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Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv
Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv | Andrey Kurkov
5 posts | 4 read | 2 to read
"Ukraine's greatest living novelist" New European "A Ukrainian Murakami" Guardian A hugely entertaining romp through the beautiful city of Lviv, by the author of Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees, now reporting widely on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his home country. Strange things are happening in the cosmopolitan town of Lviv, western Ukraine. Seagulls are circling and the air smells salty, though Lviv is a long way from the sea . . . A group of ageing hippies meets at the cemetery in the middle of the night, gathered around a mysterious grave. Among them the ex-KGB officer who means to apologise to all those he spied on; the woman who is allergic to banknotes, and yet works at the money exchange; and Taras, who makes a living driving at top speed over cobblestones in his ancient Opel Vectra, curing paying passengers of their kidney stones. Kurkov's novels are often populated by lonely people going through difficult times, and by his own brand of black humour combined with magic realism (occasionally vodka-fuelled). All those ingredients are found in Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv. Translated from the Russian by Reuben Woolley
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quote
charl08
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"...He will not end well! A person who spends his nights driving around Lviv on a yellow scooter with a shotgun over his shoulder, following strangers, can't possibly end well. If there's a shotgun on the shoulder, sooner or later it'll go off."

charl08 Scooter via Unsplash (Hakan Nural) 5mo
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quote
charl08
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Yezhi unfolded the fabric, which turned out to be a British flag, and tied it around Taras' neck. He spun his neighbour to face the wall with the portrait of the elderly lady once more.

"You remember how in the eighties they had 'Britain days' in the USSR? They hung this flag up in our building and forgot to take it down afterwards - our caretaker was a drunk. So l took it for myself! It's the perfect size!"

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review
TheEllieMo
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Pickpick

First finish of November! This one is quite a slow burner, and it‘s two story strands don‘t have any real connection, but there is something very warm-hearted about this novel, and though I was unsure about it at first, it became a strong pick.

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rockpools
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Pickpick

I thoroughly enjoyed this absurd but affectionate novel set amongst the night-time streets and characters of Lviv. As someone who spends way too much time on seagull-related matters, I laughed a lot.

However, if you were to ask me what this book is about, I‘m not sure I could tell you. The storylines were a little disjointed, yet the conclusion didn‘t feel surprising or original – I guess I just wanted more. I

rockpools am really happy to have been introduced to Andrey Kurkov‘s work through this book, though, and will eagerly be seeking out his other titles, even if the plot of Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv didn‘t grab me as I‘d hoped.

Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing an E-ARC for review.
10mo
charl08 Have you come across this one? 5mo
54 likes2 comments
review
BookwormM
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#Netgalley #ARC #JimiHendrixLiveInLviv #BI2023 Book 2

I love magical realism and this book did not disappoint. The characters are weird and whacky and by the end of the story I had developed affection for every one of them.

This was a fun and original read that really captures the imagination.

Full review here soon https://wordpress.com/post/thereadersroom.org/20789