Scan barcode
sarahpisa's review against another edition
4.0
I'm usually not a huge fan of short stories, but this little collection was absolutely delightful. East of the West is a compendium of eight short stories taking place in Bulgaria (the East of the Western world) or about Bulgarians (the Orientals of the Occidentals....) and even though each stories brings its own lot of adversities and pain, no character is victimised or self-pitying here and the humour makes everything easily digestible.
My favorite one was Buying Lenin, and the one that almost made me cry was A Picture with Yuki. If you've read this book too, let me know what your favourite one was!
My favorite one was Buying Lenin, and the one that almost made me cry was A Picture with Yuki. If you've read this book too, let me know what your favourite one was!
evi_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kyriakiz's review against another edition
4.0
Μου άρεσαν και τα 8 διηγήματα! Μου άρεσαν η γραφή, οι περιγραφές και όλως παραδόξως η ατμόσφαιρά και η αίσθηση που σου άφηναν, που θα μπορούσαν κάλλιστα να διαδραματίζονται και στη δική μας ελληνική επαρχία. Γραμμένα άλλες φορές με χιούμορ και κάποιες φορές συγκινητικά, είχαν όλα μέσα τους, με τον έναν ή τον άλλο τρόπο, τη Βουλγαρία. Φτώχεια, οικογενειακοί δεσμοί, υποσχέσεις, επιθυμίες, παρόν και παρελθόν, μια ανάγκη για φυγή από το τελευταίο και ταυτόχρονα μια ανάγκη για επιστροφή στην ασφάλεια αυτού. Ξεχωρίζω ιδιαιτέρως τα Ανατολικά της Δύσης, Νυχτερινός Ορίζοντας και Ντεβσιρμέ!
hrc333's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed these short stories about Bulgaria that I had the privilege to read while visiting the country.
guerlettres's review against another edition
3.0
Много добри разкази/ новели, без преувеличение. Наистина - с внимание Към речта, ритъма и музиката на езика. Ппредпочитание към "Нощният хоризонт" и "На изток от запада"
mairi_h's review against another edition
5.0
We bought this book whilst on holiday in Bulgaria as some light holiday reading, and we got much more ! The stories are short but go deep into Bulgarian history, traditions and sentiments. Penkov's pen is humorous yet thoughtful and has a great range of ideas as demonstrated by his different themes in each story. I, and my travel buddies truly recommend East of the West.
sarahc3319's review against another edition
4.0
Mr. Penkov communicates longing, resignedness (did I make that word up?) and pride like few other writers. His stories are sentimental, bleak, funny, inspiring, depressing. I am a huge fan of his writing and look forward to more of his work.
ariel_bloomer's review against another edition
4.0
I would give this a 4.5, if possible. A solid collection of short stories that effectively create a cohesive Bulgarian atmosphere.