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in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't think I was going to like this at first but an enjoyable read. Sometimes the way of showing speech was annoying.
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
3.0
"The Betrayers" was excellent, so why not try this earlier work by the same author? And maybe it would be a good choice for the Hadassah book club.
Well. I have such ambiguous feelings. The author has chosen a subject that deserves documentation. He creates somewhat believable characters. He does a good job of managing the complicated time line.
But. But his characters are such embittered, damaged people. It's hard to LIKE any of them. And after a few hundred pages I couldn't wait for the book to reach its arbitrary, unsatisfying end so I could stop spending time with these selfish, sarcastic, argumentative souls.
The book raised one question for me. Several of the characters are communist party members. They sacrifice family because the party tells them to do so. How, how, how, can a political entity become a higher value than a cousin? And no, it's not just ambition to rise in the party. It's heart and soul commitment to an entity that will destroy you as coldly as it did your cousin. That makes no sense to me. Chime in if you can explain.
Well. I have such ambiguous feelings. The author has chosen a subject that deserves documentation. He creates somewhat believable characters. He does a good job of managing the complicated time line.
But. But his characters are such embittered, damaged people. It's hard to LIKE any of them. And after a few hundred pages I couldn't wait for the book to reach its arbitrary, unsatisfying end so I could stop spending time with these selfish, sarcastic, argumentative souls.
The book raised one question for me. Several of the characters are communist party members. They sacrifice family because the party tells them to do so. How, how, how, can a political entity become a higher value than a cousin? And no, it's not just ambition to rise in the party. It's heart and soul commitment to an entity that will destroy you as coldly as it did your cousin. That makes no sense to me. Chime in if you can explain.
romyschnaiberg's review against another edition
2.0
I really struggled with this book, that felt at times like a history lesson, at others like a parody and at others like a satirical soap opera. I think it was an interesting portrayal of emigration and immigration at a period and place I know very little about, but had a really hard time connecting with the characters ....
zingsho's review against another edition
3.0
Takes me back to those school's advanced literature classes in my country, reading about the characters having everyday conversations and topics from one apartment to another. Most of the time I was reading someone else's letter and figuring out where they are going to end up in foreign countries. Unfortunately, I had skipped a few pages to keep up with my mental mood. Overall it is well written and easy read. I picked up a few Italian phrases, got to google something about KGB of the Soviet Union and Russian stereotypes.
anothersarahny's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 and I'm changing Natasha to a 5. Very talented storyteller - funny, serious and smart.
kirstiecat's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was a particularly interesting take on the experience of Latvian and Russian Jews who survived WWII and their children who do not want to live in either the Soviet Union or in Israel. The book spans quite a few decades and works on both remembrances of the grandfather and the experiences of his children.
There is a great deal in this book about religion and the experience of trying to immigrate to the US, Australia, or Canada which the main characters are trying to do and the struggle of being turned away and being in a state of flux or moratorium, which occurs when they find themselves in Rome waiting and trying to be accepted into the country of their choice. There is some desperation that feels very realistic, crime, and also a sense of being unwanted, especially when one has a history of illness and might be seen as a burden to a country. In addition, there is a little bit about feminism or at least the female experience is included, though definitely not to the extent as the male one but it still balances it somewhat. This novel also delves into communism and perspectives of these Jewish characters on Stalin a bit as well as Begin and the peace process in Israel. They have interesting viewpoints and considering that Bezmozgis is a Latvian Jew who immigrated to Canada, one can't help but feel the legitimacy in the way that he represents these viewpoints and characters overall.
I will say the one thing that really detracted me from the storyline I was most interested in learning from, however, was the side plots about infidelity. I was wondering if Bezmozgis was trying to use this as a metaphor for some of the characters who were Jewish but did not want to live in Israel or had lived in Israel and left...as in one being unfaithful to one's nation in a way but it didn't really come across strongly enough if this was what he was going for. Instead, it made the novel seem a little unfocused and I would have rather he devoted those pages to more about the struggle in terms of politics and religion.
Also, I would strongly recommend reading Natasha by Bezmozgis...I remember liking it even more.
