Anna on the Neck

Fateful and innocent, independent and with a childlike soul, striving for knowledge and closed off to the amusements and intrigues of high society — in the stories of this collection, Chekhov explores the varied fates of women.
All of them are... about how a person seeks their place in the world, makes moral choices, experiences first love, disappointments, and hopes. Chekhov, a recognized master of the short story form, creates vivid, memorable images:
Dragging myself unwillingly through these resorts, I became increasingly convinced of how uncomfortable and boring life is for the well-fed and wealthy, how sluggish and weak their imagination is, how timid their tastes and desires are. While I was sitting in the park, it began to darken, and in the twilight my Ariadne appeared, elegant and dressed up like a princess; behind her followed Lubkov, dressed in all new and loose clothing, probably bought in Vienna. "What are you doing here?" he said. "What can I do for you?"
What are his heroines willing to risk in the search for personal happiness, what are they ready to give up in the name of love? Can one become happy if decisions are made for them? And is the game worth the candle?