becann's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
A simple reflection on the history of the city of Odessa, published in 2011 does not reflect more current events effecting the city. Informative, but hard to follow at times
chambecc's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
4.5
This book brings to life the Ukrainian city of Odessa (Note: Ukrainian language spelling is Odesa; in Russian it is Odessa). From its chartering by Catherine the Great in the 1790s to its rapid fire growth as a trading hub for grain in the middle of the 19th century to the Holocaust/WWII to the modern day - this book covers the life of a bustling cosmopolitan city in a fairly short volume. For lack of a better of way analogizing it: Odessa is a sort of Slavic New Orleans - we learn about the Ukrainians, Russians, Greeks, Poles, Tartars, and Jews who made this city what it is throughout its history. And helped give it its notorious reputation for vice.
The book gives particular attention to the Jewish aspect of the city and the role it has played in Jewish history more generally - including the ugly atrocities committed against the Jewish population throughout its history (including the massacre of Odessa's Jewish population by the Axis-aligned Romanians during WWII). It does not gloss over the warts; rather, it holds them up to the light to scrutinize them.
If you love the history of Eastern Europe/Ukraine and love urban history, this is a great volume.
The book gives particular attention to the Jewish aspect of the city and the role it has played in Jewish history more generally - including the ugly atrocities committed against the Jewish population throughout its history (including the massacre of Odessa's Jewish population by the Axis-aligned Romanians during WWII). It does not gloss over the warts; rather, it holds them up to the light to scrutinize them.
If you love the history of Eastern Europe/Ukraine and love urban history, this is a great volume.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Antisemitism
sophronisba's review
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
I liked this a lot, but man was it heartbreaking to read this book with one eye on the news. The history of Odessa is fascinating, and the writer does a good job of bringing it and its most significant (male) inhabitants to life. Its resilience over the centuries makes me hopeful it will rebuild in the coming decades.
cinnamonfox's review against another edition
3.0
O non-ficțiune interesantă și bine documentată, deși pe alocuri se aude foarte clar lipsa de imparțialitate a vocii narative. Odessa este un oraș pe care aș vrea să-l vizitez cândva, iar acest volum mi-a oferit o imagine a orașului ce a trecut prin nenumărate schimbări în ultimele câteva sute de ani.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
"Odessa" is a nonfiction book by Charles King, a professor and historian who focuses on eastern Europe. Odessa is a gorgeous city on the coast of Ukraine that has belonged to different countries at different times. Because of its location, it is an incredibly desirable place strategically! This book is the history of this wonderfully interesting city that will appeal to my fellow history lovers.
What initially drew me to this book is the fact that several years ago in 2011 I visited Ukraine and had a chance to go to Odessa. After being in cities like Kyiv, Odessa is incredibly different. It has a very interesting history. It was basically a planned city by Catherine the Great, one of my favorite historical figures to read about. The city was to act as a haven for Russian royalty. It sits on the Black Sea, which means that it was coveted by many other people throughout its history.
In this book King talks about many of the people who had a hand in making Odessa what it is today. It's a fascinating story even if you have never been to Odessa. I actually wish that I had read this book before I went to Odessa so I had a little bit more of a background as to what I would see. This book will appeal to history lovers and those who especially loved eastern European history.
What initially drew me to this book is the fact that several years ago in 2011 I visited Ukraine and had a chance to go to Odessa. After being in cities like Kyiv, Odessa is incredibly different. It has a very interesting history. It was basically a planned city by Catherine the Great, one of my favorite historical figures to read about. The city was to act as a haven for Russian royalty. It sits on the Black Sea, which means that it was coveted by many other people throughout its history.
In this book King talks about many of the people who had a hand in making Odessa what it is today. It's a fascinating story even if you have never been to Odessa. I actually wish that I had read this book before I went to Odessa so I had a little bit more of a background as to what I would see. This book will appeal to history lovers and those who especially loved eastern European history.
kathleenitpdx's review
3.0
This is a biography of the city of Odessa, its antecedents, its growth, and its struggles. Odessa was/is a "frontier city"--Ottoman, Russian, Soviet, Romanian and now Ukrainian.
King makes a case that the cosmopolitan, multicultural and unruly nature of the city made it a breeding ground for culturally significant men (they are all men).
And, for me, that is where he got somewhat off-base--going into the biographies of the men even when they were far afield from Odessa.
But the history of the city is very interesting and King writes this well--giving us a feeling for how the various rulers have re-written the history over and over to reflect their version.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is going to visit Odessa or the Black Sea.
King makes a case that the cosmopolitan, multicultural and unruly nature of the city made it a breeding ground for culturally significant men (they are all men).
And, for me, that is where he got somewhat off-base--going into the biographies of the men even when they were far afield from Odessa.
But the history of the city is very interesting and King writes this well--giving us a feeling for how the various rulers have re-written the history over and over to reflect their version.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is going to visit Odessa or the Black Sea.
More...