A couple of quick book reviews before I pass the books on!
The Dancer from Khiva by Bibish. This is a true story under the Memoir genre of one woman's quest for freedom. Brought up in the rigors of a strict Muslim environment in Uzbekistan. Bibish longs to dance. This is not allowed, or at least frowned upon. As a young child she is raped and left for dead, is rescued by a shepherd who nurses her back to health but wants something in return. She escapes and manages to get home but lies about where she has been because in her religion a girl must be pure when she marries. No one wants a girl who is not a virgin, even if it is not her fault. Bibish's life is hard. She wants to learn, she wants to dance and manages to get to college. Finally, she marries, has children and they leave to live in Russia. There are complications with having the right papers, of not being Russian, of finding somewhere to live and making a living, all of which makes life difficult. You begin to wonder whether there will be a happy ending to this awful train of events.
In between Bibish' own story are the stories of her parents and grandparents and how the family came to be in Uzbekistan. The whole story is told in a forthright manner without embellishment, just as you would tell someone your life story and finally Bibish meets an American lady and it is her contact that translates her story and then it is published. And yes, finally Bibish gets to dance! An insight to a very different life to what we have in the west, the restrictions on women and how the poor live in Russia. I have to say I have yet to read a book that shows Russia in any good light!
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. Didn't know anything about this book when I bought it but the title sounded fun. It was. The story is far fetched but that doesn't matter. The old man Allan Karlsson escapes before his 100th birthday party through the window of the nursing home and sets off on an adventure once more. He steals a suitcase without knowing what's in it and meets some unlikely people on his getaway - people with their own fantastic stories. As the story continues there are flashbacks to Allan's earlier life and how he fell into situations and was part of some momentous events of the twentieth century. The writing is a cross between Marina Lewycka, Alexander McCall Smith and a touch of Mark Haddon. It is so silly but great fun. Not quite what I expected. In fact much better. Some of the scenes are really hilarious. If you need a break after some heavy reading, this is it.
The Dancer from Khiva by Bibish. This is a true story under the Memoir genre of one woman's quest for freedom. Brought up in the rigors of a strict Muslim environment in Uzbekistan. Bibish longs to dance. This is not allowed, or at least frowned upon. As a young child she is raped and left for dead, is rescued by a shepherd who nurses her back to health but wants something in return. She escapes and manages to get home but lies about where she has been because in her religion a girl must be pure when she marries. No one wants a girl who is not a virgin, even if it is not her fault. Bibish's life is hard. She wants to learn, she wants to dance and manages to get to college. Finally, she marries, has children and they leave to live in Russia. There are complications with having the right papers, of not being Russian, of finding somewhere to live and making a living, all of which makes life difficult. You begin to wonder whether there will be a happy ending to this awful train of events.
In between Bibish' own story are the stories of her parents and grandparents and how the family came to be in Uzbekistan. The whole story is told in a forthright manner without embellishment, just as you would tell someone your life story and finally Bibish meets an American lady and it is her contact that translates her story and then it is published. And yes, finally Bibish gets to dance! An insight to a very different life to what we have in the west, the restrictions on women and how the poor live in Russia. I have to say I have yet to read a book that shows Russia in any good light!
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. Didn't know anything about this book when I bought it but the title sounded fun. It was. The story is far fetched but that doesn't matter. The old man Allan Karlsson escapes before his 100th birthday party through the window of the nursing home and sets off on an adventure once more. He steals a suitcase without knowing what's in it and meets some unlikely people on his getaway - people with their own fantastic stories. As the story continues there are flashbacks to Allan's earlier life and how he fell into situations and was part of some momentous events of the twentieth century. The writing is a cross between Marina Lewycka, Alexander McCall Smith and a touch of Mark Haddon. It is so silly but great fun. Not quite what I expected. In fact much better. Some of the scenes are really hilarious. If you need a break after some heavy reading, this is it.
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