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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
naindu's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Comecei este "A Crónica de Travnik" com algumas expectativas (depois de ter lido "A Ponte sobre o Drina") o que talvez tenha influenciado pela negativa a minha experiência. Achei o livro demasiado longo, muitas vezes debruçando-se sobre personagens sem qualquer interesse ou impacto na narrativa. Apesar disso, a escrita é cativante e ficamos com vontade de saber o que vai acontecer a seguir ao nosso cônsul.
floriankogler's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
saumaykapoor's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jenn756's review against another edition
5.0
To my mind Ivo Andric is one of the greatest novelists, on par with Tolstoy or Dickens, but sadly unrecognised. His obscurity is no doubt due to him being Bosnian - I had to import my copy from Germany and its not available on the kindle.
The `Bosnian Chronicle' is set in the Napoleonic age and describes the stationing of the French and Austrian Consuls in the small town of Travnik. It's in the fag-end of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul is beset by coups and Bosnian Viziers are regularly replaced. The Bosnian people are brutalised and held back from centuries of occupation. The gulf between East and West at this time is particularly stark, and living in what they see as a poor barbarian back-water the Consuls feel lonely and isolated.
The irony is that on a personal level they could, and occasionally do, support one another but in diplomatic terms they are enemies - France and Austria spend the period perpetually on the brink of war.
Even though he was a local to the area Andric makes no effort to gloss over life in Travnik. It's in a sunless gully between mountains, a place where summer comes late and is brief, the winters are long and harsh. It's plagued by poor roads and sensless conflicts between its population.
I enjoyed it most when Andric describes the populace - the Muslim bazaars which were a simmering melting-pot of discontent, the monks and their monastries, the occasional brutal and uncontrollable riots, the Jewish community, exiled from Spain centuries before. At the end there's a moving moment when one of the Jewish merchants voices his despair at centuries of oppression and yet their determination to hang-on come what may. Its almost as if Andric is voicing the despair of oppressed minorities everywhere.
I'm not sure it helps me understand Bosnia better, except to say time doesn't make old injustices go away, it merely smothers them temporarily.
Definitely a book worth reading, one of my favourite authors.
The `Bosnian Chronicle' is set in the Napoleonic age and describes the stationing of the French and Austrian Consuls in the small town of Travnik. It's in the fag-end of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul is beset by coups and Bosnian Viziers are regularly replaced. The Bosnian people are brutalised and held back from centuries of occupation. The gulf between East and West at this time is particularly stark, and living in what they see as a poor barbarian back-water the Consuls feel lonely and isolated.
The irony is that on a personal level they could, and occasionally do, support one another but in diplomatic terms they are enemies - France and Austria spend the period perpetually on the brink of war.
Even though he was a local to the area Andric makes no effort to gloss over life in Travnik. It's in a sunless gully between mountains, a place where summer comes late and is brief, the winters are long and harsh. It's plagued by poor roads and sensless conflicts between its population.
I enjoyed it most when Andric describes the populace - the Muslim bazaars which were a simmering melting-pot of discontent, the monks and their monastries, the occasional brutal and uncontrollable riots, the Jewish community, exiled from Spain centuries before. At the end there's a moving moment when one of the Jewish merchants voices his despair at centuries of oppression and yet their determination to hang-on come what may. Its almost as if Andric is voicing the despair of oppressed minorities everywhere.
I'm not sure it helps me understand Bosnia better, except to say time doesn't make old injustices go away, it merely smothers them temporarily.
Definitely a book worth reading, one of my favourite authors.
endovelico's review against another edition
3.0
The Bosnian Chronicles is a fictitious account of the 19th century diplomatic squabble between the Napoleonic French and Royal Austrian super powers in the microcosmic town of Travnik; More importantly it's how this seemingly undaunted hamlet reflects the far-sounding events with such intensity as if it had been placed at the very heart of the conflict itself.
Not unlike other Andrić narrations, the geographical setting is claustroscopic in nature. This precludes the type of breath-taking sweeping epic trait that Drina carries; In fact, where this novel excels is not at manipulating the time or space dimension, but in crafting the human dimension to great depth and gut wrenching effects. It excels on isolating the several atoms of existence that make up the small town of Travnik and exposing their reaction to their own observance by the external stimuli that is the larger than life struggle for power.
It's not by any means a book of easy digestion. It's not - if I'm honest with my own experience - a book to be read during daily commuting. To fully appreciate it, i found that one needs considerable amounts of time at hand, has it takes it's time to introduce and develop characters and their interactions.
The mundane social rites, gossiping, ploys and copious others instances of interplay - and obviously the way in which these are so masterfully presented to us - end up amplifying Travnik into it's own world, vibrant with life, strife and complexities. Andrić pits the old and the young, the secular and the religious, the modern and the conservative, the Grandiose and the minnow by drawing up several unique, realistic and complex characters.
Another great work by Andrić, who cemented his place as one of my favorite authors, if not the very favorite.
Not unlike other Andrić narrations, the geographical setting is claustroscopic in nature. This precludes the type of breath-taking sweeping epic trait that Drina carries; In fact, where this novel excels is not at manipulating the time or space dimension, but in crafting the human dimension to great depth and gut wrenching effects. It excels on isolating the several atoms of existence that make up the small town of Travnik and exposing their reaction to their own observance by the external stimuli that is the larger than life struggle for power.
