Najstarsza Prawnuczka

by Joanna Chmielewska

Polish

Genres: Polish Literature, Fiction, Audiobook, Detective, Crime, Comedy, Mystery

435 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Joanna Chmielewska is the pen name of Irena Kühn (born 2 April 1932 in Warsaw), a Polish writer and screenplay author. Her work is often described as "ironic detective stories". Her novels, which have been translated into at least nine languages, have sold more than 6 million copies in Poland and over 10 million in Russia.

Joanna Chmielewska graduated as an architect in 1954 from Warsaw University of Technology, and worked as a designer before devoting herself to writing. Her first short story was published in the magazine Kultura i Życie (Culture and Life) in 1958 and her first novel, Klin (The Wedge), in 1964. She loves horse races and gambling: both hobbies have been mentioned extensively in her books. She is also a connoisseur of amber, a passion which form the basis for her 1998 novel Złota mucha (The Golden Fly).

To date, she has written more than fifty novels. Most frequently, the protagonist is a woman called Joanna that inherits many characteristics from Chmielewska herself. She also often writes about Joanna's friends like Alicja (We Are All Suspects, All in Red), co-workers (We Are All Suspects, Wild Protein) or family (The Forefathers' Wells, Bad Luck).

Reviews

[Pebro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ciekawy pomysł na książkę dzieje się w trzech wymiarach: dwa pamiętniki (częściowo pokrywające się czasowo) i współczesność. Może dlatego początek książki był nieco odpychający, ale po przyzwyczajeniu się do takiej narracji sama przyjemność czytania. Intrygi, tajemnice, przodkowie, opisane zgrabnym piórem pani Chmielewskiej.

[Ewa Koziarska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na początku nudna, ale potem wciągnęła mnie. Ogólnie żadna rewelacja, ale można przeczytać, przy odrobinie samozaparcia :)
Ocena 3,5

[Ania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mojej Mamie podobała się bardzo, mnie trochę zmęczyła, choć ogólnie nieźle się czyta. Historia ciekawa, do sfilmowania. Czy byłby to film, czy telenowela?

[Winnifred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting even if a bit overextended.

[Zosia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niesamowicie zabawna. Polecam

[Emilka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka całościowo całkiem przyjemna, oprócz jednej z głównych bohaterek, Justyny, która była absolutnie irytująca i odcięta od rzeczywistości

[Agi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typowa Chmielewska:) No, moze nie taka typowa, bo z okresu, gdy pisala "powiesci hostoryczne", przemieszanych ze wspolczesnoscia. Z przymruzeniem oka, rzecz jasna, duzo radosci, humoru, oczywiscie zbrodnia, a wszystko pisane tak charakterystycznym dla niej, lekkim stylem i jezykiem. Uwielbiam jej ksiazki:)
* * *

Typicall Joanna Chmielewska:) Well, maybe not so typicall, it is a book out of her "historical novel" period, mixed with the present times. All jokey, of course, a lot of fun and good humour, there is of course mord and dead people, but everything is written with so characteristical for her light style and langueage. I just love her books, they are good for all:)

[Dominika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very light, fun, gossipy historical fiction and I loved the first half - but then it lost its momentum and I didn't really see the point of this story. Still, I quite enjoyed it, it was a pleasure to read. Four stars.