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What Members Thought
3 pages in, and it was obvious this was going to be a Very Important book. Not just because it's well written. Because of the way it took a small group of characters and told a universal story of love, loss, politics and change. I am woefully ignorant on Russian politics, so much of the content was new to me. But that didn't matter. This book was painful, and beautiful at the same time. It was raw in places. It was spare in its descriptions, but there was a vividness to them that made each place
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After friends giving rave reviews, I had to read this. It took me a bit to keep track of all of the characters. The story is so complicated but in a good way for a novel and not a confusing way mixing time and characters. You grow to have sympathy for all of them despite their flaws.
I never thought I would ever care to read a novel about Chechnya but I loved it! “Life: a constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.”
I never thought I would ever care to read a novel about Chechnya but I loved it! “Life: a constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.”
It took some time to sink my teeth into this novel as it jumps around a bit, but as I expected, it was worth it in the end. Not an easy story to tell, it is a bleak look at the ravages of two civil wars in Chechnya. I had no understanding or knowledge of what has happened in this part of the world and had to do a little googling to familiarize myself a little bit with some historical background. Sad really to know how ravaged this area is but how little the world has focused on what has happene
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Many books I read skating/racing to finish, enjoyable but passing in memory. With this book I fell through the ice: soaked by the author's images of lives being lived amidst wars and violence and life continuing/connecting and being torn apart. I tearfully finished the last pages with gratitude to the author.
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Tragically, achingly beautiful.
Feb 04, 2014
Karen
marked it as to-read
Dec 16, 2015
Katelyn
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Jan 19, 2016
Katherine Wallace
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Apr 19, 2016
Lina
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Oct 20, 2016
Arielle
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Mar 05, 2018
Alina Panda
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Mar 20, 2018
Frances
marked it as to-read
