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lexbrunov's review against another edition
5.0
It wasn't the story of exile or of life at the refugee camps, or the dark pages of Latvian history that got me crying, but the little fragments of letters and the way Inara spoke of her feelings at the end. The writing is sublime. Every living being is fleshed out, every object memorable. This book shattered my heart and glued it back together with new perspective on family, legacy, home, and meaning.
jenmat1197's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of the author's family. Inara was raised by her grandparents in America. But her grandparents, and her dad, fled Latvia when her dad was very small. Inara wants to discover her family's roots and learn more about the struggles that went on with the Latvians in the early part of the century. After her grandmother passes away, she locates her distance family members in Latvia and speaks to them about the past. What she learns is a story of heartbreak and strong will to survive the most dire situation.
This was a really good book. I love reading personal stories about families who survived what we would consider an almost impossible situation. Inara does a great job piecing together her family's history and rebuilding relationships with her family in Latvia that she will treasure for the rest of her life.
The only negative for me - and it is a small one - is that the language was a bit over decorated. I have never been drawn to that type of writing and this book is full of it. However - the story is worth weaving through that.
This was a really good book. I love reading personal stories about families who survived what we would consider an almost impossible situation. Inara does a great job piecing together her family's history and rebuilding relationships with her family in Latvia that she will treasure for the rest of her life.
The only negative for me - and it is a small one - is that the language was a bit over decorated. I have never been drawn to that type of writing and this book is full of it. However - the story is worth weaving through that.
kjboldon's review against another edition
5.0
So much sadness, yet so much beauty and love in this memoir of one family's branching in the wake of war. There are no happy or simple conclusions, only complex truths, hard gleaned.
emilybh's review against another edition
5.0
This is an incredible book, which tells the story of Latvia and its recent history through the fate of one family and their farm. Verzemnieks pieces together their story through anecdotes, historical documents, letters, memories and the reality of the place she finds upon visiting the country for the first time. From the overgrown farm-house and its fields, to her Great-Aunt's exile in Siberia or her Grandparents' new lives in America, and the hesitant and careful way in which her remaining relatives share their experiences with her, this is a beautiful and honest way of telling history, to recover and honor what has been lost.
mwhelan's review
5.0
Wow. I really, really loved this book. Probably one of the better memoirs I've read in a while.
I loved how the author weaved past and present, and also how they intertwined the history of Latvia with the history of their family.
It's easy to forget (as someone with no ties there) how impacted the Baltics were during WWII. The countries were small and had only been independent for a short while, so they get glanced over in (American) history lessons.
I've also read very little about the forced exiles of different ethnic groups under Stalin, but this book made me want to read more.
Overall, a very captivating, moving book.
I loved how the author weaved past and present, and also how they intertwined the history of Latvia with the history of their family.
It's easy to forget (as someone with no ties there) how impacted the Baltics were during WWII. The countries were small and had only been independent for a short while, so they get glanced over in (American) history lessons.
I've also read very little about the forced exiles of different ethnic groups under Stalin, but this book made me want to read more.
Overall, a very captivating, moving book.
egoenner's review
4.0
A beautifully written complex story of family, love and loss, and enduring. This book is memorable for the beautifully written sentences, some of which are gems, that capture moods and characters that are both specific and universal.
kristinespure's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books to depict some kind of a Latvian-ness to me.
jill_rey's review
5.0
Inara Verzemnieks is a graduate of the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program and has won several awards, least of which a creative nonfiction award. This creative nonfiction award so perfectly captures why this book is so incredible. Inara unravels her grandmother’s life in this nonfiction book as she eloquently takes us into the past while maintaining our grip on the present. Her grandmother, Livija, fled Latvia during WWII and was a refugee prior to making a new home in America. Inara, the author, details her experiences as she travels back to Latvia and digs into her family’s past. I have never visited Latvia or studied it’s culture, but Inara’s writing makes it so incredibly easy to visualize each scene.
For the full review visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/iowa-city-book-festival-2017-among-the-living-and-the-dead-by-inara-verzemnieks/
For the full review visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/iowa-city-book-festival-2017-among-the-living-and-the-dead-by-inara-verzemnieks/