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If memory serves me correct, I do believe this was the first play I ever read, and as one of the masters of Russian literature, I guess Chekhov wasn't a bad place to start. Receiving it's Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, the play is not the sort of read to expect to be wildly entertained, but from a cultural and historical stance, it is rather interesting. Some of the dialogues momentarily look like monologues because they are so long. The life philosophies though are worth examining. Characters are distinct and offer different points of view. This play definitely gets into several universal themes, of unrequited love, marrying for convenience, wasted lives, intellectual stimulation as a source of meaning, aging, etc. It is the a read to be thoroughly discussed, most likely in the classroom or study area rather at the dining room table with tea and biscuits. With a brisk pace and emotionally heavy tones Chekhov has a true way with words, with eloquent speeches by miserable people caught up in their sad and superficial lives, whilst also demonstrating a strong ecological streak, and love of the natural world. A classic book no doubt, but it's a substitute to the actual play up on stage.