Bangkok, tranzit

by Eva Fejos

Bangkok. Ölelő, forró, egzotikus város, ahol a múlt és a jövő összekapcsolódik, és ahol bármi megtörténhet… és meg is történik. Hét ember sorsa keresztezi egymást ebben a metropolisban. Hét ember, hét kereső, akiknek ez a város talán az utolsó állomás. Vagy az első egy új élet felé? David, a sikeres üzletember már évek óta nem találja azt a nőt, akit hagyott elmenni, és akiért most felrúgná egész életét. Helen, a körülrajongott fotómodell, karrierje csúcspontjára érkezett, mégis csupa kétely és bizonytalanság. Paul, aki világéletében outsidernek tartotta magát, végre mer élni, de talán már késő… Anne, aki nem olyan régen még boldog feleség és anya volt, meg akarja érteni, miért vesztett el hirtelen mindent. Simon, a kiváló orvos egy nőt keres, akit nagyon szeretett, és akinek nem tudta megadni azt, amire a nő vágyott. Saolla, a Cowboy utcai madám talán segít neki abban, hogy megtalálja – legalább önmagát. A kiskorában örökbe fogadott bájos Lian a gyökereihez tér vissza, amikor megtudja, hogy Thaiföldön született. Miért éppen ők heten? Miért érkeztek egy időben Bangkokba…? Hihetünk-e a véletlenekben?

Genres: Hungarian Literature, Travel, Chick Lit, Romance

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Eva Fejos worked in one of the largest Hungarian women’s magazines, Nők Lapja (Women’s Journal), as a journalist from 2001 until 2012. She was the recipient of both the Award for Quality Journalism and the Award for Excellence.
She is tremendously fond of traveling. Her many experiences give a personal touch to her exciting, propelling, and exotic novels.

Fejos's first Hungarian best-seller book, Bangkok transit, reached the top of the best-seller list within one month of its publication.
Following the initial publication of this novel in 2008, she has gone on to write twelve other best-sellers, making her a publishing phenomena in Hungary. According to the many accounts given by her readers, the author's books are "therapeutic journeys," full of flesh and blood characters who never give up on their dreams. Many readers have been inspired to change the course of their own lives after reading her books. "Take your life into your own hands" is one of the important messages the author wishes to convey.

Reviews

[Gizella Tóth]

Első regény Fejős Évától. Igazából a "Szeretlek, Bangkok" hatására olvastam el... kíváncsi lettem, és nem bántam meg. Tetszett, sőt, a sok angol-amerikai sablon után kifejezetten élveztem,hogy magyar neveket, magyar helyszínekről olvashatok. (na jó, orosztanár szívem kicsit megroggyant Piros tanárnőtől:) Tudom, hogy nem ugyanaz a kategória, de kicsit "Aranyeső" (Janikovszky, ifjúkorom nagy kedvence) érzésem volt. Hacsak nem válik túl sablonossá, azt hiszem, végigolvasom Fejős Évát.

[Rashad]

If I could give it six stars I would. This Hungarian writer/journalist really nailed the tension in this novel. She also seamlessly interweaves multiple POVs and plot lines into one powerful story. Her prose is very engaging and is also a great way for writers to analyze deep POV. I read the English version and couldn't put it down.

My only regret is that more of her books aren't available in English.

[Annabel Krantz]

Bangkok Transit by Hungarian blonde bombshell Eva Fejos is the Love Actually of travel fiction. Seven strangers find themselves in Bangkok, searching for something they’re missing; family, happiness, freedom… Fate intervenes, and the paths of these strangers cross amid the humidity and crowds of Bangkok.

I found this book fascinating. It took awhile to get into the swing of the story, as the narrative jumps rapidly between the perspectives of different characters, and they aren’t always identified by name. However, once you have a grasp of the different storylines, everything became much more comprehensible and I was drawn in.

Each character’s story had a missing element, which wasn’t revealed into late in the book, and cleverly kept me hooked. Admittedly, I picked the threads connecting the characters earlier than perhaps the author intended, but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book.

Fejos truly shines in her illustrative depiction of Bangkok culture. What could have been a shallow and predictable story full of ladyboys and prostitutes instead respectfully identified the deeper issues of poverty and gender identity that lie beneath the bright light of the big city. The culture is seamlessly woven into the story, enhancing the journeys that each character was undertaking.

