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Pretty Birds
by
The universally respected NPR journalist and bestselling memoirist Scott Simon makes a dazzling fiction debut. In Pretty Birds, Simon creates an intense, startling, and tragicomic portrait of a classic character–a young woman in the besieged city of Sarajevo in the early 1990s.
In the spring of 1992, Irena Zaric is a star on her Sarajevo high school basketball team, a tough ...more
In the spring of 1992, Irena Zaric is a star on her Sarajevo high school basketball team, a tough ...more
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Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 9th 2006
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published January 1st 2005)
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This is one of the worst books I've ever read. It had so much potential and I tried very hard to like, to get into it, but the author just makes it impossible.
Simon tries to develop the characters, but he tries to develop every character just a little, causing his "development" to seem like a lot of pointless paragraphs about different random characters, that just make the characters seem strange. I never felt like I had a clear understanding of how each character felt about another. For exampl ...more
Simon tries to develop the characters, but he tries to develop every character just a little, causing his "development" to seem like a lot of pointless paragraphs about different random characters, that just make the characters seem strange. I never felt like I had a clear understanding of how each character felt about another. For exampl ...more
This book, also about the Siege on Sarajevo, really really hit me hard because it's from the point of view of a high school girl, star basketball player, who happens to be Muslim and her best friend is a Serbian girl on her same team. It follows her through the Siege where she has to endure such horrible things and she feels obligated to take care of and stay strong for her parents who are old, weak, and lose hope. I just felt like I could really relate to the character...as a high school girl,
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Always challenging and sometimes amazing this book will surprise you. Thank you Scott Simon for giving us a tender memory of what War could have been like through the eyes of a teenage girl. As the War in Bosnia starts Ilena and her family run for their lives only to be caught by Serbian men who have come to kill and taunt the Muslims. I wanted to read this book be cause my brother was in Bosnia but as I started to read I wondered if I could finish reading due to the sheer inhumane acts this war
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The best word to describe this book would be "random." Perhaps "episodic" or "disjointed." From a craft standpoint, there is no discernible plot (yes, even character-driven or more "literary" fiction, which this pretends to be, needs some semblance of a plot, or momentum driving the story forward, building tension). "X historical event happened to our cast of characters" (in this case, the Bosnian War) is not a plot, nor does it contribute to the building of said momentum or tension. This was pe
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Lots of people have given this book lukewarm reviews, but I thought it was wonderful, in a dreadful sort of way. The subject matter is very difficult, and the ending particularly so... but predictable.
It takes place in Sarajevo during the siege of 1992 when Serbs divided the city and attempted to wipe out the Muslims on the other side of the river. The depiction of Sarajevo as a sophisticated Western city ("we are Europeans!") torn apart and demolished feels accurate to this reader, who after al ...more
It takes place in Sarajevo during the siege of 1992 when Serbs divided the city and attempted to wipe out the Muslims on the other side of the river. The depiction of Sarajevo as a sophisticated Western city ("we are Europeans!") torn apart and demolished feels accurate to this reader, who after al ...more
Sep 24, 2007
Bethany
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
multi-culturallit
Here's another book to add to the "I couldn't finish it" pile. Again, a bitter disappointment. So much potential, but I just can't get into it. After suffering through the first 200 pages, I've cast it aside.
