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sandiet's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC edition.
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic is a wonderful novel about a Croatian family with many secrets.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the first thing that captured me was not only the absolutely stunning book cover but because I do not know how to swim, I also found the title intriguing.
The premise of the story is a sister has to leave the small but beautiful Croatian island where her family has lived their entire lives and head to New York to find her younger sister who has disappeared in the city. It's not the first time Jadranka has gone missing but it is the first time she has done so without letting her older sister Magdalena know where she is.
Secrets come to light during the course of the story, with viewpoints being told by the different characters in the novel. I do not like to give away too much of a book's plot in a review because the synopsis on a cover should be enough to decide if you want to read it or now. For me the book started slowly but that is absolutely no fault of the author. I don't think I was ready for such a wonderfully written book because I was still trying to absorb my previous read.
The words strung together are almost hypnotic and eventually I found myself totally captivated with Ms. Brkic's style. Her writing is magnificent and this is her debut fiction novel! She has written short stories and has also written a book based on her experience working with a UN forensic team in Bosnia during the time of the "ethnic cleansing" massacres. While I suspect it will be a difficult read I look forward to reading that book titled "The Stone Fields: An Epitaph for the Living". If it's as well written as "The First Rule of Swimming" it will be an excellent book.
BTW according to one of the characters in the book the first rule of swimming is "to stay afloat"...I guess that pertains to life in general doesn't it?
http://gigi02.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/book-review-the-first-rule-of-swimming/
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic is a wonderful novel about a Croatian family with many secrets.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the first thing that captured me was not only the absolutely stunning book cover but because I do not know how to swim, I also found the title intriguing.
The premise of the story is a sister has to leave the small but beautiful Croatian island where her family has lived their entire lives and head to New York to find her younger sister who has disappeared in the city. It's not the first time Jadranka has gone missing but it is the first time she has done so without letting her older sister Magdalena know where she is.
Secrets come to light during the course of the story, with viewpoints being told by the different characters in the novel. I do not like to give away too much of a book's plot in a review because the synopsis on a cover should be enough to decide if you want to read it or now. For me the book started slowly but that is absolutely no fault of the author. I don't think I was ready for such a wonderfully written book because I was still trying to absorb my previous read.
The words strung together are almost hypnotic and eventually I found myself totally captivated with Ms. Brkic's style. Her writing is magnificent and this is her debut fiction novel! She has written short stories and has also written a book based on her experience working with a UN forensic team in Bosnia during the time of the "ethnic cleansing" massacres. While I suspect it will be a difficult read I look forward to reading that book titled "The Stone Fields: An Epitaph for the Living". If it's as well written as "The First Rule of Swimming" it will be an excellent book.
BTW according to one of the characters in the book the first rule of swimming is "to stay afloat"...I guess that pertains to life in general doesn't it?
http://gigi02.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/book-review-the-first-rule-of-swimming/
mikewa14's review
2.0
I felt that this was an odd mix of styles and it didn't really work for me - full review here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-first-rule-of-swimming-courtney.html
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-first-rule-of-swimming-courtney.html
cjfiebert's review
4.0
Last summer, I was wandering around a bookstore with my sister E when I passed this book on the shelf. I was immediately drawn to the cover and the title of the book and knew that it would be on my TBR list. My mother bought me the book for Christmas, yet somehow it has taken me 4 months to finally read it.
I started the book last Friday and quickly finished it by early Saturday morning. (The waterbug a.k.a. giant roach in my apartment may have influenced my ability to read through the night a bit.) The book was a very easy read and kept me intrigued (and distracted) throughout the entire story.
The First Rule of Swimming focuses on the past and present history of a single family from Croatia. I admit that before reading the book, I really did not know anything about Croatia or their history. But this story gave me an idea of the struggles that the Croatian people have faced during the past few decades. We watch the main characters grow throughout the story and try to put together the pieces of their history as we uncover many secrets of the past.
I really enjoyed reading this family history in the context of the political atmosphere of the country. We learned about the patriarch of the family, who at present time is in a coma and cannot communicate with his relatives. We learn about his daughter, who seems very bitter about life and come to learn why that may be. His granddaughters drive the story with their desire to uncover the truth and their determination to understand the events that shaped their lives before they were old enough to comprehend.
The First Rule of Swimming is a wonderful story. It captured my imagination and kept me distracted when I would normally have been panicking over bugs. And from me, that is a great compliment.