My one gripe would be that each storyline came to a head and ended very abruptly. After unravelling each narrative so slowly and precisely, the sudden resolution of each was a little off-putting, and I would have liked just a smidge more information.

That said, the sudden ending was not enough to spoil the book, and I was left feeling quite tranquil, as if I myself had undertaken a journey of discovery alongside the other characters. I would definitely recommend reading this book, and will be tracking down some of the other books written by Fajos to see if they live up to the high standard set by her first novel.

[Heidi]

There are different reasons why people travel to Bangkok. Some want to find themselves, some are drawn back to the place they formed memories and some are just simply escaping life. Bangkok Transit tells the story of several people who are travelling to Bangkok for these various reasons.

It took me a while to get into this book as Bangkok Transit follows the lives of quite a few people. Whenever I picked the book up again I was introduced to new characters and couldn’t quite remember the “old” ones and what had happened to them. Saying that though – I was still intrigued and desperately wanted to find out what exactly all these characters were looking for in Bangkok. In the beginning the book does not give a lot away about its cast. All the reader knows at this point, is that these different characters are all troubled in one way or another. It isn’t until much later that the mysteries are uncovered and some of the characters meet and their storylines cross over.

I did not like all the characters (although the storyline is beautifully written), but some of them grew on me immensely. Lian, who has been raised by adoptive parents in America, but who was born in Bangkok, was probably my most favourite character. She travels to Bangkok to find out more about the place where she was born and possibly also some more about her birth parents. I really loved her story and wanted so much for her to succeed in her searches.

Bangkok Transit is reality-focused, grounded and also inspiring. If you are looking for a book that focuses on character development and on the soul and psyche of its characters, then this read is definitely the right choice for you.

[Lucie Simone]

The premise of Bangkok Transit by Eva Fejos was very intriguing, and I am grateful for the chance to read it. It gives readers a peek into the lives of seven different people who come to Bangkok for very different reasons, but each one looking for something or someone to fill an ache in his or her heart. The book is translated into English from Hungarian, and for the most part, the writing was smooth and didn’t feel as if it wasn’t the original language. The author draws several different sketches of life in Bangkok, which mostly made me never want to visit. Getting a glimpse into the lives of the characters and their reasons for escaping to the Thai city was fascinating and even a little haunting. However, because there were so many characters populating so many storylines, I didn’t feel the kind of connection I was hoping for. I was especially interested in one story which was told in two parts: the past and the present. Had the book focused more on that character’s journey, I think I would have loved it. But since each character had so little time on the page, their lives all felt a little shallow, a little under-developed. Actually, I think if this were a film, it would work really well. But when it comes to reading, I really want to get into the characters’ minds, walk in their shoes, feel their pain and their joy. But unfortunately, that didn’t really happen for me here. However, it definitely had a mysterious feel to it that made it hard to put down. So, if you enjoy peeping into the lives of strangers in a strange land, then this book might be for you.

[Sharrice]

Original review on my blog

I received a copy of Bangkok Transit for an honest review.

Bangkok Transit deals with the many different lives of characters that traveled to Bangkok. We got their backstories and why they were traveling there and their exposure to the different culture.

While it was a tad confusing keeping everyone in my head while learning about more and more characters I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed Bangkok Transit. It really made me think about all the times I’ve travelled with others and I never know their backstories. Some of the characters weren’t my personal favorite, but I really enjoyed the whole theme of the book and the writing. It took me a bit to get into this book but after a while I really got into and started flipping through pages and finally found myself at the end.

All in all an amazing story and like nothing I have ever read before.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com]

This book is such an interesting journey. There are numerous characters that leave you feeling many emotions because they all have a distinct and unqiue stories and voices. There will something for everyone. You will be transported emotionally because like the cover of the book reads....Bankok Transit is about love, overcoming sorrow and finding happiness. 3.5 stars

[Aniko Olah]

It was better, thank I thought. Easy reading, but real problems. It worth to read.

[Jael]

review to come

[Lenna]

it catered to the daydreaming wannabe traveler that I am, and is sure to awaken the desire to see the world in other readers as well...

read the full review at http://inner-aspen.blogspot.com

[Alison]

kindle 272