The story is that of a family in Bosnia, captured in the midst of the war between the Serbs and the Muslims. Afraid to walk on the streets and risk sniper fire, falling asleep each night to the sounds of mortars exploding. In an attempt to fight back, the seventeen year old daughter becomes ...more
The story is that of a family in Bosnia, captured in the midst of the war between the Serbs and the Muslims. Afraid to walk on the streets and risk sniper fire, falling asleep each night to the sounds of mortars exploding. In an attempt to fight back, the seventeen year old daughter becomes ...more
I really wanted to like this book (as sad as I knew it would be) but I just had a hard time getting into it. Sometimes, I had a hard time following what was happening to Irena and other times the pages were so boring that I skimmed a few pages at a time. A lot of early references to Madonna, Marky Mark, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, etc. just made the story a little too "cheesy" for me. Also, there was a lot of sexual talk that I just found a little over the top (not that I am a prude or anythi
...more
Nov 27, 2007
Kani
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history buffs, war curious & female interest
wow. this book, based on true events though not exactly a history of Sarajevo, is amazing. i cried out loud. i laughed out loud. i learned alot. it didn't answer the question of why we behave as we do toward one another, but illustrated the devastating effects of that treatment. here we were in the west wondering what was going on "over there", why they were fighting, why we were or weren't involved, the powerlessness of the UN peacekeepers etc etc. This book, by someone who was there, makes tha
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this book haunted me for weeks after I finished. I passed it along to a friend who endured the siege of Sarajevo and his comment was "this man speaks the truth." phenomenal read
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Pretty Birds is the first novel by accomplished journalist Scott Simon, who weaves his own observations as a war correspondent during the crisis in Sarajevo into a fictional story about a teenage female Bosnian-Muslim sniper. In true journalistic style, Simon blasts his war-torn Yugoslavian setting with color and movement, packing in odd, obscure details with the authority of someone who was there: “The lemons seemed almost to hiss with the morning’s first low light. Irena trained her sight on t
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This really was a book unlike any other I've read. The subject matter is weighty, yet Simon approaches it with developed characters who interact in unexpected ways. The amount of humor traded back and forth between characters in this war-torn country is unusual, and yet I found myself believing that such interactions might actually be plausible. We're inclined to believe that serious, fear-inducing, stress-producing events are tackled with somber resolve. However, I think the human spirit prevai
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The novel is a scary, oppressive account of the siege of Sarajevo told from the point of view of a Bosnian teenage girl basketball player who is recruited to be a sniper in the 1990's war against the Serbians. We see how her family suffers violent encounters and increasing deprivations during the months covered by the novel. Teenage girls from both sides try to understand the conflict of cultures which has gone on for centuries. I recently visited these Balkan countries and the layers of history
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A difficult read. Many terrible images, served with the knowledge that events like this occurred in a "normal" city -- the message that war, hatred, and genocide could happen anywhere. Most of the story is told from the perspective of a teenaged girl. Irena likes reading celebrity magazines, basketball, and her pet parrot. She's also been in a physical relationship with her basketball coach. I found it difficult to relate to pre-war Irena, and somehow liked her better after she becomes a sniper
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Before the war Irena is a basketball star, an athlete who only cares about her game. Then the Balkan War breaks out in Sarajevo and she and her family are expelled from their suburb by Serbs. She is recruited to be a sniper because of her athleticism but she yearns for the regular things a teenage girl does, for her life to be normal. Scott has written an amazing novel that captures the brutality of war, while also showing the heart that is needed to survive the sometimes ridiculous and brutal c
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Quotable:
The West won’t permit a war to last more than a few weeks these days. They put a stop to wars these days before the bankers and brokers start hurling themselves through windows.
The outside world could send some of its most conscientious citizens try to ease the suffering; they would only die in cross fire. Bosnians, Serbs, Croats – people with a scarcity of vowels in their names, an a surplus of hatred in their hearts.
And centuries of blood on their hands.
War is no good. Of course. War ...more
The West won’t permit a war to last more than a few weeks these days. They put a stop to wars these days before the bankers and brokers start hurling themselves through windows.
The outside world could send some of its most conscientious citizens try to ease the suffering; they would only die in cross fire. Bosnians, Serbs, Croats – people with a scarcity of vowels in their names, an a surplus of hatred in their hearts.
And centuries of blood on their hands.