Memorable quotes:
pg 78 "I tell you, if I worshiped the sun, we'd all end up in the dark."
pg. 149 "In the end, every corpse has the same face: your own."
pg. 185 "She looked to have what Olya had had-beauty like a long blade, carelessly held."
pg. 260 "But I'm his mother. Men believe they have secrets only because women pretend that they don't know."
pg. 269 "The name is from the Bible, which some of them claim to have read. As a work of literature, it's gotten mixed reviews. Our mailman says that God was no Tolstoy."
pg. 277 "I'm not looking for perfection. So far I've been a citizen of two utopias. Now I have modest expectations. Basically, I want the country with the fewest parades."
There is a great deal in this book about religion and the experience of trying to immigrate to the US, Australia, or Canada which the main characters are trying to do and the struggle of being turned away and being in a state of flux or moratorium, which occurs when they find themselves in Rome waiting and trying to be accepted into the country of their choice. There is some desperation that feels very realistic, crime, and also a sense of being unwanted, especially when one has a history of illness and might be seen as a burden to a country. In addition, there is a little bit about feminism or at least the female experience is included, though definitely not to the extent as the male one but it still balances it somewhat. This novel also delves into communism and perspectives of these Jewish characters on Stalin a bit as well as Begin and the peace process in Israel. They have interesting viewpoints and considering that Bezmozgis is a Latvian Jew who immigrated to Canada, one can't help but feel the legitimacy in the way that he represents these viewpoints and characters overall.
I will say the one thing that really detracted me from the storyline I was most interested in learning from, however, was the side plots about infidelity. I was wondering if Bezmozgis was trying to use this as a metaphor for some of the characters who were Jewish but did not want to live in Israel or had lived in Israel and left...as in one being unfaithful to one's nation in a way but it didn't really come across strongly enough if this was what he was going for. Instead, it made the novel seem a little unfocused and I would have rather he devoted those pages to more about the struggle in terms of politics and religion.
Also, I would strongly recommend reading Natasha by Bezmozgis...I remember liking it even more.
Memorable quotes:
pg 78 "I tell you, if I worshiped the sun, we'd all end up in the dark."
pg. 149 "In the end, every corpse has the same face: your own."
pg. 185 "She looked to have what Olya had had-beauty like a long blade, carelessly held."
pg. 260 "But I'm his mother. Men believe they have secrets only because women pretend that they don't know."
pg. 269 "The name is from the Bible, which some of them claim to have read. As a work of literature, it's gotten mixed reviews. Our mailman says that God was no Tolstoy."
pg. 277 "I'm not looking for perfection. So far I've been a citizen of two utopias. Now I have modest expectations. Basically, I want the country with the fewest parades."
runkefer's review against another edition
3.0
This extended-family story of Russian Jewish emigres in Italy during the late 1970s/early 1980s covers an interesting historical period. I was a little lost in the beginning because there were so many characters in the family and outside the family. When I finally figured out who everyone was, I found I didn't care all that much what happened to them.
micki1961's review against another edition
2.0
okay tale about Latvian/Russian trying to emigrate to Canada
wordnerdy's review against another edition
4.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2011/04/2011-book-92.html
lostinagoodread's review against another edition
5.0
A story about three generations of a Russian Jewish family trying to make their way out of their country and into the west. This story details their trip out of Russia into Italy and tells of the families attempt to get their visas while living in Italy.
I loved this book. I could not put it down, I just wanted to keep going but once I finished I was disappointed that the story ended so soon. This is a story that really makes you think about family when you have finished it and what you would do for your family. I love how Bezmozgis shows the exile and yearning of the Jewish family to find their place. Some of the secondary characters that we meet throughout the book bring some humor to a very difficult situation that the Krasnansky family is in. This story shows that freedom is not everything that we think it to be.
I believe this is one book that I will go back to many times over the years. So much of the book sticks in my mind.
I loved this book. I could not put it down, I just wanted to keep going but once I finished I was disappointed that the story ended so soon. This is a story that really makes you think about family when you have finished it and what you would do for your family. I love how Bezmozgis shows the exile and yearning of the Jewish family to find their place. Some of the secondary characters that we meet throughout the book bring some humor to a very difficult situation that the Krasnansky family is in. This story shows that freedom is not everything that we think it to be.
I believe this is one book that I will go back to many times over the years. So much of the book sticks in my mind.