Philosophical ....

love, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, usually read it again every other year

My bible

Very good, though two of the stories I didn’t much care for. The rest are great.

profound and important writing.

I read The Kreutzer Sonata, a short story about a man who murders his wife. It is written with remarkable clarity and depth of insight into the man's thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the macabre plot.

While I liked some of these stories better than others, all were quintessentially Tolstoy. Family Happiness was probably my favorite with The Death of Ivan Ilych a close second and The Devil a third. The last story was the least satisfactory. I think I liked Family Happiness best because it contained a classic Tolstoy love story that begins with not much more than glances and slight looks.

a wonderful collection of short stories by the Master.

This is my first venture into Tolstoy. I thought reading a collection of his stories would be a great place to start. I see why he’s considered a classic author or his writings are called art. Each one has a moral value that we all deal with even today. The hardest part for me is that he has too many characters that I get some people confused. So it takes longer to read. I’m definitely going to read more of his works.

This book is an excellent introduction to works of Tolstoy for anyone who is interested in the author but unsure if reading his lengthy novels is a worthwhile investment or to those who have read the novels and just want to see what else there is to Tolstoy. Having read the novels and religious/political works of Tolstoy first, this collection provided an enjoyable continuation of many of the same themes in a different format. The editor's choice of the selected stories and quality of translation are beyond criticism. The only thing it could benefit from is translation of foreign (mainly french) language used in the notes.

Not a review as much as of Tolstoy more a review of the translation too dry and palid for me

The Death of Ivan Ilych - 5/5
Family Happiness - 4/5
Master and Man - 5/5
Haji Murad - 5/5
Alyosha the Pot - 5/5