christyrunsdc's review against another edition
2.0
I have a lot of interest in Balkan history and the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. I've traveled to and studied the region so I was really excited to read this book. I loved Kulin's "Last Train to Istanbul"...absolutely loved it. I finished that just before starting "Rose of Sarajevo." By contrast, I really disliked this book. It was very well researched and seemingly accurate but it felt like it was a history book that tired to be historical fiction. After long drawn out parts of history, it slowly and awkwardly transitions back to the characters. While I felt that these parts of the history were vital to the telling of the story, they could have been better interwoven into the fictional part of the story.
As for Nimeta, the main character. I grew to really dislike her. I don't understand how a woman, a mother, could encounter a bombing on her way to work and then, after struggling with whether to still go to work or go home to make sure her children are safe, make the decision to go to work anyway and check on her children later. That really bothered me. There were a lot of other idiosyncrasies about her that really bugged me. After her brother loses his wife and son, she goes off on him saying, "I know you blame yourself for not being home that terrible day...but nothing would have turned out differently, except that you'd be a corpse today instead of a deaf-mute." Isn't that the point...isn't that why he walled up and went silent? Because he would have rather been dead? I understand that she was hurting but that didn't come across. What came across was her being exceptionally selfish...in almost all aspects of her life.
As for Nimeta, the main character. I grew to really dislike her. I don't understand how a woman, a mother, could encounter a bombing on her way to work and then, after struggling with whether to still go to work or go home to make sure her children are safe, make the decision to go to work anyway and check on her children later. That really bothered me. There were a lot of other idiosyncrasies about her that really bugged me. After her brother loses his wife and son, she goes off on him saying, "I know you blame yourself for not being home that terrible day...but nothing would have turned out differently, except that you'd be a corpse today instead of a deaf-mute." Isn't that the point...isn't that why he walled up and went silent? Because he would have rather been dead? I understand that she was hurting but that didn't come across. What came across was her being exceptionally selfish...in almost all aspects of her life.
thereshegoesagain's review against another edition
3.0
Glad to learn about a part of history (scarily recent history) that I knew nothing about. But the storytelling in this book felt particularly weak and undeveloped. I loved the Last Train to Istanbul, which balances history and storytelling so, so well. Disappointed the story and characters in this one didn’t feel as tangible or real.
labalkana's review against another edition
4.0
Schon vor dem Lesen war ich emotional involviert.
Ich weiß wie schwierig es ist die Komplexität dieses Krieges zu erklären, es ist nötig weiter auszuholen um es nachvollziehbar darzustellen, das hat die Autorin wirklich gut umgesetzt.
Die Ereignisse die in den 90-er Jahren Bosnien und Herzegowina, Kroatien, Slowenien und Serbien erschüttert und das ehemalige Jugoslawien in ein Blutbad verwandelt haben und den Bürgerkrieg dort in den größten bekannten Genozid seit dem 2. Weltkrieg.
Nimata ist Frau, Mutter, Tochter, Schwester. Als Journalistin ist sie die oft nah am Geschehen und bekommt mit wie die konstante Propaganda von Milosevic den Fanatismus aufleben lässt. Sie verliebt sich einen kroatischen Journalisten, bringt es aber nicht über sich ihre Familie zu verlassen.
Aber genauso wie die Stimmung in ihrem Land, verändert sich auch ihr Leben. Und als das Land auseinander gerissen wird, passiert das auch mit ihrer Familie...
Es ist interessant, informativ und gut recherchiert.
Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass die Informationen die Leser, die mit der Geschichte nicht vertraut sind, den Überblick verlieren. Präsidenten, Minister, Rebellenführer, Städte, Orte, Länder, Daten. Es ist aufschlussreich, aber das Buch ist kurz und sehr faktisch.
Nimatas Geschichte verleiht den Fakten Leben. So sollte Historical Fiction sein. Man lernt und gewinnt einen Eindruck wie es gewesen sein könnte. Menschen verlieren ihre Jobs und hungern, Freunde leiden oder werden zu Feinden, es wird bombardiert, vergewaltigt, gefoltert und gemordet.
Die detaillierten Beschreibungen sind teilweise sehr brutal, es ist aber eben nur ein kleiner Teil dessen, was damals passiert ist. Der Krieg verändert jeden.
Der Plot war emotional, auch die Subplots interessant aber es hat sehr lange gebraucht bis die Autorin diese in die historischen Fakten einweben konnte. Deshalb ist der fiktive Teil hier etwas zu kurz gekommen.