War is no good. Of course. War ...more
I wanted to love it...I mean what's not to love...Scott Simon of NPR fame writes a novel about Bosnia - the land of my heart - one would think I would've been in heaven. Sadly, while the story itself is engaging, the way Simon writes his female characters lacks nuance and insight and at some points is actually just plain creepy - specifically creepy is the way he writes female teenage sexuality...YUCK! Overall this is an engaging story and seems largely historically accurate. I am just really di
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See review of The Cellist of Sarajevo - reading these two books in tandem was a rich experience. Scott Simon, the reporter on NPR, brings that keen eye and ear to this novel about the first few months of the siege of Sarajevo. The protagonist is a high school basketball star who is the victim of "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims, brutalized and forced to flee to the other side of the river that bisects the city. Because of her athletic ability, she is recruited as a sniper. The evolution of her thin
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This has been on my "to read" list since it was published. I have been a fan of Scott Simon's reportage and commentary since becoming an NPR listener more than twenty-five years ago.
This was a well crafted story about a difficult time and place. Like all of us, each character had strengths and weaknesses. There were no cartoon heroes or villains here.
I enjoyed the story insofar as a story of this type can be enjoyed and recommend it to anyone interested in a story of a place that might be unfa ...more
This was a well crafted story about a difficult time and place. Like all of us, each character had strengths and weaknesses. There were no cartoon heroes or villains here.
I enjoyed the story insofar as a story of this type can be enjoyed and recommend it to anyone interested in a story of a place that might be unfa ...more
I love a war-time novel and I had some students that were from Sarajevo, so I read this book to understand a little bit more about what happened in that city. It is a sad novel that really tears at your moral heart strings. It focuses on what people do in war-time that they would NEVER do in "normal" life. I really loved the role of the main character (Irena)'s parrot. Here we have this exotic African parrot in war-torn Sarajevo. The parrot becomes a symbol of the family's survival.
Good book. ...more
Good book. ...more
This is a raw, compelling depiction of how warfare affects local populations. For those who are bothered by it, the f-bomb makes many appearances and there are some very graphic scenes, but that is how war and terrorism really are. The plot becomes a bit convoluted near the end, and at one point I thought I must have skipped a chapter. Scott Simon writes a powerful narrative with an ending I did not expect.
The idea of this novel intrigued me. But when I couldn't make it through the first chapter without reading about a sexual encounter and unnecessary cussing in almost every dialogue, I had to abandon it.If a reader isn't bothered by the intensity of those things, this has the potential to be a good book. I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.
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A great read. It's a coming of age story of a young girl in Sarajevo. The twist is she comes of age as a sniper. I am learning a lot about the conflict between the Muslims and Serbs, made more interesting by the recent capture of Karadzic who is regularly mentioned in the story.
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Captivating picture of the moment-to-moments between life and death experienced by Sarajevo Muslims in the Bosnian war. Based on Simon's NPR coverage of the war. Scott's novel reads like that of a veteran of long fiction. Puddled ending, though, a flaw in a lot of modern fiction.
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I read this book as I was preparing for a trip to Sarajevo. Beautifully written with good characters, but a tough read. Civil war, ethnic cleansing -- we have no idea what hell that it is, even as some segments of our society flirt with the idea.
Good story, reminds me of City of Thieves. Many times historical fiction tells the story much better than nonfiction.
Mar 30, 2016
RUSA CODES
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
listen-list-2012
This title was a Listen-Alike selection for the 2012 Listen List. For a complete list of winners and listen-alikes, please visit http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/listen....
...more
Beautifully written but very sad.
Simon puts us in the middle of Sarajevo during the siege. A nasty, cruel war. We are there with real people.
An interesting perspective from a journalist viewpoint. As a fiction writer he is competent.
For me this is a prime example of good storytelling, but just ok writing. Taken overall, the story was propelling - the structure of the novel and the driving of the action kept me engaged and reading forward. However, I found the writing trite and sophomoric in places especially when it came to women and their emotions and behavior. There was little nuance in writing - he spelled it all out, not confidant that the reader was intelligent enough to get his point.
"She hid their relationship like a ...more
"She hid their relationship like a ...more
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SCOTT SIMON is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters, having reported from all over the world and from many wars. He is now the award-winning host of Weekend Edition Saturday. With over 4 million listeners it is the most-listened to news program on NPR. Simon has won a Peabody and an Emmy for his reporting and also has over 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
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