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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
A very powerful novel that says more through fiction than many nonfiction works.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was really excited about this book, especially if you read the back cover. The description made it sound great. I found the stream of consciousness style of writing exhausting. It also skipped around a lot between points of view. There were some good nuggets in there, but it was a long slog to get through -712 pages is no joke. It took close to 200 pages on for me to get somewhat into it.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, War
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Antisemitism, Car accident, Death of parent, Colonisation
challenging
slow-paced
This is an interesting story with an engaging writing style but the whole novel just feels very long. Large sections in the middle just drag on and maybe becuase I was reading on a Kindle that the chapters felt too long to help accurately follow the plot.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't get the writing style, was bored of switching between the different story threads and I have to admit that I don't know enough about Ukrainian history to be able to follow the story meaning.
An intriguing book, but definitely WAY too long. I enjoyed parts and then a lot of others dragged. I couldn't have finished this without the audio to help. 2.5
I came across this book almost by chance. I had been looking for a Ukrainian book, and at the same time also trying to find something decent to listen to as an audiobook in the slim pickings of Kindle Unlimited. So I was excited to find one book that satisfied both of those things, and went into it without knowing too much about what to expect.
This is the story of a Ukrainian journalist, Daryna, daughter of a dissident who was labelled as insane during the Soviet era. Set in the early noughties, where Ukraine was still finding its feet as an independent country, Daryna produces a TV show about local heros. She starts to work on an episode about a female resistance fighter from the 1940's, and falls in love with the woman's great grand-nephew, Adrian. As bureaucracy and corruption conspire against finding the truth about this woman, Daryna's boyfriend dreams of the events that the woman and her fellow resistance comrades experienced. Daryna is also dealing with the death of her best friend, an internationally renowned artist and girlfriend of a politician, and her investigations weave themselves into the story of her death.
I was a bit intimidated when I realised how long it is (3o hours on audio, I think over 700 pages), and did struggle to follow the book to begin with. I did consider DNFing very early on, but something made me persist. I've seen this book compared to the magnum opus works of Russian writers, which I'm not a fan of, and I can definitely see the relevance of that. I also don't think listening to it as an audiobook was the best approach, as so many places and people are mentioned that it was hard to keep track (especially as people are called a variety of names, which lost me quite frequently).
However, I'm really glad I persisted with this. Overall, the story is fascinating and I thought the character of Daryna was really compelling. A lot is made of the "secrets" young Ukrainan girls used to create and bury, and I really loved how that is seen throughout different aspects of the book. And the writing is incredible, laser sharp and insightful with beautiful turns of phrase. And as this book has clearly been painstakingly researched, I feel I've come to understand so much more of Ukraine's history. Fabulous book.
This is the story of a Ukrainian journalist, Daryna, daughter of a dissident who was labelled as insane during the Soviet era. Set in the early noughties, where Ukraine was still finding its feet as an independent country, Daryna produces a TV show about local heros. She starts to work on an episode about a female resistance fighter from the 1940's, and falls in love with the woman's great grand-nephew, Adrian. As bureaucracy and corruption conspire against finding the truth about this woman, Daryna's boyfriend dreams of the events that the woman and her fellow resistance comrades experienced. Daryna is also dealing with the death of her best friend, an internationally renowned artist and girlfriend of a politician, and her investigations weave themselves into the story of her death.
I was a bit intimidated when I realised how long it is (3o hours on audio, I think over 700 pages), and did struggle to follow the book to begin with. I did consider DNFing very early on, but something made me persist. I've seen this book compared to the magnum opus works of Russian writers, which I'm not a fan of, and I can definitely see the relevance of that. I also don't think listening to it as an audiobook was the best approach, as so many places and people are mentioned that it was hard to keep track (especially as people are called a variety of names, which lost me quite frequently).
However, I'm really glad I persisted with this. Overall, the story is fascinating and I thought the character of Daryna was really compelling. A lot is made of the "secrets" young Ukrainan girls used to create and bury, and I really loved how that is seen throughout different aspects of the book. And the writing is incredible, laser sharp and insightful with beautiful turns of phrase. And as this book has clearly been painstakingly researched, I feel I've come to understand so much more of Ukraine's history. Fabulous book.