Thursday, January 10, 2013

Favorite Books 15

Book Review Anton Chekhov In the Ravine Orson Scott Card Freeway Games
Book: In the Ravine
Author: Anton Chekhov (Russian, 1869-1904)















Original Language: Russian
Year: 1888
Category: Short Story


















Summary: In the village Ukleevo lives Tsybukin who is a miserly as well as dishonest businessman. His elder son Anisim returns one day to the village and gets married with Lipa. Soon after his return to city he is jailed for counterfeiting. Lipa gives birth to a child. Now Tsybukin  and his wife Varvara think of the future of the child and bestow some of their properties to Lipa and the child. To this, the other daughter-in-law Aksinya becomes furious and eventually kills the child brutally. After this Lipa has nothing to stay in the house - no husband, no child - and eventually gets thrown away.

Days go by and someday Tsybukin becomes older and falls into a victim of kind of dementia (this was not mentioned, but I guess from his activities). Aksinya now gets hold of everything, Varvara remains the same generous as before. But nobody really takes care of the old man. One day while he was sitting on the bench unfed for three days, he met the forgotten Lipa who gave him some respect and a bread to eat. Painfully, the old man took it, could say nothing, but his eyes filled with tears of gratitude or something else that nobody knows. The sun went down, they drifted apart - only left some moments of crossing each other.

Comments: This is not a book, but a story from his short story collection book 'The Witch and Other Stories'. This one is picturesque with human emotions where the inability to maintain fair relation and justice is caused by human atrocity and jealousy. The killing of the baby, the pain of the mother, and the end scenario are mind-blowing.

Link:
Free online reading (English translation): Anton Chekhov - In the Ravine


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Book: Freeway Games
Author: Orson Scott Card (American, 1954-)














Original Language: English
Year: 1992
Category: Suspense


















Summary: Stanley is an employee in Nevada. One day when he finishes his work, on return home he started playing car games - namely freeway games. First he played moving side-by-side with other cars, then he started the game of follow, that is, following a car from distance. With his follow-game, the driver of the car that was being followed became suspicious, afraid, and desperate to escape. While trying to escape, she eventually faced a fatal accident while taking a sharp turn at the end of a road. This resulted in palpitating heart-beats for Stanley and he had an unexpected and unbelievably pleasurable orgasm at this unexpected ending. He felt the orgasm was outstanding in any way.

This made him a serial killer of a different sort. Every now and then playing a follow-game and ending in heavenly sensation of a different kind. One day while making this follow-game with an Audi, the suspense became even more intense and ... what next?

Comment: Interesting reading. Motif of a different kind of serial killing is portrayed in a different sensation. One reason for serial killing is also pictured very well. Extremely a story of suspense. This is a short story from his book 'Changed Man'.

Link:
Free online reading (English): Orson Scott Card - Freeway Games
Bangla translation by blogger Obonil. Translation available in Sachalayatan blog here: Khela

Let us buy paper books. Let's enrich our mind and home library.

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