Reviews

The Lullaby of Polish Girls by Dagmara Domińczyk

lenamuriel's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

leleroulant's review against another edition

2.0

I received this book as a uncorrected Advanced Reading Copy from LibraryThing.com. There was way too much sex and bad language in it for my taste. I would not have read the whole book but for it being an ARC. I thought the book was a bit shallow, yes these girls formed a strong friendship and Anna made a place for herself in the country of her heritage, but it didn't really give me anything to think about.

simplicitea_'s review against another edition

slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

2.5

karolinatx's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book. I am not, perhaps, the most objective of reviewers as I am the same age as the author and had a very similar childhood, emigrating from Poland as a young girl and returning in the summers after the fall of communism. But the author nails it. Nails. It. Her Poland is the real thing. And yes, of course, not everyone in Poland is a toothless drunk on welfare. But you cannot have spent any time in the country as a non-tourist and not recognize the characters Ms. Dominczyk describes. Her liberal use of Polish throughout the book is spot-on, which is a nice refresher from virtually every other novel I've read where Polish is used and inevitably mangled. You also cannot have spent any time in Poland with an open window and not heard the very language other reviewers find so objectionable flying hard and fast on the street.

So, to recap: Writing? Good! Story? Good! Realistic snapshot of a very specific time in Poland's history? Good, good, good.

sharonfalduto's review against another edition

2.0

This was a bleak one. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else--I mean, it's about Polish people, they're not known for their vibrance, right? But this book was just sort of dreary, and everything felt like there were no real emotions, people just lived through horror and didn't care. Not a page turner.

kathydubs's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this novel! I'm a second generational Polak, the child of Polish immigrants, but born in America in '89. I think the reason I even picked up this book was because it's so rare to find non-fiction about just Poles (at least in my experience). I am so glad I got to read this book. Even though it's a bit different from my life experience, so much of the book hit home for me and was easy to relate to. The Polish dark sense of humor came through. The affection Poles have for one another even when mad or irritated came though. The importance of family. The longing for the past. All of this I know to be an accurate part of being a Pole (or human in general). I also love how Polish stereotypes were addressed in this book. The author really pulled back the curtain and gave more information to readers about what it means to be Polish, and I appreciated the hell out of that. I also loved the pronunciation guide in the front. I would love to see more from this author!

acinthedc's review against another edition

3.0

An interesting novel following the lives and relationships of three Polish women from adolescence to adulthood told through each of their perspectives at overlapping points of time. Set in the U.S. and Poland, I appreciated the author's use of Polish nicknames and terms; I occasionally struggled to follow who and what was being referred to. While I liked the themes of being true to yourself and lasting friendships, the emotional arc didn't consistently feel authentic and at times the main characters seemed too focused on "getting the guy."

wordnerdy's review against another edition

4.0

http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2013/06/2013-book-171.html

hels_archive's review against another edition

2.0

I wanted this story to be something else. I really held onto the cultural imagery of post soviet Poland to keep me interested because the story was removed and shallow. Really just left feeling disappointed unfortunately.

infiniteviolette's review against another edition

4.0

It could be because I, myself, am a Polish girl, but I truly loved this book. Although it took a little effort to get into it, the payoff was certainly worth it.

Beautiful, broken girls take the stage in Dominczyk's debut. Anna, Justyna, and Kamila have been friends on and off for years. Joining forces during summer vacations in Poland, they formed a lasting bond that takes the reader on a disjointed journey into who these girls were and the women they had become. Each of them is dealt a different fate in life, with conflicts that arise with each story line. Ultimately though, there is a sense that no matter where life takes them, these girls will be friends forever - no matter how long they may not speak.

The book made me extremely nostalgic for Polish summers, but I feel that any female reader could identify with being on that cusp on womanhood. The writing flows exceptionally smoothly and really gives such a wonderful sense of place. Overall, I would definitely recommend this to other readers and hope to read more from the author in the future.