Another hero from Belarus
582748
A nice read of another hero from Belarus.  Especially enjoyed the first chapters of his youth growing up in New York, after his family escapes  religious persecution. And the subsequent chapters on Sarnoff's audacity as a ragmuffin, to become a telegraph operator, and to grasp onto one opportunity after another.
Other Belarus contributors to America are Irving Berlin, Chagall, Kirk Douglas, and Slava Rubin.
2738561
Following her success after the first novel,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-Short-History-of-Tractors-in-Ukrainian/dp/0143036742/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian</a>, Lewycka treats her readers to yet another delightful story - this time about Eastern European immigrants picking strawberries, and then some.  The plot draws you in, and the reader is kept continuously engaged as each of the characters - Andriy, Irina, Yola, Tomasz, Emanuel, Dog and others - narrates the story from their personal point of view.

The novel's strengths are numerous.  Take for example its characters who are very diverse and at times completely incompatible.  Thus Yola (from Zdroj,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Lonely-Planet-Poland/dp/174059522X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Lonely Planet Poland</a>) cannot stand Tomasz who is trying his best to impress her through his off-key singing; stealing the underwear does not help poor "Tomek" either.  Irina, a history professor's daughter from Kiev (Kyiv),&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ukraine/dp/186450336X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;dismisses the attention of Andriy, the hard-working son of a miner from Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine.  That she's from the "Orange" camp and he's from the "Blue and White" (&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ukraine-s-Orange-Revolution/dp/0300112904/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ukraine's Orange Revolution</a>) makes the relationship even more charged.  The characters' nationalities range from Ukrainians and Poles to Malawians and Chinese, from Romanians and Slovaks to Bulgarians and Moldovans, and others.

Another strength of Lewycka's writing is her unique style.  Those who read "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" will immediately recognize the wide usage of accents and cultural humor (e.g. "little flovver", "beetroot-brain").  An occasional foreign word such as "mzungu" and "smetana" may send the reader in the arms of a search engine or a dictionary, but these are rare enough to make the novel a pleasure to read, and not a guide on foreign languages.

Yet, using a fun and "fictional" although informed by reality setting, Lewycka is able to touch on broader issues such as modern immigration, animal treatment, economic hardship ("...one day they were all comrades, next day some were millionaires..." - Andriy, pg. 96), commodization of women, first love and the loss of innocence ("I wanted it to be perfect, like Natasha and Pierre..." - Irina, pg. 287), and the human desire to seek solace and reconciliation.  These make "Strawberry Fields" relevant to audiences beyond the U.K.

The few criticisms I have are minor, and certainly arguable.  When Irina is speaking of "Maidan Square" (pg. 16), she is referring to the Independence Square, a focal point of the 2004 Orange Revolution.  Since "Maidan" in Ukrainian means "Square," Irina in effect says "Square Square," but then perhaps this is done on purpose, as Irina's English is not perfect.  "Ujjas!" (pg. 93) may have been made more pronounceable as "Uzhas!"  Lastly, after consulting a couple of native speakers, "robot" does not mean "work" in Russian (pg. 199); instead, "rabota" seems to be the proper word.

Overall, "Strawberry Fields" by Marina Lewycka is a splendid second novel, which will make you laugh, empathize, detest, and root for your favorites.  Relish the journey.
3980860
I love Russian literature and films. There's a profound darkness laced with a profound sense of humanity that makes these films and books work for me. Dostoevsky, Gogol, Tolstoy, Solzhenitszyn are writers I always want to read. They show us our failures and our despairs, but they do so in such a way that we end up feeling that we can finally succeed no mater what the cost.

PU 239 is a work that comes close to a mark set by those writers. It has a hero dying of radiation poisoning who is struggling to secure some money for his wife and son so that they will be able to survive after he's gone. This hero's determination and his philosophical musings will have you thinking about the film long after you've seen it.

