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4.5 stars
“From a fearful height, a wandering light,
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-31.
but does a star glitter like this, crying?
Transparent star, wandering light
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
From a fearful height, earthly dreams are alight,
and a green star is crying.
Oh star, if you are the brother of water and light,
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
A monstrous ship, from a fearful height,
is rushing on, spreading its wings, flying.
Green star, in beautiful poverty,
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
Transparent spring has broken, above the black Neva's hiss
the wax of immortality is liquefying.
Oh if you are star - your city, Petropolis,
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
-Osip Mandelstam
Sasha Goldberg has a hard life in Asbestos 2, a dying town in Siberia. Her father has either disappeared or left his family, her mother is very high-strung and a bit crazy, and her community is almost completely in shambles. After securing a coveted position in a prestigious art school, Sasha, too, leaves it all to become a mail order bride to an American. In America, she learns English, lives in Arizona, Chicago, and New York, and tries to find her father. In doing all this, she is also trying to find herself and come to terms with her past and her homeland.
I could say so much more about the basic plot of the book, but I always hesitate to give away too many spoilers. Sasha was a very unique character, and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing her development from a young girl to a young woman. The imagery in the book was also done very well. The descriptions of the poverty in Asbestos 2 were especially convincing, and there is a scene at the end of the book that I found particularly chilling (but fascinating). In fact, the last few pages of the book impressed me enough to raise my rating from a 4 to a 4.5. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in Russian history and/or the immigrant experience.” -
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Surprising and Fresh
“For people who grew up practicing the march to the school basement in case of nuclear attack, shouldered the cold war, and remain wary of Putin, plutonium-poisoned press, and plutocrats, Petropolis offers a new view of the former Soviet State. Sasha Goldberg, the plucky protagonist of Ulinich's mordant study of contemporary Russia and the immigrant experience, is the perfect outsider: both at home in her dreary but soulful Siberian town - "Asbestos 2" - and as a penniless immigrant winding her makeshift way across America.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-08-02.
Ulinich's astounding command of colloquial English, eye for detail, and willingness to introduce the American reader to our own country - as seen upon arrival - is remarkable. Yes, the book is "funny" - very funny, in fact, but despite the lightweight quote and cover intended to disguise the book at "chick lit," don't be fooled - this contains comedic genius on par with John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces." If this were pure fiction, it'd be 5 stars, but, based loosely on the author's own life, it fully deserves the "life-is-stranger-than-fiction" award. But don't only read this as delicious farce - there is great pathos here, as well, and although the author seems to shy away from delving into the darker aspects of her story, that may reflect a young author more comfortable with irony than tragedy.
Highly recommended.” -
2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
wonderful book
“This is a great book, that is right on target with so many of its observations. The plot sounds like it will be only a satirical farce, but it is much deeper than that. This is not just fluff like Shtyengart. It is a complete depiction of two entire ways of life, simultaneously completely realistic and poetic. The characters are sympathetically described, even when their actions are not. Sasha Goldberg will come alive in your mind and stay with you. If you're already here thinking about reading the book, just do it. You won't regret it.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-06-21. -
2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Amazing!
“I discovered this book last year and am I ever glad I did! I can read this book over and over and I love it more and more every time. Not only am I blown away by the fact that this is written in Ulinich's second language, but I am blown away by the strength of the characters. I found myself missing Sasha Goldberg when I had finished the book, and wanted to read more about her! Check out this book because you won't be disappointed!”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-03-18. -
3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
A Must-Read
“I read lots of fiction, some highbrow, some not, the occasional Dan Brown thrown in with the Michael Ondaatje, Vikram Seth and Salmon Rushdie. As a failed novelist endlessly sent back to the drawing board by friendly editors who smelled a winner in there somewhere, I know the difference between a good read and a great read. