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janada59's review against another edition
4.0
Sad, engrossing. Really good. And I was surprised, considering it was written it was written by a creative writing prof from BC who had not actually lived through the siege of Sarajevo.
christyellen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
War's dangers and devastating effects on cities like Sarajevo, it's sad to see what happened to this city after the 1984 Olympics. Recommended for historical fiction enthusiasts.
threegoodrats's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 My review is here.
"If this city is to die, it won't be because of the men on the hills, it will be because of the people in the valley. When they're content to live with death, to become what the men on the hills want them to be, then Sarajevo will die."
"If this city is to die, it won't be because of the men on the hills, it will be because of the people in the valley. When they're content to live with death, to become what the men on the hills want them to be, then Sarajevo will die."
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
Strangely devoid of place, time and personality.
Much of the story is rooted in geography: characters navigate through a city, reminiscing about what buildings used to exist, and Galloway is constantly and precisely orienting his characters in relation to named neighbourhoods and streets and landmarks. But there's still no *sense* of place. A lack of emotional attachment to the things mentioned and seen. It's like the author took a map and charted his character's movements in place of giving them distinguishing characteristics.
It's about the Bosnian War, and yet written in a way that avoids all mention of the parties involved. My knowledge of this era and region is pretty shaky, but I did find it odd that there was no acknowledgement of the tensions simmering along ethnic divides. Perhaps it was a stylistic choice because in the end what does ethnic identity matter when everyone suffers? or Something? Except that... it kind of does matter.
It's a Muslim majority city, and judging by the names of his characters, a Muslim cast, so I found it odd that the only mention of anything 'religious adjacent' was Christmas. Context being a character fondly thinking about a trip made to a particular street to admire the decorations and lights in the period between Christmas and New Year. The age of the character in the 1990s places this memory in the 1950s and... Christmas decorations? In communist Yugoslavia? There's a head scratcher. Granted New Years was a big event, and the decorations could very well be secular, but it's that mention of Christmas without at least a mention of Eid or Ramadan that strikes me as a strange choice.
Sarajevo is and was such a culturally diverse city, and yet none of that comes through in the narrative. The characters all sound the same, no distinguishing voice. Everything grey and flat, and to be fair, there is a section of the story that focuses on the greyness of the city and its inhabitants in a time of war, and there are instances when a lack of detail is effective. But it wasn't the case in this particular novel. (Also: why a naked woman on the cover? No relevence to the story at all!)
Much of the story is rooted in geography: characters navigate through a city, reminiscing about what buildings used to exist, and Galloway is constantly and precisely orienting his characters in relation to named neighbourhoods and streets and landmarks. But there's still no *sense* of place. A lack of emotional attachment to the things mentioned and seen. It's like the author took a map and charted his character's movements in place of giving them distinguishing characteristics.
It's about the Bosnian War, and yet written in a way that avoids all mention of the parties involved. My knowledge of this era and region is pretty shaky, but I did find it odd that there was no acknowledgement of the tensions simmering along ethnic divides. Perhaps it was a stylistic choice because in the end what does ethnic identity matter when everyone suffers? or Something? Except that... it kind of does matter.
It's a Muslim majority city, and judging by the names of his characters, a Muslim cast, so I found it odd that the only mention of anything 'religious adjacent' was Christmas. Context being a character fondly thinking about a trip made to a particular street to admire the decorations and lights in the period between Christmas and New Year. The age of the character in the 1990s places this memory in the 1950s and... Christmas decorations? In communist Yugoslavia? There's a head scratcher. Granted New Years was a big event, and the decorations could very well be secular, but it's that mention of Christmas without at least a mention of Eid or Ramadan that strikes me as a strange choice.
Sarajevo is and was such a culturally diverse city, and yet none of that comes through in the narrative. The characters all sound the same, no distinguishing voice. Everything grey and flat, and to be fair, there is a section of the story that focuses on the greyness of the city and its inhabitants in a time of war, and there are instances when a lack of detail is effective. But it wasn't the case in this particular novel. (Also: why a naked woman on the cover? No relevence to the story at all!)
connie_d's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
cate_zh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
crafti_kate's review against another edition
5.0
After reading this fantastic book, I feel like I know nothing about the world and what really goes on in it.
Sarajevo was a name I'd heard and knew nothing about, Ratko Mladic was a man on the news that was on trial for something, The Bosnian War was unknown to me.
I have never read a book quite like The Cellist of Sarajevo. I questioned myself continually throughout, I ached for the people, I heard the gunfire and felt the fear and longing these people felt. I felt uplifted along with them as they remembered a safe home they once called Sarajevo, I felt and appreciated their love for life and bravery even in the smallest of ways.
This is a definite must read book. I have been on youtube and the internet for the past hour after finishing the book just looking and reading about what happened those awful years.
You have to read this book, you are changed afterwards.
Sarajevo was a name I'd heard and knew nothing about, Ratko Mladic was a man on the news that was on trial for something, The Bosnian War was unknown to me.
I have never read a book quite like The Cellist of Sarajevo. I questioned myself continually throughout, I ached for the people, I heard the gunfire and felt the fear and longing these people felt. I felt uplifted along with them as they remembered a safe home they once called Sarajevo, I felt and appreciated their love for life and bravery even in the smallest of ways.
This is a definite must read book. I have been on youtube and the internet for the past hour after finishing the book just looking and reading about what happened those awful years.
You have to read this book, you are changed afterwards.
jazzthecat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
neitereads's review against another edition
5.0
I visited Sarajevo in the summer of 2017. I spent two weeks exploring it, drinking coffee near Sebilj, admiring the architecture, kissing the woman I loved on those little beautiful streets. I spoke to locals who are my age but are war survivors. The stories I heard in those two weeks stayed with me. Thus when I saw this book I knew I must read it!
The characters are so vivid and so real you can't help but feel you are wondering in those streets of Sarajevo yourself during the siege. The book takes your breath away and you cannot put it down. It makes you stop and think how would you survive something like this? How you go on about your life when your loved city becomes a war zone? Hopefully, I will never know.
The characters are so vivid and so real you can't help but feel you are wondering in those streets of Sarajevo yourself during the siege. The book takes your breath away and you cannot put it down. It makes you stop and think how would you survive something like this? How you go on about your life when your loved city becomes a war zone? Hopefully, I will never know.