What doesn't work as well in the film is the comic gangsters. The plot requires them, but their silliness undermines the existential situation of the dying hero.
4414615
Another planet, another adventure, and more terror than Cain ever wants to know.  Our favorate hero of the 41st millenium is back, still hiding behind as much cover as he feels he can get away with and still look the part of the hero (damning his reputation the entire time).  This time he's on another ice world and once again he finds himself in the middle of a mess that only he can, by some good grace, clean up.  This is yet another epic with Ciaphas Cain that I couldn't wait to read, a fantastic book if I do say so myself, action, humor, horror, and adventure.  What more does one need?  Thanks for reading and have a nice day.
4263463
This is carefully researched remarkably well written narrative of yet another extraordinary Shoah( Holocaust) story. This tells of the Bielski brothers and their struggle to rescue remnants of those being slaughtered by the Nazis in Byelorussia. They build a community of twelve- hundred Jews who they led through a whole series of extraordinary rescues in the forests of Byelorussia. The account is a detailed, dramatic and moving one. Incredible courage and determination are displayed by the Bielski brothers. There are as well surprising manifestations of human goodness, and generosity. This is against a background of overwhelming cruelty, horror and suffering caused by the Nazis and their anti- Semitic local allies. Tuvia makes the notable statement that he would rather rescue one Jewish helpless old lady than kill ten Nazi soldiers. But despite the concentration on saving civilian lives there is is nonetheless much heroic partisan action. The second Bielski brother Zus is the most ferocious and avenging in this regard.
 I was very deeply moved by this work. And I believe each and every reader who wishes to understand something about the evil and cruelty of human nature on one side, and its heroic greatness on another, should read this book. One hero in this book who I believe deserves special mention is the non- Jewish friend of the Bielski family , Konstantin Koslowsky a Bielorussian peasant who countless times risked his own life and that of his family to save his Jewish friends and neighbors.
I have read thousands of books in my life. This is one which I will always remember.
1517516
The incandescently beautiful Dominika Egorova, a mole for the CIA in Russias security service, the SVR, returns in this fast-paced spy novel where she must use all of her wits and spy craft acumen to stay ahead of those who are determined to uncover the certainty of a mole in their midst.  She had returned to Russia a year or so ago in a spy swap only to be severely interrogated, which she managed to survive. Now, fully restored, she is providing information to both her Russian bosses and her CIA handlers regarding a high-tech seismic floor for the Iranians to stabilize the production of weapons grade materials. She has to be extremely careful in her reconnection with her main CIA handler and lover Nate Nash and likewise not raise the ire of her jealous Russian boss, Col. Zyuganov, a holdover from the KGB days.

The story is ramped up when a disgruntled top CIA official in Washington under code name TRITON begins supplying information to the Russians. Of course, Dominika, gaining more and more standing in the SVR, learns of TRITON. It really is just a matter of time before TRITON learns of Dominika and exposes her, unless she can get to him first. The story has a certain edginess to it as Dominika must use guile and violence to keep out of the Russian torture chambers. Interestingly enough, Dominika becomes a favorite of Vladimir Putin, which gives her needed cover. Given his characterization by the author, it is doubtful that Putin would be a huge fan of the book.

As in RED SPARROW, the author includes a lot of the nuts-and-bolts of spying, which is not surprising given his CIA background. If anything, this sequel is a tighter more compelling read than the first.
2021348
Rasputin #2 is the second issue of Alex Grecians and Riley Rossmos Rasputin, and follows directly where the first issue left off whilst standing at 22 pages of story. Image Comics provided me with a review copy of this issue, for which I am grateful. Below is my honest review of the comic after having read it.

Now, with the ghost of his deceased father for company, Rasputin meets a group of French soldiers which, after a turn of events, he joins in order to travel with them, leaving his home. All leading to him meeting the man who he will consider a good friend and who will eventually kill him in the future in what is a wonderful tie linking both the past and present.

