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batman_disguised's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
waqar's review against another edition
4.0
It's a fantastically written book, that breaks your heart.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
The Seige of Sarajevo lasted from April 1992 to February 1996, and devastated the city.
Four citizens of Sarajevo are connected by one of them - a cellist who vows to perform Albonini's Adagio once per day in honor of the 22 victims of a missile strike at a bakery. Powerful images of war and the effects on the civilian population as well as the soldiers.
Reading this became a personal, visceral experience for me. My husband worked in Sarajevo for US AID in 1998-1999. Our apartment was in one of the buildings described in this book. And we crossed the - NEW - bridge (which in the book is but a few beams not yet destroyed) every day to go to the market.
Four citizens of Sarajevo are connected by one of them - a cellist who vows to perform Albonini's Adagio once per day in honor of the 22 victims of a missile strike at a bakery. Powerful images of war and the effects on the civilian population as well as the soldiers.
Reading this became a personal, visceral experience for me. My husband worked in Sarajevo for US AID in 1998-1999. Our apartment was in one of the buildings described in this book. And we crossed the - NEW - bridge (which in the book is but a few beams not yet destroyed) every day to go to the market.
csgiansante's review against another edition
3.0
The inclusion of the Cellist in the title is a bit misleading because the book focuses on characters within Sarajevo rather than the cellist himself (beyond the introductory chapter). The book was nice, but it felt more like a series of worldly observations transposed on the siege is Sarajevo. I think some of the plot points felt too vague, and this might be due to the fact that the author has no connection to Sarajevo or the siege. I was expecting something more emotional, but this felt hollow at times unfortunately.
vmjt's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nyom7's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful book.
I may have lost a night’s sleep reading it. In the short term I may well regret this. In the long term however I have no regrets.
Told mostly from three perspectives (there is a fourth but their story is told slightly differently) it tells a fictionalised tale about the siege of Sarajevo. There are aspects of fact - the cellist is real - and of fiction but the fact vs fiction, at least for me, does not matter. It is the story that matters. Tiny, human, stories told on the backdrop and through the lens of a war they did not choose.
This is a book that gripped me. Held me. And carved out a little place for itself within me. I am quite certain that I will spend the next days and weeks, when my mind is able to sit in neutral, thinking about the questions this book posed and what answers if any I have to them.
Do not read this book if you are looking specifically for something light and cheery but also do not be put off by the setting, thinking it all dark and doom. There is a surprising lightness and hope to it.
I may have lost a night’s sleep reading it. In the short term I may well regret this. In the long term however I have no regrets.
Told mostly from three perspectives (there is a fourth but their story is told slightly differently) it tells a fictionalised tale about the siege of Sarajevo. There are aspects of fact - the cellist is real - and of fiction but the fact vs fiction, at least for me, does not matter. It is the story that matters. Tiny, human, stories told on the backdrop and through the lens of a war they did not choose.
This is a book that gripped me. Held me. And carved out a little place for itself within me. I am quite certain that I will spend the next days and weeks, when my mind is able to sit in neutral, thinking about the questions this book posed and what answers if any I have to them.
Do not read this book if you are looking specifically for something light and cheery but also do not be put off by the setting, thinking it all dark and doom. There is a surprising lightness and hope to it.
apleiades17's review against another edition
3.0
“Dacă oraşul moare, nu va fi din cauza celor de pe dealuri, ci din cauza celor din vale. Se va întâmpla când vor uita că sunt oameni, când se vor crede câini fiindcă sunt trataţi ca nişte câini. Când se vor mulţumi să trăiască în moarte, să se poarte ca şi cum ar fi ceea cei de pe dealuri să fie, atunci va muri de fapt Sarajevo, om după om.”
nastu's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0