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acciowanna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookswithsouldust's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eb00kie's review against another edition
DNF 2022'ish Not a fan of the narrative voice and of the generation clash
bread_pity's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
_dunno_'s review against another edition
2.0
nu stiu ce pretentii are romanul, dar pe mine nu m-a prea convins.
deocamdata o sa stau departe de carti cu si despre comunism. cel putin o perioada.
deocamdata o sa stau departe de carti cu si despre comunism. cel putin o perioada.
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
4.0
O carte cu un stil ușor, confortabil, plăcut. Emilia își povestește într-un flux al memoriei amintirile din copilărie și din tinerețe, din perioada comunistă când o ducea bine și avea de toate - conform amintirilor ei.
Venită de la țară, dintr-o familie de țărani lipsită de orice fel de confort (curent electric, încălzire cu orice altceva în afară de bălegar preparat pentru iarnă), ajunge la oraș unde viața i se pare un rai presărat cu tot felul de luxuri: ojă, haine frumoase, lipsa muncii la câmp, băutură, oameni cu care se înțelege.
Tema comunismului e deja aproape obositoare prin omniprezența ei în filme și cărți, dar lăsând la o parte chestia asta, e interesant modul în care Emilia își editează singură amintirile și le alege în așa fel încât să-și creeze o poveste fericită a comunismului și implicit a trecutului ei personal. În momentul în care firul narativ al vieții ei e luat la despicat de sora ei și de o veche prietenă de la locul de muncă, cartea se termină brusc, de parcă ar spune: în absența amintirilor frumoase și a fericirii trecute, mai bine lasă. Nu mai are de ce să spună ceva.
Venită de la țară, dintr-o familie de țărani lipsită de orice fel de confort (curent electric, încălzire cu orice altceva în afară de bălegar preparat pentru iarnă), ajunge la oraș unde viața i se pare un rai presărat cu tot felul de luxuri: ojă, haine frumoase, lipsa muncii la câmp, băutură, oameni cu care se înțelege.
Tema comunismului e deja aproape obositoare prin omniprezența ei în filme și cărți, dar lăsând la o parte chestia asta, e interesant modul în care Emilia își editează singură amintirile și le alege în așa fel încât să-și creeze o poveste fericită a comunismului și implicit a trecutului ei personal. În momentul în care firul narativ al vieții ei e luat la despicat de sora ei și de o veche prietenă de la locul de muncă, cartea se termină brusc, de parcă ar spune: în absența amintirilor frumoase și a fericirii trecute, mai bine lasă. Nu mai are de ce să spună ceva.
iarsb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
andra_mihaela_s's review
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"I'm an Old Commie!" is a fascinating book...I usually stay away from Romanian novels due to an ingrained misconception that my country's literature is full of old and overly-used subjects....not anymore! This year, one of my goals is to read as many books from my own culture as I can.
Coming back to this novel, Dan Lungu managed to represent extremely well the old melancholic commies from my country. Emilia is very well characterized in this direction(giving us not only an in-depth view into her past and ideas(and how they formed), but a complete picture as a mom, wife and friend). I deeply enjoyed her memories! I laughed, I felt sorry for the misconceptions and i partly understood her..after all, Emilia is a simple woman who left her village for the city and mostly avoided being a target for the comunist party. Her life wasn't easy, but neither hard. She hustled for herself and her family, and THIS (the hustle) is the cornerstone of her inability to understand why her point of view is wrong. Although she saw hardships in the lives of other people, she just cannot comprehend why the others didn't manage to obtain oranges, a better job, an apartment, meat, etc...after all, for her all this was just a question of having the right connections/the right gift/ the right approach in order to achieve her goal. (I great irony is baked into her own relationship with her parents...great why to show us how narrow-minded we can be about our own stubbornness regarding what is good and what works in contrast to what is better and new to testing)
I really loved the little stories that act like little puzzle pieces around Emilia's present and past: Mrs Rozalia's life story; the present life of both Sanda(Emilia's little sister) and Aurelia(her old co-worker in the factory); Old Mitu and his anecdotes (^_^) and Emilia's subtle mentioning of injustice and her lack of power in opposing it.
I highly recommend this book if you have older relatives with Emilia's point of view, or if you're curious how come people , who suffered and didn't have enough heat, light and food, could be sad that comunism is over. You'll definitely enjoy the irony, the funny bits added by Old Mitu and Emilia's own strange but charming personality.( Her husband Țucu is very funny and easy-going too!)
Bonus! Emilia and Țucu are baffled how much Alice(their daughter) changed and how little their old Romanian ways are no longer important for the young people. (Loved this bit...and I understood both sides way to much for my own good! :))) )
Hope you like this book as much as I did!
Enjoy
Coming back to this novel, Dan Lungu managed to represent extremely well the old melancholic commies from my country. Emilia is very well characterized in this direction(giving us not only an in-depth view into her past and ideas(and how they formed), but a complete picture as a mom, wife and friend). I deeply enjoyed her memories! I laughed, I felt sorry for the misconceptions and i partly understood her..after all, Emilia is a simple woman who left her village for the city and mostly avoided being a target for the comunist party. Her life wasn't easy, but neither hard. She hustled for herself and her family, and THIS (the hustle) is the cornerstone of her inability to understand why her point of view is wrong. Although she saw hardships in the lives of other people, she just cannot comprehend why the others didn't manage to obtain oranges, a better job, an apartment, meat, etc...after all, for her all this was just a question of having the right connections/the right gift/ the right approach in order to achieve her goal. (I great irony is baked into her own relationship with her parents...great why to show us how narrow-minded we can be about our own stubbornness regarding what is good and what works in contrast to what is better and new to testing)
I really loved the little stories that act like little puzzle pieces around Emilia's present and past: Mrs Rozalia's life story; the present life of both Sanda(Emilia's little sister) and Aurelia(her old co-worker in the factory); Old Mitu and his anecdotes (^_^) and Emilia's subtle mentioning of injustice and her lack of power in opposing it.
I highly recommend this book if you have older relatives with Emilia's point of view, or if you're curious how come people , who suffered and didn't have enough heat, light and food, could be sad that comunism is over. You'll definitely enjoy the irony, the funny bits added by Old Mitu and Emilia's own strange but charming personality.( Her husband Țucu is very funny and easy-going too!)
Bonus! Emilia and Țucu are baffled how much Alice(their daughter) changed and how little their old Romanian ways are no longer important for the young people. (Loved this bit...and I understood both sides way to much for my own good! :))) )
Hope you like this book as much as I did!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol, and Classism