Was mich gestört hat war, dass die Autorin türkische Wörter verwendet hat, anstatt der Turzismen die tatsächlich im Sprachgebrauch sind. Damit verliert es für mich an Authentizität, wobei Leser die die Sprache nicht sprechen sich daran nicht stören dürften.
Izetbegovic der naive Präsident Bosniens, der hereingelegt wurde, Milosevic der das Volk aufhetzt um seinen Willen durchzusetzen, Karadzic als der lange Arm, Tudman, der auf Hilfe gehofft hat um den Konflikt ohne Gewalt zu lösen, woraufhin sein Volk ihm vorwirft es zu opfern.
Jeder gegen Jeden, Menschen, denen die nationale Identität genommen wird. Vereinfacht trifft es so zu. Trotzdem merkt man bei der Darstellung, dass die Autorin Stellung bezieht. Aber das ist ok, es gibt selten eine unbeteiligte Art vom Krieg zu erzählen
Und obwohl das Ende sehr abrupt und unspektakulär daherkommt, ist es im Nachhinein nicht schlecht. Es ist die richtige Botschaft.
Ich weiß wie schwierig es ist die Komplexität dieses Krieges zu erklären, es ist nötig weiter auszuholen um es nachvollziehbar darzustellen, das hat die Autorin wirklich gut umgesetzt.
Die Ereignisse die in den 90-er Jahren Bosnien und Herzegowina, Kroatien, Slowenien und Serbien erschüttert und das ehemalige Jugoslawien in ein Blutbad verwandelt haben und den Bürgerkrieg dort in den größten bekannten Genozid seit dem 2. Weltkrieg.
Nimata ist Frau, Mutter, Tochter, Schwester. Als Journalistin ist sie die oft nah am Geschehen und bekommt mit wie die konstante Propaganda von Milosevic den Fanatismus aufleben lässt. Sie verliebt sich einen kroatischen Journalisten, bringt es aber nicht über sich ihre Familie zu verlassen.
Aber genauso wie die Stimmung in ihrem Land, verändert sich auch ihr Leben. Und als das Land auseinander gerissen wird, passiert das auch mit ihrer Familie...
Es ist interessant, informativ und gut recherchiert.
Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass die Informationen die Leser, die mit der Geschichte nicht vertraut sind, den Überblick verlieren. Präsidenten, Minister, Rebellenführer, Städte, Orte, Länder, Daten. Es ist aufschlussreich, aber das Buch ist kurz und sehr faktisch.
Nimatas Geschichte verleiht den Fakten Leben. So sollte Historical Fiction sein. Man lernt und gewinnt einen Eindruck wie es gewesen sein könnte. Menschen verlieren ihre Jobs und hungern, Freunde leiden oder werden zu Feinden, es wird bombardiert, vergewaltigt, gefoltert und gemordet.
Die detaillierten Beschreibungen sind teilweise sehr brutal, es ist aber eben nur ein kleiner Teil dessen, was damals passiert ist. Der Krieg verändert jeden.
Der Plot war emotional, auch die Subplots interessant aber es hat sehr lange gebraucht bis die Autorin diese in die historischen Fakten einweben konnte. Deshalb ist der fiktive Teil hier etwas zu kurz gekommen.
Was mich gestört hat war, dass die Autorin türkische Wörter verwendet hat, anstatt der Turzismen die tatsächlich im Sprachgebrauch sind. Damit verliert es für mich an Authentizität, wobei Leser die die Sprache nicht sprechen sich daran nicht stören dürften.
Izetbegovic der naive Präsident Bosniens, der hereingelegt wurde, Milosevic der das Volk aufhetzt um seinen Willen durchzusetzen, Karadzic als der lange Arm, Tudman, der auf Hilfe gehofft hat um den Konflikt ohne Gewalt zu lösen, woraufhin sein Volk ihm vorwirft es zu opfern.
Jeder gegen Jeden, Menschen, denen die nationale Identität genommen wird. Vereinfacht trifft es so zu. Trotzdem merkt man bei der Darstellung, dass die Autorin Stellung bezieht. Aber das ist ok, es gibt selten eine unbeteiligte Art vom Krieg zu erzählen
Und obwohl das Ende sehr abrupt und unspektakulär daherkommt, ist es im Nachhinein nicht schlecht. Es ist die richtige Botschaft.
boipoka's review against another edition
3.0
The lead character, Nimeta, is dedicated to her career, she doesn't always put her family first, she feels incredibly guilty about it, the people closest to her disapprove her dedication to her career, her morality is questionable at best ... In other words, she's a real, blood and sweat, woman. So of course I liked her!