Though the series is still fairly new, does issue #2 continue with as much quality as #1 did? Certainly. It always is always a happy surprise to discover a historical fiction series on whatever the media that is worth following, and Grecians Rasputin certainly is (at least for now) one of them. It continues with a seemingly introductory exposition to the character of Rasputin and setting others around him in an easy-flowing and natural plot, and before you realise it youll have finished already the second issue. Though too soon to tell how the storyline and series in general will go, it is easy to tell that Rasputin #2 is fantastic. Much like with the first issue of the series, too, definitely worth reading if you either enjoy history or the first issue to the series. I maintain all of the positive comments I made on my review of issue #1.

The art, like in the first issue, fits wonderfully with the storyline, characters, and setting; I have no negative comment to say in this aspect. The designs of the characters and cover remains one of my favourite aspects in this sense, and it contributes to heightening the (already great) reading experience.

Rasputin #2 clearly sits, like the last issue, at 5/5 stars. Though short (like issues always seem to me personally), it still is a fantastic thing to read which is neither too complex nor dumbed down. Itd be a shame to miss out on this new series, and it definitely succeeds in being worth at least a try.
498766
For action packed books Rollins is one of the best.  In this book he has multiple situations going on that all come together.  This book is about gypsy children who are being groomed and electronically enhanced to display many different abilities - psychic in nature.  They were stolen from their homes by  Russians who plan to use them to help destroy the world by a group of crazies.  In this story it's a race against time to save them and the world.
3416384
Wow, another fantastic album by otherworldly talents Protest the Hero. The songs here are very similar to their previous album Fortress, but have a more progressive vibe and less super heavy dynamics.  That heaviness is still here, growls, screams, math-core chugging craziness, but more subdued than on previous releases.  This should get four and a half stars only because Fortress was a musical step up from Kezia, but this is only a small step forward, three years after Fortress, and much of the album sounds lifted from Fortress.  The good stuff on this album are some new vocal arrangements and dynamics that really tie songs together, awesome intsrumentation and fantastic drumming. I wish that future vocals include more mid range and low vocals to offset how excellent the higher registers are performed.  But all in all, another fantastic album by one of the most talented bands in music today!
1602105
Michael Naydan has produced another excellent translation of a piece of contemporary Ukrainian fiction. Kudos! It wonderfully conveys the excitement of Rozdobudko's prose and introduces Western readers to one of Ukraine's bestselling authors.
4848328
I'd like to hear more about this particular hero. He's got a personality and powers that could turn out to be very interesting indeed.
629415
This is such an unusual book that combines a diary kept by a Russian teen-ager in Nazi-occupied Kremenets (now Ukraine) and his memoirs as a young Red Army soldier as the Russians swept across Poland and into Germany to defeat the Thousand-Year Reich.  It was fascinating to read his daily entries of the terrible evil that surrounded him, his family, and his townspeople during the occupation.  His insight was amazing as he related his feelings of right and wrong as these events played out around him, including not only the Nazi terror but the short-sighted Ukrainian nationalists who sowed such turmoil, murder, and destruction among their non-Ukrainian neighbors. It was chilling to read his eye-witness accounts of the destruction of the Kremenets Jewish community.  It was so refreshing and interesting to read about his experiences in the Red Army, his promotion as a translator due to his knowledge of German and other languages, then to follow him through life into retirement.  It's wonderful that this book has been made available to a large English-speaking audience.

The editor's notes were helpful to people who are not knowledgeable about the history of World War II on the Eastern front.  I only noted one editor error:  Katyn was never located within pre-war Polish borders, and it is not now located in Byelorussia (Belarus); Katyn has always been located on Russian territory.  Two of the World War II maps at the end of the book were incorrect.  Lvov was never located in the General Government area set up by the Nazis; it was located in the Soviet zone between 1939-1941; thus, the boundaries shown are incorrect.

