Book cover of The Complete Short Novels

Book description

Anton Chekhov, widely hailed as the supreme master of the short story, also wrote five works long enough to be called short novels-here brought together in one volume for the first time, in a masterly new translation by the award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

The Steppe-the most lyrical…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Complete Short Novels as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In these stories, I felt how Chekhov was both an astute clinician as well as an observant and empathic student of the human condition. His story, “Gooseberries,” elicited in me the palpable and infectious sense of unadulterated joy that one can experience when swimming naked in a country pond, including in the rain!

The stories carried me to a different time and place, yet somehow connected me to their characters as if they were present in my life now, alive even.

If you love The Complete Short Novels...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Complete Short Novels?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Complete Short Novels.

Browse books like The Complete Short Novels

Book cover of Cutting for Stone
Book cover of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat And Other Clinical Tales
Book cover of The Doctor Stories

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

165

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Complete Short Novels, you might also like...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Big Ideas... For Small Businesses: Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business Grow

Big Ideas... For Small Businesses by John Lamerton,

Big Ideas… for Small Businesses is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guide to growing a small business without sacrificing your lifestyle. Written by a former civil servant turned entrepreneur, the book challenges hustle culture and instead champions the idea of an "ambitious lifestyle business" - one that provides freedom and financial stability,…

5 book lists we think you will like!