For the most part, I liked the history/political lessons too.
It is not necessarily an even handed account of the Balkan conflict. I don't know enough about the history of the region to know how much liberty was taken with historical facts - but it very clearly presents an opinion rather than facts. It is the Bosniak side of the story (or may be the Turkish interpretation of the Bosniak side of the story). But it was pretty darn Interesting.
Though if I'm being honest, the history lessons will get really tedious really soon if you're actually interested in Nimeta's story. This is not a love story set on the backdrop of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. This is the story of the Bosniak people, focused around the war that ended Yugoslavia, set against the backdrop of one woman's life story. The story goes all over the place, and characters and locations are introduced for no reason other than to tell the historical narrative Kulin wants to tell.
Fortunately for me, I didn't much care about Nimeta's story. So the book worked for me. Your mileage may vary.
Read for the challenge prompts -
PopSugar Reading Challenge - A book written by an author of different ethnicity than you
Member's Task Reading Challenge - Read a book translated from another language
Around the Year in 52 weeks - A book with a location in the title
For the most part, I liked the history/political lessons too.
It is not necessarily an even handed account of the Balkan conflict. I don't know enough about the history of the region to know how much liberty was taken with historical facts - but it very clearly presents an opinion rather than facts. It is the Bosniak side of the story (or may be the Turkish interpretation of the Bosniak side of the story). But it was pretty darn Interesting.
Though if I'm being honest, the history lessons will get really tedious really soon if you're actually interested in Nimeta's story. This is not a love story set on the backdrop of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. This is the story of the Bosniak people, focused around the war that ended Yugoslavia, set against the backdrop of one woman's life story. The story goes all over the place, and characters and locations are introduced for no reason other than to tell the historical narrative Kulin wants to tell.
Fortunately for me, I didn't much care about Nimeta's story. So the book worked for me. Your mileage may vary.
Read for the challenge prompts -
PopSugar Reading Challenge - A book written by an author of different ethnicity than you
Member's Task Reading Challenge - Read a book translated from another language
Around the Year in 52 weeks - A book with a location in the title
stephb413's review against another edition
5.0
Historical fiction at its best. Provides a great deal of accurate info about not only the Siege, but also about the beginning of breakup of Yugoslavia, has an interesting story line, and leaves you wanting to research and know more. Loved it!
redheadstorm's review against another edition
4.0
I kept putting off writing this review. Not because I did not like the book, far from it. It was primarily because the experience of reading this story, talking about it, is intensely emotional for me. I lived this war. Entire generations of citizens of ex-Yugoslavia have had their life path shaped by this war...I am no exception. And though I count myself "lucky" because I haven't lost as much as many...I "got to keep" the most important thing - my immediate family...at the same time the war steals something intangible from anyone it comes in contact with. For me that also meant that nowadays I avoid books and films about (any) war as much as possible. At the same time, most of us who got displaced (for me that meant calling Canada my new home) still carry in us a strong connection to our culture and that bond makes our heart skip a beat each time we recognize "traces of home" in anything. So when I got a copy of Rose of Sarajevo through Netgalley, it was one of those bittersweet moments - I knew I'd need a box of kleenex for reading it.
When I first moved to Canada, I experienced firsthand the difficulties and frustration of trying to explain the complexities of our war to anyone not familiar with the region. I definitely don't envy Ayse Kulin that task. I've gone through that process so many times that a couple of chapters into the book I realized that including maps would've helped that process considerably. A good portion of the book focuses on explaining the historical and political precursors to the war - something that will not be everyone's cup of tea (just a fair warning) but absolutely necessary for the rest of the story.
Nimeta's story will take you on a deeply emotional journey even if you have no connection to the region. She is a dedicated journalist. She is a mother, a wife, a daughter. She is a woman in love with someone she is not supposed to love. A battle between a sense of duty and desires of the heart set against the backdrop of war. I think Ayse Kulin did a great job in telling the story of a strong but fallible woman.
