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I. I just. I just CAN'T. 😧
Edna, is everything okay? I am beginning to worry. At the very least we need to have a chat about your writing style. 😳
#LitsyAfterDark
(In all seriousness, this book is about a very serious topic and it reads like a satire, and that is not okay.)
EDIT | Thanks to @Biljana for explaining the context and meaning of this phrasing & this book's problems re Bosnian War. Scroll to read.👇🏼👇🏼
Laalaleighh I like your hashtag though 8y
BookishFeminist @Laalaleighh LOL thank you 8y
Laalaleighh I approve haha. 8y
See All 32 Comments
Bookworm-Bobbie What on earth are you reading? 😐 8y
BookishFeminist @Laalaleighh 👍🏼👍🏼 feel free to use it for shenanigans 8y
BookishFeminist @Bookworm-Bobbie I'm supposed to be reading literary fiction about a war criminal hiding in a small Irish town and is discovered after having an affair with someone. But that is not really what I am getting. 8y
scripturient Your posts about this novel are making my day! 😂😂 8y
BookishFeminist @scripturient I am glad for it! Litsy is helping me slog through this. It's supposed to be a serious novel, but I can't keep a straight face! 😂 8y
Biljana @BookishFeminist This is a translation, rather literal, of a word 'vukojebina', which actually means - in the middle of nowhere or a place hard to reach. The word exists in Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian languages. 8y
Biljana @BookishFeminist I agree, the subject is multilayered and difficult and I was not happy how it was dealt with. 8y
BookishFeminist @Biljana I never knew that- thank you for sharing it. Glad Litsy exists for this reason. This chapter title definitely caught be off guard because it's mentioned in this book with no context, really, which I don't think is very responsible of the author. Have you read this? I'm finding it to be incredibly problematic. 8y
Biljana @BookishFeminist I did, was disappointed. Let me tag you on my wall. You are very welcome xx 8y
BookishFeminist @Biljana Thank you. I'm learning a lot. I edited my post above so others can learn as well. Do you mind that I tagged you? 8y
Biljana Not at all, not at all. It should have been explained by the author, you're right. Thank you ❤️ 8y
BookishFeminist @Biljana Anytime, thank YOU! ❤️ 8y
Sue @BookishFeminist @Biljana Thank you both ! This is why I love the crap out of Litsy - I wouldn't have learned that anywhere else. 8y
BookishMarginalia @Sue me either 8y
ramyasbookshelf @BookishFeminist @Biljana I love reading translated works of fiction.. But this here is my exact problem with a lot of them.. Some phrases cannot be literally translated because we immediately lose the cultural significance of the phrase.. 8y
LitHousewife Shortly after this, the tone changes pretty dramatically. 8y
LitHousewife I read this in audio and had a different reaction to it. I don't even remember this chapter title, but I know where you are in the story. In the end I enjoyed this more than you or @Biljana. Im definitely thinking over it again reading your comments. My read might not have been close enough. 8y
BookishFeminist @Sue @BookishMarginalia I always learn something new on Litsy, especially where I least expect to find it. So grateful for our love of learning & appreciation of open minds. 8y
BookishFeminist @LitHousewife Yes, I see what you mean. The second half is like a completely different book! I love/hate seeing new reactions to books that I enjoyed- jarring at first but I am grateful for the learning experience and love reflecting back on things I didn't catch in my read. Our different perspectives can make our reactions vary widely. 8y
LitHousewife @BookishFeminist Being pretty much the only reader I know who reads what I like to read, I often miss out on others opinions. I love seeing what you think about this book. Litsy is the next best thing to living nearby someone. I still like the book, but my view of it is much broader now. I love the balance. 8y
BookishFeminist @LitHousewife Yes I do too! This community is so enriching. I've been finding that not only have I opened my perspective on things I hadn't considered reading before (some popular authors for instance), but that I'm also reading deeper & gaining a fuller understanding of the context and nuances of what I read. It's so wonderful! 8y
Hugoreads Yes, @BookishFeminist @LitHousewife ...I also feel that Litsy has made me a better reader. I absolutely love this community. 8y
Megabooks #bestthreadever #litsylove ❤️❤️ I love learning new things. I need to read more translated books. Thank you @Biljana @LitHousewife @BookishFeminist @Hugoreads Litsy has upped my reading in every way. I've been turned on to so many new authors and genres. 8y
AThousandLives87 Omg. All your posts on this book!!! I have it in my TBR stack but now I'm doubt even picking it up! 8y
Biljana @BookishFeminist @Sue @BookishMarginalia @ramyasbookshelf @Ebooksandcooks Thank you and you are welcome, it was my pleasure :). I am not usually negative about books but somehow this looks more like a draft... 8y
BookishFeminist @Biljana I agree- it does seem like a draft to me. I'm also not sure I feel about the whole "romance with war criminal" aspect of the book & then focus on her exiled life in London. I don't tend to hate on books either but I do feel that the way this plot is structured sort of makes light of the Srebrenica Massacre & uses it as a prop for a romance plot rather than having constructive material about it. Probably an over analysis but it's weird. 8y
Biljana @BookishFeminist Vlad is based on Radovanovic Karadzic, Bosnian Serb leader, who lived similar life for years hiding from the ICTY, so I get it that she wanted to spice it up, but my huge problem with it is the lack of focus on Fidelma's trauma. Elements of the story were popping up but I couldn't really link them to what I know about trauma, Bosnian war, survivors, Sarajevo, Srebrenica. Maybe I'm missing something, but... 🤔🔦🔎🔮 8y
BookishFeminist @Biljana I don't think you're missing something at all, I think that's spot on. That's another great point and something that's been rubbing me the wrong way too without knowing how to put my finger on it, so thank you! Having PTSD myself for non-war related things, the fact that Fidelma's trauma isn't properly or hardly addressed is hard to justify. It's very invalidating for survivors I'd have to imagine. 8y
BookishFeminist @Biljana Thank you again for the wonderful discussion- your points are giving me a lot of great context while I finish the rest of the book. It's making me really interested in other books on this topic- do you know of any good fiction ones that relate to the Bosnian War/Srebrenica without all of these problems? 8y