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spomincica
Sep 06, 2012spomincica rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The intersection of the different groups of people interested me as well, especially the Jewish and Catholic communities. The author creates each community in such a way that it seems she must have lived several lives, growing up in each community, to know such details, dialects, and cultures. It reminded me very much of the stories my grandparents used to tell, of their struggles, grief, and the general fear and confusion in Yugoslavia during and immediately after WWII. It was a terrible time. The book's stories ring true. Also she adds to the story, by alluding to the nuances between different individual Catholics or different individual Jews (or even different atheists). She shows her knowledge that each Catholic, or each Jew, has some human difference in carrying out their belief, though they all reverently bow to the same creed of their religion. This adds a human element; a true, kaleidoscope factor, which is a refreshing and reassuring change from our current secular society's views on religious groups as thoughtless followers. Her novel deals with a very complicated time in Europe, and expounds on history that is not usually taught in schools, likely for the simple fact that it is complicated, and that many of the facts have still not been documented. The only drawback (besides a few too many allusions to sex), was that the author seemed to paint the Partisans in a positive light. Knowing what I know from my grandparents own lives and my own study, when the Communist Partisans took over, the fear, bloodshed and mass killings only got worse. I am eager to read another of this author's books.