The Shooting Party
by Anton Chekhov
“The ‘most worthy person, in the highest degree’ was a girl of about nineteen, with beautiful fair hair, kind blue eyes and long curls. She was dressed in a bright red frock, halfway between a child’s and a young girl’s. Her little legs, as straight as needles in their red stockings, reposed in tiny, almost childish shoes. The whole time I admired her, those round shoulders kept shrinking coquettishly, as if they were cold and as if my gaze were biting them.”
One evening, an editor of the local newspaper receives a visit from his local magistrate. After apologizing for the unannounced visit, the magistrate persists that the editor publish his story, "The Shooting Party," in the paper. With a lot on his plate, the editor tells the man that in three months he will have reviewed the story and give his opinion as to whether or not the manuscript will be published. The editor procrastinates, forgets and finally, in the months, decides to read the manuscript.
"The Shooting Party" is not your average murder mystery. You may think that by the end, you know who the killer is. You have read the facts and reviewed them over and over in your head. But be prepared for a VERY surprising twist. (I didn't figure it out until literally RIGHT before they tell you who it is, and not to be vain, but I think I'm pretty smart!)
The body of the book is the magistrate's manuscript. It is "raw". There are editor's notes, crossed out lines, deleted paragraphs and so on. It was a very fun read. The humor was absolutely wonderful. The Count is quite a character and you will grow to love him. All in all, this was a FABulous book, and I recommend it to anyone 13 and older.
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