NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Bookand the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary … deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.
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The ending was a bit of a let down but great overall book.
There is something masterful and controlled about the writing in this novel, a true feat considering the young age of the novelist. Layers upon layers of stories run through this story, compounding the mystery, not only of the village Natalia, the main characters, visits as a physician, but also of her grandfather’s mysterious choices before his …
The book is simply boring. Descriptions and digressions are overdrawn, too long, beside the point. There are too many details and side stories that don’t add anything to the main plot, which moves painfully slow. Disappointing. I will not be finishing it.
I could never quite get into this book. Found it to be awfully confusing.
Good to read if you like to read about family folklore.
Poorly written, never got off the ground.
The story was beautifully told, but I felt it was too complicated and long.
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed Miss Obreht’s first book. A young woman in an unnamed Balkan country, learning of the unexpected death of her grandfather, remembers him and the stories he shared with her. It’s very well written and has elements of magical realism. There’s a scene early in the book with a circus elephant, not much happens really, but I …
This book transported me into mythical landscapes that felt both familiar and unfamiliar. All I wanted was to stay.
This marvelous storytelling doesn’t need me to recap the synopsis. It is a story of war and remembrance. It is a powerful story of love and respect between a grandfather and a granddaughter who are both doctors who have a love of their Balkan homeland that has been ravaged by war. What survives are the stories—a confluence of folklore and memory. …
Left me feeling unsatisfied.
Well written, leaves you thinking.
I did not like this book. Seemed far fetched and was difficult to follow.
I lost all interest and never finished it. Too convoluted.
I liked it
Great characters!
I found the book interesting telling about the Balkan war and the people who make up the area, but found all the storytelling more fable than fact and was confused in its “fairytale” presentations. I really needed to discuss this book to make sense of it.
It was several years ago but I remember loving the imagery of the prose.
Good imagery. A unique voice and great character development. I was a bit disappointed in the way a couple of things ended but it did not detract from my enjoyment of a great story.
Didn’t care for it