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readingspells's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I am read this as part of the Women's Prize for Fiction Challenge; to read all the books that have won the prize over the years. The Tiger's Wife won in 2011 and this was my first time reading it.
I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in and the blurb is fairly vague and having read that I can understand why because I am not sure what those book is but do not let that put you off, far from it, I found it a consuming and captivating read.
It is set in an unnamed Balkan country although at one point there is a reference to an airport which definitely places it is in Serbia. It tells the story of Natalia and her Grandfather mostly through stories that he imparted to her over the years most notably the story of The Deathless man and The Tiger's Wife. Both of them have strong elements of magical realism to them so if that is not your thing this book is not for you but I loved the fairy tale, myth, folk tale type vibe that was threaded through this book.
Yes it does jump about a bit in parts from the now back to various times in Granddad's life but once you got a paragraph or two into a chapter it was easy to work out where you were in the time line of things.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I had never heard of it before taking on this challenging and considering how many of the winners I have read so far that I never heard of before and turned out to be disappointing I was delighted to find this one bucked the tread and was a really excellent read.
I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in and the blurb is fairly vague and having read that I can understand why because I am not sure what those book is but do not let that put you off, far from it, I found it a consuming and captivating read.
It is set in an unnamed Balkan country although at one point there is a reference to an airport which definitely places it is in Serbia. It tells the story of Natalia and her Grandfather mostly through stories that he imparted to her over the years most notably the story of The Deathless man and The Tiger's Wife. Both of them have strong elements of magical realism to them so if that is not your thing this book is not for you but I loved the fairy tale, myth, folk tale type vibe that was threaded through this book.
Yes it does jump about a bit in parts from the now back to various times in Granddad's life but once you got a paragraph or two into a chapter it was easy to work out where you were in the time line of things.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I had never heard of it before taking on this challenging and considering how many of the winners I have read so far that I never heard of before and turned out to be disappointing I was delighted to find this one bucked the tread and was a really excellent read.
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. Loved the writing, the fables, the vividness. However the end felt a bit rushed and flat compared to the grand sweep of the rest of the narrative. The reader is left to draw conclusions - which is fine - but they needed to be richer, heavier, more resonant, more satisfying.
cnapple's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A youg doctor in an unnamed Balkan country travels across the war-ravaged countryaide on a humanitarian mission. Along the way she learns of the death of her grandfather, also a doctor, with whom she share an extremely close relationship. As she remembers his life, and her childhood, she pieces together the stories he told her with the stories she learned after his death, and even the stories they created together.
Through this composite narrative, the reader learns how a people scarred by war and loss find meaning in life and death. Tea Obrecht weaves a winding, mystical tale, blending harsh reality with folkloric magic in strikingly beautiful prose. The author doesn't hold the reader's hand as she leads them through a story that dodges and weaves through time. The novel is heavy on imagery and light on explanation, and leaves the reader decide on the moral of each interwoven tale, but in the end, the journey is worth it for the road taken more than the destination.
Through this composite narrative, the reader learns how a people scarred by war and loss find meaning in life and death. Tea Obrecht weaves a winding, mystical tale, blending harsh reality with folkloric magic in strikingly beautiful prose. The author doesn't hold the reader's hand as she leads them through a story that dodges and weaves through time. The novel is heavy on imagery and light on explanation, and leaves the reader decide on the moral of each interwoven tale, but in the end, the journey is worth it for the road taken more than the destination.
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is really several intertwined shorter stories, most with both realistic and mystical aspects also intertwined. The result was good stories and a good "feel" as I was reading, but I was left thinking maybe I missed some of the connections between the stories?
katielong84's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and War
avidreadr's review against another edition
4.0
not my favorite of Tea Obret's but She is an auto buy author for me and i will hope to revisit this one again one day
alisonhori's review against another edition
4.0
This one was a mixed bag for me..if I could give it 3.5 stars, I would. This books is a series of different stories written from different perspectives and in different styles...some of them I liked very much, some of them didn't work for me at all. Some of the tales were quite haunting and beautiful but overall, I am not sure how they all hang together as a cohesive total at all. In particular, the story of the Tiger's Wife didn't really speak to me at all and since the book is so named, I feel as if I have missed the big picture somehow...if the book had been named for the Deathless Man, I would feel less removed from it, I think...I am looking forward to the book club discussion of this book.
devansbooklife's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I never really understood the plot, or the direction. It took me a very long time to read it.