Coincidentally, I actually lived in Istanbul for a year, so I truly enjoyed the parts of the story related to Turkey and this gorgeous city. One thing that did bug me though was that Ayse Kulin kept using Turkish forms of speech and words in the passages that were actually taking place in Bosnia. So Nimeta's mother kept being referred to as Raziyanım, a name which doesn't exist in the region, especially written in that form because Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian language does not contain letters "y" and "ı" whereas Turkish language does. A local phyllodough dish called "burek" is referred to as "börek", once again a Turkish word. I know that these are minor details that most readers won't notice but to me it diminishes, however slightly, the authenticity of the book. (for those of you who didn't realize, the author of the book is actually Turkish)
I did cry. I cried quite a bit. It is practically impossible to stay emotionally detached while reading this story. The story does contain a few graphic parts but to exclude them would be a complete misrepresentation of the realities of war. And as brutal and disturbing as those parts of the story are they are just but a tiny part of the horrors that really did happen.
I really liked Ayse Kulin's writing style and I'd love to read Last train to Istanbul. She did an amazing job in terms of research about the history and politics of the region. I did feel that her point of view was ever so slightly biased (let's just say that her portrayal of the Bosnian president Izetbegovic as a naive and lost leader who got "tricked" by Tudjman and Milosevic is not exactly how I remember things or how many Bosnians from outside of Sarajevo would describe it). The thing is at the end of the day there is no such thing as an "unbiased retelling of the war." I just hope that this book will find its way to western readers and introduce them to this region that will always have a piece of my heart.
By the way "Sarajevo Rose" is an actual expression that was came into existence as a result of the war. It means " a concrete scar caused by a mortar shell's explosion that was later filled with red resin. Mortar rounds landing on concrete create a unique fragmentation pattern that looks almost floral in arrangement. Because Sarajevo was a site of intense urban warfare and suffered thousands of shell explosions during the Siege of Sarajevo, the marked concrete patterns are a unique feature to the city."
When I first moved to Canada, I experienced firsthand the difficulties and frustration of trying to explain the complexities of our war to anyone not familiar with the region. I definitely don't envy Ayse Kulin that task. I've gone through that process so many times that a couple of chapters into the book I realized that including maps would've helped that process considerably. A good portion of the book focuses on explaining the historical and political precursors to the war - something that will not be everyone's cup of tea (just a fair warning) but absolutely necessary for the rest of the story.
Nimeta's story will take you on a deeply emotional journey even if you have no connection to the region. She is a dedicated journalist. She is a mother, a wife, a daughter. She is a woman in love with someone she is not supposed to love. A battle between a sense of duty and desires of the heart set against the backdrop of war. I think Ayse Kulin did a great job in telling the story of a strong but fallible woman.
Coincidentally, I actually lived in Istanbul for a year, so I truly enjoyed the parts of the story related to Turkey and this gorgeous city. One thing that did bug me though was that Ayse Kulin kept using Turkish forms of speech and words in the passages that were actually taking place in Bosnia. So Nimeta's mother kept being referred to as Raziyanım, a name which doesn't exist in the region, especially written in that form because Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian language does not contain letters "y" and "ı" whereas Turkish language does. A local phyllodough dish called "burek" is referred to as "börek", once again a Turkish word. I know that these are minor details that most readers won't notice but to me it diminishes, however slightly, the authenticity of the book. (for those of you who didn't realize, the author of the book is actually Turkish)
I did cry. I cried quite a bit. It is practically impossible to stay emotionally detached while reading this story. The story does contain a few graphic parts but to exclude them would be a complete misrepresentation of the realities of war. And as brutal and disturbing as those parts of the story are they are just but a tiny part of the horrors that really did happen.
I really liked Ayse Kulin's writing style and I'd love to read Last train to Istanbul. She did an amazing job in terms of research about the history and politics of the region. I did feel that her point of view was ever so slightly biased (let's just say that her portrayal of the Bosnian president Izetbegovic as a naive and lost leader who got "tricked" by Tudjman and Milosevic is not exactly how I remember things or how many Bosnians from outside of Sarajevo would describe it). The thing is at the end of the day there is no such thing as an "unbiased retelling of the war." I just hope that this book will find its way to western readers and introduce them to this region that will always have a piece of my heart.
By the way "Sarajevo Rose" is an actual expression that was came into existence as a result of the war. It means " a concrete scar caused by a mortar shell's explosion that was later filled with red resin. Mortar rounds landing on concrete create a unique fragmentation pattern that looks almost floral in arrangement. Because Sarajevo was a site of intense urban warfare and suffered thousands of shell explosions during the Siege of Sarajevo, the marked concrete patterns are a unique feature to the city."
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