtle differences in their manners of speech. His deliberate and nuanced performance places us in the milieu of czarist Russia, where people ride in troikas and live in dachas, and social status always matters. When he narrates the dramatic monologues, he plays out the interior lives of princesses, doctors, and functionaries, and even makes the sound of a dog's "grrr . . . nya-nya-nya-nya"--the listener is transported. The fine translations from Pevear and Volokhonsky serve the grand master of the short story and the listener well. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]