carolikesbooks's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jackiepreston's review
So many sentences went on for a page or more that I couldn't keep track of what was being said
tsprengel's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
beatingaroundthebooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
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
3.25
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
3.0
YOUR AD COULD GO HERE: Stories by Oksana Zabuzhko, tr. from the Ukranian by Nina Murray, Halyna Hryn et al, 2017 / 2020.
#ReadtheWorld21
#ReadtheWorld21
undinecerelia's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
livsliterarynook's review
3.0
Your Ad Could Go Here is the first book I've read by a Ukrainian author and it was interesting to say the least. This book is a series of short stories that all appear to have moral messages, critiques of society and many of them appear to have almost magical realism elements to them as the line between reality and make-believe becomes very thin. My biggest problem with some of these stories was that I found them a little bit difficult to follow at times, and events in them were unclear. It wasn't until I got further into the stories that things became clearer.
The second short story examined a female friendship which crossed boundaries as the two young girls seemingly had a deeper relationship. However, this changed when one of the girls was found in an unseemly situation. This altered their behaviour towards each other and seemingly changed the trajectory of their lives. It tackled issues of stigmas around gender, sexuality and mental health. I thought this was an interesting short story that I could connect with and was one of the better ones.
The third short story was particularly disturbing as it examined sibling rivalry in a village. It paralleled the story of Cain and Abel with two sisters (although I'm not entirely familiar with the Bible story). This one definitely ventured into magical realism territory as one of the daughters made a wish with a creature that visited her in the night after her sister ruined her life. It was all very twisted and fairly unsettling.
The final short story was probably the one I highlighted the most as this looked at ideas of motherhood, the menopause, rape, stardom, and family relationships. I think the most powerful aspects were when the mother Olah spoke about how mothers have many scars on their body: stretch marks, veins, cuts etc, but they were willing to take that toll in order to have a child and provide for them a better future. This was quite a powerful message and there were lots of other rather quotable sections that stuck out to me.
Overall, this felt like a very mixed bag of short stories. I was hoping to learn more about Ukraine when reading them, but that wasn't really the vibe I got. Ultimately I would say I'm a little disappointed, but glad I took the chance to read these.
The second short story examined a female friendship which crossed boundaries as the two young girls seemingly had a deeper relationship. However, this changed when one of the girls was found in an unseemly situation. This altered their behaviour towards each other and seemingly changed the trajectory of their lives. It tackled issues of stigmas around gender, sexuality and mental health. I thought this was an interesting short story that I could connect with and was one of the better ones.
The third short story was particularly disturbing as it examined sibling rivalry in a village. It paralleled the story of Cain and Abel with two sisters (although I'm not entirely familiar with the Bible story). This one definitely ventured into magical realism territory as one of the daughters made a wish with a creature that visited her in the night after her sister ruined her life. It was all very twisted and fairly unsettling.
The final short story was probably the one I highlighted the most as this looked at ideas of motherhood, the menopause, rape, stardom, and family relationships. I think the most powerful aspects were when the mother Olah spoke about how mothers have many scars on their body: stretch marks, veins, cuts etc, but they were willing to take that toll in order to have a child and provide for them a better future. This was quite a powerful message and there were lots of other rather quotable sections that stuck out to me.
Overall, this felt like a very mixed bag of short stories. I was hoping to learn more about Ukraine when reading them, but that wasn't really the vibe I got. Ultimately I would say I'm a little disappointed, but glad I took the chance to read these.
cassiel's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
abookishaffair's review
4.0
3.5 stars. "Your Ad Could Go Here" is a collection of short stories by Ukrainian author, Oksana Zabuzhko. In this book, she explores everything from siblings, to what it means to be a woman, to the political turmoil of her home country. I had a chance to visit Ukraine in 2011 and it holds a special place in my heart so I am always looking for ways to get back to Ukraine, at least through reading if I can't visit. This book was a great taste of Ukrainian life.
The subject matter of these stories explored so many different areas and some of the stories could be quite difficult for sensitive readers to get through. I, on the other hand, really appreciated the rawness of the stories. The author doesn't flinch from the difficult and sometimes runs head first into some dark territory. It did take me a bit to get into some of the stories but there were others that were rather gripping. My favorite of the book was the story that the book is name for - it was very good!
One interesting thing about this book is that each of the stories seemed to have a different translator. It made me wonder about that choice: was it a conscious choice or just a coincidence? Would any of the various translators translate the story differently. This had absolutely no bearing on my feelings about the book but it is interesting to think about!
This would be a great pick for someone who wants to explore parts unknown with an author that forces you to keep your eyes open!
The subject matter of these stories explored so many different areas and some of the stories could be quite difficult for sensitive readers to get through. I, on the other hand, really appreciated the rawness of the stories. The author doesn't flinch from the difficult and sometimes runs head first into some dark territory. It did take me a bit to get into some of the stories but there were others that were rather gripping. My favorite of the book was the story that the book is name for - it was very good!
One interesting thing about this book is that each of the stories seemed to have a different translator. It made me wonder about that choice: was it a conscious choice or just a coincidence? Would any of the various translators translate the story differently. This had absolutely no bearing on my feelings about the book but it is interesting to think about!
This would be a great pick for someone who wants to explore parts unknown with an author that forces you to keep your eyes open!
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