It's not by any means a book of easy digestion. It's not - if I'm honest with my own experience - a book to be read during daily commuting. To fully appreciate it, i found that one needs considerable amounts of time at hand, has it takes it's time to introduce and develop characters and their interactions.
The mundane social rites, gossiping, ploys and copious others instances of interplay - and obviously the way in which these are so masterfully presented to us - end up amplifying Travnik into it's own world, vibrant with life, strife and complexities. Andrić pits the old and the young, the secular and the religious, the modern and the conservative, the Grandiose and the minnow by drawing up several unique, realistic and complex characters.
Another great work by Andrić, who cemented his place as one of my favorite authors, if not the very favorite.
angelinatem's review against another edition
5.0
Читав постар превод на македонски од 1964 којшто е одличен. Корицата илустрирана од Никола Мартиноски. Што да кажам освен тоа дека жалам што македонските издавачки куќи денес тоа ниво на квалитет го немаат. Содржината на романот пак од друга страна ги исполни очекувањата со своите: добро разработени ликови, паралелни и самостојни приказни во кои се прелеваат ненапорни историски факти, описи на генерациски и културни разлики како и морални дилеми и решенија. Интересна е перспективата од која се гледаат тогашните светски случувања на раниот 19ти век.
lavender_tree's review against another edition
5.0
Tako čovek mašta od detinjstva o velikim gradovima i slavnim poprištima, ali stvarne i odlučne bitke za održanje svoje ličnosti i ostvarenje svega što ona u sebi nagonski krije, mora da bije tamo gde ga sudbina baci, bogzna na kakvom uskom, bezimenom prostoru, bez sjaja i ljepote, bez svedoka i sudije.
Andrićev roman o životu dvaju zapadnoeuropskih konzula u "barbarskom Travniku" je jedinstven ne samo zbog teme o kojoj govori, već i zbog opisa mentaliteta, karaktera i kulturne raznolikosti u Bosni devetnaestog stoljeća. Nevjerica i nezadovoljstvo ondašnjim životom se nameću kao središnja tema ovog romana, iako je vješto prikazana i nekompatibilnost između ideala Istoka i Zapada. Taj sukob je ovjekovječen u dijalogu između dvojice likova koji su igrom slučaja prisiljeni postojati u tom kraju, riječima koje su (nažalost) ostavile traga i na meni:
Niko ne zna šta znači roditi se i živeti na ivici između dva sveta, poznavati i razumevati jedan i drugi, a ne moći učiniti ništa da se oni objasne među sobom i zbliže, voleti i mrzeti i jedan i drugi, kolebati se i povoditi celoga veka, biti kod dva zavičaja bez ijednoga, biti svuda kod kuće i ostati zauvek stranac; ukratko: živeti razapet, ali kao žrtva i mučitelj u isto vreme.
Tragična, ali istinita priča čija se radnja generacijama vrti u začaranom krugu i ne nalazi pravi put.
Andrićev roman o životu dvaju zapadnoeuropskih konzula u "barbarskom Travniku" je jedinstven ne samo zbog teme o kojoj govori, već i zbog opisa mentaliteta, karaktera i kulturne raznolikosti u Bosni devetnaestog stoljeća. Nevjerica i nezadovoljstvo ondašnjim životom se nameću kao središnja tema ovog romana, iako je vješto prikazana i nekompatibilnost između ideala Istoka i Zapada. Taj sukob je ovjekovječen u dijalogu između dvojice likova koji su igrom slučaja prisiljeni postojati u tom kraju, riječima koje su (nažalost) ostavile traga i na meni:
Niko ne zna šta znači roditi se i živeti na ivici između dva sveta, poznavati i razumevati jedan i drugi, a ne moći učiniti ništa da se oni objasne među sobom i zbliže, voleti i mrzeti i jedan i drugi, kolebati se i povoditi celoga veka, biti kod dva zavičaja bez ijednoga, biti svuda kod kuće i ostati zauvek stranac; ukratko: živeti razapet, ali kao žrtva i mučitelj u isto vreme.
Tragična, ali istinita priča čija se radnja generacijama vrti u začaranom krugu i ne nalazi pravi put.
kingfan30's review against another edition
1.0
this just wasn't for me. The prologue started ok and I had high hope that it was not going to be as bad as it looked. One the main story started I soon lost interest, it didn't seem to really go anywhere and by the time I was three quarters through I have to admit I started to just skim through it to get to the end.
millen13's review against another edition
3.0
Set in the early 1800's, in Travnik, Bosnia, this book uses narrative exposition and so it starts off with a lot of background concerning a revolving cast of characters, the only constant in all this being the French consul. This lessens nearing the halfway mark after which it hardly ever expands on Bosnian life anymore, but starts to focus almost solely on the consuls, primarily the French, and Napoleon's exploits in the background.
The entire story is told from the third person perspective. This meant that although virtually every page is filled with some kind of hardship, the style of narrating made it very hard to get any kind of emotional bond with any of the characters.
The entire story is told from the third person perspective. This meant that although virtually every page is filled with some kind of hardship, the style of narrating made it very hard to get any kind of emotional bond with any of the characters.