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shelleyanderson4127's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I read this memoir to learn more about Ukrainian history. I did, and I also learned a little about how some Ukrainians dealt with the 2014 Russian invasion and the annexation of Crimea. But I learned more about how the how and why the author's family kept secrets for a generation or more.
Author Victoria Belim was born and raised in Ukraine, land left the country when she was 15. Now an American citizen, she returned to Ukraine in 2014, a year of turmoil for the country. Russia had annexed Crimea and was supporting separatist fighters on Ukraine's eastern borders. She stayed with her grandmother Valentina in the village of Bereh, near the city of Poltava, in a search for her roots. There is tension between the two, as Valentina is more concerned with her garden than with the author's questions about her family.
The highlights of the book for me were two: learning more about ordinary, country life in Ukraine; and discovering more about Ukraine's rich textile heritage. There are some very interesting segments on rushnyk, traditional embroidered towels associated with vital events like birth, marriage and death. The author meets a fascinating older woman named Pani Olga, who despite poverty and war, is recording and preserving this precious textile heritage. In another fascinating chapter the author travels with Pani Olga to an embroidery school in Reshetylivka, where she meets the master embroiderer Nadia Vakulenko, who is fighting to preserve the country's unique tradition of white-on-white embroidery.
Textiles have always been markers of identity and culture, and the war Russia is waging against Ukraine is as much a war about identity as about empire. I was disappointed that the author did not explore this aspect more deeply in her memoir. But this disappointment is my own fault--Belim is clear from the beginning that this is a very personal memoir about her family, and not about any endangered traditions. And it is a family memoir, complete with a genealogical chart, which I had to refer back to frequently. If you are interested in one woman's heart felt excavation of several generations of family, then this book is for you. But while I am glad I read it, I kept wanting more historical and cultural context, rather than an individual's family anecdotes.
Author Victoria Belim was born and raised in Ukraine, land left the country when she was 15. Now an American citizen, she returned to Ukraine in 2014, a year of turmoil for the country. Russia had annexed Crimea and was supporting separatist fighters on Ukraine's eastern borders. She stayed with her grandmother Valentina in the village of Bereh, near the city of Poltava, in a search for her roots. There is tension between the two, as Valentina is more concerned with her garden than with the author's questions about her family.
The highlights of the book for me were two: learning more about ordinary, country life in Ukraine; and discovering more about Ukraine's rich textile heritage. There are some very interesting segments on rushnyk, traditional embroidered towels associated with vital events like birth, marriage and death. The author meets a fascinating older woman named Pani Olga, who despite poverty and war, is recording and preserving this precious textile heritage. In another fascinating chapter the author travels with Pani Olga to an embroidery school in Reshetylivka, where she meets the master embroiderer Nadia Vakulenko, who is fighting to preserve the country's unique tradition of white-on-white embroidery.
Textiles have always been markers of identity and culture, and the war Russia is waging against Ukraine is as much a war about identity as about empire. I was disappointed that the author did not explore this aspect more deeply in her memoir. But this disappointment is my own fault--Belim is clear from the beginning that this is a very personal memoir about her family, and not about any endangered traditions. And it is a family memoir, complete with a genealogical chart, which I had to refer back to frequently. If you are interested in one woman's heart felt excavation of several generations of family, then this book is for you. But while I am glad I read it, I kept wanting more historical and cultural context, rather than an individual's family anecdotes.
gossamerchild's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
internationalreads's review against another edition
I don’t know if it’s the writing, the narration, or me, but I’m bored.
kenley11's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Suicide, and Genocide
alpal_collective's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
citybookspgh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Niche topic but fully absorbing narrative with interesting characters that readers will care about. Gives important context to Ukraine-Russia relations. FYI: The title is a euphemism for something bad; this NOT a book about farming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and War