The translation from Russian to English was excellent for the most part.  Future editions would profit from having a native English-speaking copy editor review it, as some phrasing was awkward and some incorrect prepositions were used throughout.

So few books exist from the perspective of this author.  It ads so much to the history of the events on the Eastern Front from the eyes of a Russian who lived and experienced it.  Thank you to the author for sharing his diary with a world audience.
3743090
In another sweeping saga reminescent of Tom Clancy's early works Mark Greaney gives us a story that is extremely well developed, has lots of different scenarios playing out yet they all seem to come together to weave a masterful story.

The Russian President is on a direct course of conflict with the west and especially the United States. He wants to get back to having a major presence in world affairs and believes the best way to get that is to take back some of the territories that Russia controlled before the iron curtain fell. But before he can do that he will have to neutralize the United States to keep them from acting. He hopes to do this through intimidation of a new weapon siting off their east coast.

Also during this time he is wanting to get his personal assets out of Russia so that his adversaries in that government can't seize or put a hold on his money. To do this he is going to engage a master financial mind to turn his money into Bitcoin.

The biggest hurdle to his efforts are going to be Jack Ryan, Sr. and Jack Ryan, Jr. and the whole group from the Campus. What they don't know is that their separate tasks are all going to converge into one big conclusion that will give the Russian President a real reason to have heartburn.

I love the way that Greaney has learned to develop his stories and how they have that same flare and flavor that Tom Clancy gave to every military / spy / political thriller. This book is long, but it is one of his best so far.

Enjoy!
4631396
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS....

TITLE: A Hero of our Time

AUTHOR: Mikhail Lermontov

TRANSLATOR: Marian Schwartz

PLOT: In the land of the Caucasus, a traveling post from Tiflis meets Maxim Maximich, who becomes a storyteller when he talks of a strange companion of his: Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, a man who seems to be a plague to almost everyone he meets. This is a near-perfect plot for the modern anti-hero.

CHARACTERS: Pechorin is not your ordinary anti-hero. No, he is a betrayer of friends, a tormentor of womanly love, and a lover of deep dark secrets. And yet he is also calm and careful with the things he does. When he is kills Grushnitsky near the end, it's hard to know if we should cheer him for ending a betrayer's life or despise him for staying alive after begin shot at by Grushnitsky's seconds. When deciding whether to settle with the old or the young princess, it's hard to tell which one he would select later on, that is, until he breaks both hearts. The supporting characters (particularly Maximich) are very fine as they slowly realize what kind of person Pechorin really is.

PACING: The first half of this novel is a bit slow at times, but for the second half, almost everything runs smoothly.

THE WRITING ITSELF: I don't know much about the Russian language, but I have a sense that Marian Schwartz has created a perfect translation for "Hero of our Time". Adjectives were selected with proper care, and the imagery is written with goodness and graciousness. Some readers might need to keep a dictionary handy, for there are some words that can be beyond understanding.

OVERALL: Despite a strange choice for the book's photo cover, Lermontov's tale of unbalanced love, successful treachery, and shocking deaths deserves as much praise and recognition as Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter." A-
3724490
Only a rare medicine can save Clothahump, and it isn't available at the corner store!  No it is available from only one source and somehow it is not going to be as easy to get it as Clothahump tells JonTom it will be.  But then it never is!  Alan continues to create fascinating new character, not the least of which (in any sense of the word) is a certain Southern Bell/White Tiger!  During this quest JonTom must provide the necessary magics on his own without his mentor for backup.  Hope he is up to it!  A worthy entry in the series.
4424257
Glosses over the contributions made by the men of ON, Obrana Naroda, who were on the frontline during WWII; both at "home" and around the European Theater.

Author might do well to read :  http://www.dantikvariat.cz/stolarik-ivo/patrili-k-prvnim-112118
1130036
A feel good movie about the underdog who fought for freedom on the court. I grew up in Lithuania and saw it once again become an independent country. A great history lesson for those who still ask "oh so your Russian"