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East in Eden

Изабела Шопова,

Izabela Shopova

Why we're reading this: A kiwi author and a book about New Zealand. Funny, witty, warm and very personal account of the adventure…more
[close] A kiwi author and a book about New Zealand. Funny, witty, warm and very personal account of the adventures of a migrant family in Kiwiland.

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Apr 15, 2015 Roumiana Velikova rated it it was amazing

The English-reading public can finally enjoy Izabela Shopova’s delightful travel memoir that made Bulgarians fall in love with New Zealand. The author, who moved with her family from Eastern Europe to New Zealand in 2002, treats the readers to select bits of Bulgarian history, geography, national cuisine and traditions while immersing them into the upside-down reality of New Zealand, with its opposite seasons, rules of physics, and rules of the road; weather extremes; unique flora and fauna; vol The English-reading public can finally enjoy Izabela Shopova’s delightful travel memoir that made Bulgarians fall in love with New Zealand. The author, who moved with her family from Eastern Europe to New Zealand in 2002, treats the readers to select bits of Bulgarian history, geography, national cuisine and traditions while immersing them into the upside-down reality of New Zealand, with its opposite seasons, rules of physics, and rules of the road; weather extremes; unique flora and fauna; volcanic beauty; Maori culture; extreme tourism; and free-spirited inhabitants, who call themselves Kiwis, after the wingless bird unique to that part of the world.

The narrative thrives on the comedy of random circumstances, cultural misunderstandings, and personality clashes. The point of view of the luckless immigrant is both disarmingly honest and deceptively naïve. The author sees her country of origin and her adoptive country from a distance that allows her to mix nostalgia with the excitement of new discovery, to overcome stereotype, and to grow into her new-found perspective as a Kiwi. Like a true Kiwi, she loves to talk about the weather and has an endless reserve of powerful images of unique or mundane natural phenomena. New Zealand weather is a source of numerous comical mishaps because the author chooses to visit tourist attractions on a whim, in the off season and in inclement weather, even during a tropical cyclone.

The thrill of exploration, fueled with the occasional adrenaline boost of extreme tourism, moves the narrative at a brisk pace. The author, against her better judgment, goes jet-skiing, zorbing, sledging, and blackwater rafting. She rides on a bus over the ocean bed at low tide, slides down sand dunes, drives over rollercoaster mountainous roads, climbs a glacier, swims with dolphins. All these feats are narrated with the self-deprecating humor of the reluctant adventurer, but also with the sharp intellect of the professional engineer.

East in Eden began as a series of letters the author sent to Bulgaria from New Zealand. It then grew into an eagerly followed online blog and eventually resulted in a successful print collection, published in Bulgarian and enhanced with informative chapters on Kiwiana. That accounts for its episodic structure and occasional repetitiveness. The translation authentically captures the rich and evocative prose, while reflecting the author’s struggles to comprehend the English spoken down under. Parenthetical explanations of obscure references have been incorporated for the benefit of the international audience of the English-language edition.
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Apr 17, 2015 Linda rated it liked it

To non-kiwis, ITS ALL TRUE! We are really that weird and our country is really this good.
Except the bit about Wellington, there was more wind in the 70's and 80's, the climate now is much better.
The ending of this book needs some serious editing, that why there are only three stars. ...more

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Apr 15, 2015 Izabela marked it as to-read

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Apr 17, 2015 Izabela marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 16, 2015 Kerry marked it as to-read

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