Yvonne
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week.
Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Your host for March 2013 is: Caitlin over at ’Chaotic Compendiums’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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This weeks Mailbox was another small, yet quality one for me and has brought me together with a new and exciting author, who has a passion for her subject and has come up with unique debut novel, weaving fact and fiction together into a beguiling storyline.
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ZAREMBA or Love and the Rule of Law
In Warsaw, a shy and high-minded polio victim lives a life of seclusion caring for her odd family until a chance encounter plunges her into the intrigues of dirty politics. Zaremba, a wealthy businessman, is about to be arrested on trumped-up charges and only she can save him. Swept along by events, Cordelia finds her feelings increasingly involved with a stranger for whom she is both rescuer and victim. When Zaremba disappears, Cordelia is painfully uncertain if she has been abandoned and must overcome surveillance, corruption, the media, and mounting humiliations and difficulties to learn the truth. Although set in Poland, this is a story that could happen anyplace, as young democracies struggle against the temptations of covert operations and older democracies sometimes lead them astray. Upbeat, humorous and serious by turns, Zaremba contains an intense but delicate romance, a universal moral about the abuse of power, and a vivid portrayal of a foreign country.
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MICHELLE GRANAS
Michelle Granas was born in Alaska, but currently divides her time between Corvallis, Oregon and Warsaw, Poland. She has degrees in philosophy and comparative literature, but now works as a translator. Over the past dozen years she has translated for many of Poland’s major politicians, academicians, and writers.
She began writing Zaremba, or Love and the Rule of Law, in the run-up to the 2007 elections in Poland, when political events in the country appeared to threaten many of the very positive gains toward stability and democracy that had been achieved in the previous nearly two decades. She chose to treat her subject – the assumption of arbitrary power by the authorities – in a light vein, aware that the serious side was already amply documented in the media.
As you are aware, thousands of books written in English are set in France, Italy, Greece, etc., but there are countries that are habitually overlooked in the publishing world. Contemporary – not wartime – Poland is one of them; there are scarcely three such novels in existence.
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“This looks and feels to me like a quality novel” – Harry Bingham, author of ‘The Money Makers’.
“This is an enchanting book” – Krzysztof Węgrzecki, former deputy director of The United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Warsaw.
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As this was an author invitation to read and review, a Kindle Gift of ‘Zaremba’ was sent to me free of charge, by its author, Michelle Granas.
This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog article I may post. Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.
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Not a book or author I’ve heard of, but as always I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on it 🙂
Hi Nikki,
Michelle is new to the world of fiction writing and ‘Zaremba’ is her debut novel.
If I evaluated all the great books I have been sent by authors for review, I know that I would find a comprehensive worldwide spread of locations for those stories, which have proved to be so interesting and informative.
I am hoping that Michele continues to write stories about her native Poland, to widen the spread and choice for readers and of course, us bloggers!
Hope that all is well with you, despite the miserable weather and temperatures which are colder than any which we endured during the depths of winter!
New to me as well and looking forward to your thoughts on the book.
Hi Mystica,
‘Zaremba’ has an intriguing and slightly sinister sounding storyline, which I am looking forward to reading. I only know from the soundbite information written in the press, about the troubled times in Poland, so I am keen to discover more from someone who obviously has a passion for her subject and has chosen to share her knowledge by weaving fact with fiction as a way of reaching out to the larger audience.
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment, it is always appreciated.
A very unusual sounding book and a completely new to me author. I hope she does well with this book.
Hi Cath,
I am definitely thinking of setting a ‘where in the world’ type challenge for myself. Looking back over some of my completed reviews and forward into my review list to be actioned, I can’t believe some of the places in the world where my reading will take me.
It is even better, when an author who is native to the area, writes a first hand and knowledgeable account of the place in question and manages to combine it with a great fiction element to the story, which can hold the readers interest.
‘Zaremba’ has great promise on all counts, so I am looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week, despite the weather!
There are so many things that intrigue me about this book and yet other things that put me off. A book I’d read if I came across it in the library, I’m not sure I’d buy it though.
Hi Tracy,
I agree with you, that this is probably not a book that I would buy, however as an author request, it has focused my attention and I am quite looking forward to reading it.
I have looked askance at some of the books I have received for review, but I think that is solely because they took me so far out of my comfort zone and to be fair, I don’t think I have read anything that I didn’t consider to be a worthwhile contribution to the fiction book marketplace and I have broadened my horizons and interests at the same time.
Strangely enough, at the same time that Michelle was commenting on the lack of fiction books about Eastern Europe, I had just started reading ‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’, which is set in the Balkans and the former Yugoslavia.
Thanks for your interesting comments and I hope that you have a good week and manage to stay warm!
I’ve never seen this book before. It does sound interesting, so I’m thinking about getting a copy.
Here’s My Post
Hi Vicki,
The many books that I have now reviewed which are set in so many different parts of the world, have made for some interesting and very informative reading, aside of the excellent fictional elements of the storylines.
I know very little about Polish culture and even less about the struggle for Polish independence and life in Poland post Communism era, so ‘Zaremba’ should make for some interesting reading.
Thanks for your interest in the post and for taking the time to comment.
Both the book and the author sound fascinating. I can’t think of any books set in Poland.
Hi Kathy,
Like yourself, I couldn’t think of any books set in Poland,so I did an online search and came up with a total of about 30 books. However, as Michelle points out in her quote above, all of them relate to stories of wartime, or historical Poland … there doesn’t seem to be a single novel about contemporary Poland amongst them!
I do hope that Michelle’s will be a new voice which redresses that balance and allows the rest of the world an insight into modern day Poland, whilst weaving some great fictional characters in amongst the facts.
Thanks for stopping by and for providing the hosting link again this week, it is much appreciated.
Nice mailbox. I am out of town and had THE ORCHARDIST scheduled to post today.
What a great comment you made. THANKS so much for stopping by.
Great Mailbox you had this week.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
Hi Elizabeth,
You posted an excellent review of ‘The Orchardist’ and I am definitely going to be reading it sooner rather than later.
It is a book which is not mainstream in its premise, which always interests me, so perhaps that is why my own ‘Mailbox’ book this week is so appealing. ‘Zaremba’ is defintely a unique premise and one which its author is obviously very passionate about, which always makes the reading more poignant and thought provoking.
Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to stop by and I hope that your are having a good trip.