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Title: Stories I Stole
ISBN: 0802117376
Author:
Wendell Steavenson
Publicate Date: 2003-03
Publish: 2003-03
List Price: $24.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $1.22
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.34
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Was Wendell Steavenson paid by the russians to write this book?
This book reminds me of western journalists proudly standing on Red Square in Moscow and "accurately" reporting about events in Georgia (and I've seen quite a few of these reportages on CBC, CNN, BBC...)...
Characters and stories are so far-fetched, use of Russian words (banya, babushka, shashlyk...) so extensive that I really wonder if Ms.Steavenson visited Georgia at all.
Definitely this is not the book to read if you really want to get acquainted with Georgia and its people (or with the real causes of ethnic conflicts for that matter)...
Don't waste your time and money.
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2: Be carefull, readers!
The author happened to meet rather strange characters that make her end up with a pretty inaccurate impressions about the country. I grew up in this country, and I spend half year there every single year, and yet I could not recognize any of the features decsribed in this book. Hence - be carefull, readers. If you are just looking for a "story" - the book might be perfectly OK, and it reads well, but please, do not believe it gives you an accurate picture of the country!
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3: You'll fall for Ms. Steavenson's stories
I admire Wendell Steavenson for this effort. Tbilisi intrigued her - it was a pin on her map and the germ of her idea (go some place unique; collect some killer stories; write a compelling travelogue). Many have thoughts like that...Ms. Steavenson carried it out. She paints a balanced, compelling pastiche of life in Georgia as it struggles out of its post-Soviet torpor. The only shame is that Ms. Steavonson isn't around to cover the Rose Revolution in which Eduard Shevardnadze is displaced by Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement. That was 2003 and Steavenson had her work published in 2002. Missed it by that much.
"Stories I Stole" is like a mash-up of two other works I've read: Matthew Brzezniski's "Casino Moscow" and Tony Hawks' outstanding "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis." If you liked either of those works, you'll fall for Ms. Steavenson's stories.
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4: Brilliant work: Don't miss it !!
This impressive debut works on too many levels to winnow down to a brief review. Ms. Steavenson reminds me a bit of Isaac Bashevis Singer as she brings us into worlds we generally know only through newspaper and television reports. Her attention to detail and her encapsulations of characters and situations and the bigger picture are masterful, particularly at such a relatively young age. She knows what to leave out, so that what's powerful remains. Unlike some reviewers below, I thought the elements she included about her personal life were arresting and completely integrated. Extremely high recommendation for a work that also has the bonus features of a decent map, a glossary of ethnic groups, and background reading for those who want to pursue related works.
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5: I loved this book.
Knowing virtually nothing of the Caucasus I felt a little overwhelmed at first; but Steavenson quickly won me over with her absorbing writing and storytelling. I felt like I was right there with her. She has an incredible insight into human nature. I can't wait to read it over again, and expect to like it even better the second time around.
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