Lunchtime read: The Steppe and Other Stories

There are some passages that paint a picture of the steppe with its wide horizon, sounds of wild birds and roads so wide that they seem to be have been made for giants. The advantage of putting the story in a well described landscape is that is suddenly comes alive and it is easier to visualise Yegorushka as he trundles through the countryside.

Highlights from The Steppe pages 49 – 75

Yegorushka starts dreaming about the merchant Varlamov and Countess Dranitsky who are both rich and seem to be figures in a world that is well beyond his reach. He is then transferred away from his uncle to the wagons carrying wool and he starts to meet a motley crew of characters including an old man who recommends he gets some education and a young troublemaker called Dymov who is a practical joker.

Hard at this stage to see where the story is going but more tomorrow…