I started the book last Friday and quickly finished it by early Saturday morning. (The waterbug a.k.a. giant roach in my apartment may have influenced my ability to read through the night a bit.) The book was a very easy read and kept me intrigued (and distracted) throughout the entire story.
The First Rule of Swimming focuses on the past and present history of a single family from Croatia. I admit that before reading the book, I really did not know anything about Croatia or their history. But this story gave me an idea of the struggles that the Croatian people have faced during the past few decades. We watch the main characters grow throughout the story and try to put together the pieces of their history as we uncover many secrets of the past.
I really enjoyed reading this family history in the context of the political atmosphere of the country. We learned about the patriarch of the family, who at present time is in a coma and cannot communicate with his relatives. We learn about his daughter, who seems very bitter about life and come to learn why that may be. His granddaughters drive the story with their desire to uncover the truth and their determination to understand the events that shaped their lives before they were old enough to comprehend.
The First Rule of Swimming is a wonderful story. It captured my imagination and kept me distracted when I would normally have been panicking over bugs. And from me, that is a great compliment.
saram618's review
2.0
This book took a long time to reveal where it was going. Unfortunately it wasn't going to anywhere all that interesting.
This book is told in several parts and each part is told from the perspective of sometimes several characters and/or points in time. This left me with a very disjointed feeling. I never felt like I had enough time or information to connect with any of the characters. Because of that, I wasn't all that invested in what they were doing throughout the book.
I'd give this book 2.5 stars, but will round down to 2 because I don't think there's anything from this book that will stick with me.
This book is told in several parts and each part is told from the perspective of sometimes several characters and/or points in time. This left me with a very disjointed feeling. I never felt like I had enough time or information to connect with any of the characters. Because of that, I wasn't all that invested in what they were doing throughout the book.
I'd give this book 2.5 stars, but will round down to 2 because I don't think there's anything from this book that will stick with me.
denakg's review
3.0
This started off slow for me and I almost gave up on it around page 75. But someone said to keep going and I am glad I did. I liked it but it jumped around in time too much. I am still confused on a couple of details!
literallykalasin's review
4.0
In the first half of this book about two sisters from the small island of Rosmarina in Croatia, their grandfather teaches the girls to swim. "The first rule of swimming," he says, "is to stay afloat."
That is this book in a nutshell: it is a book about family, yes; but primarily this is a book about survival. While it centers on the two sisters as the youngest goes missing in New York and the eldest leaves her beloved life in Croatia to find her, it draws in the loose threads of the previous generations. Following the family over the generations that span WWII, communism, and civil war, it becomes a story of what people will do to get by, to save their families, and to save themselves.
That is this book in a nutshell: it is a book about family, yes; but primarily this is a book about survival. While it centers on the two sisters as the youngest goes missing in New York and the eldest leaves her beloved life in Croatia to find her, it draws in the loose threads of the previous generations. Following the family over the generations that span WWII, communism, and civil war, it becomes a story of what people will do to get by, to save their families, and to save themselves.
raeanne's review
2.0
Content Warning: rape, child abuse, torture, fascist state, revolution.
Every time I wanted to quit, something finally happened & made me want to find out what happened next.
Eventually tried to DNF it and read the ending but it didn't make any damn sense so I went back to reading it.
Now that it's over and some time has past I can appreciate the overall story and themes. But damn was it a yo-yo slog to get there.
Might actually be better as a movie. I don't think I've ever said that before.
Liked Magdalena as a kid protecting her sister. Their cousin coming clean as an adult. Even their mom in the end came through. Their aunt was the best side character. Love the side by side Cuban & Croatian experiences.
I guess all well that ends well.
Every time I wanted to quit, something finally happened & made me want to find out what happened next.
Eventually tried to DNF it and read the ending but it didn't make any damn sense so I went back to reading it.
Now that it's over and some time has past I can appreciate the overall story and themes. But damn was it a yo-yo slog to get there.
Might actually be better as a movie. I don't think I've ever said that before.
Liked Magdalena as a kid protecting her sister. Their cousin coming clean as an adult. Even their mom in the end came through. Their aunt was the best side character. Love the side by side Cuban & Croatian experiences.
I guess all well that ends well.
ferris_mx's review
5.0
This book was lyrical and beautiful. "Some stories belong only to the people who lived them."
The bond between the sisters was fascinating. I think I've seen the same with my daughters. I never had it with my brothers.
The bond between the sisters was fascinating. I think I've seen the same with my daughters. I never had it with my brothers.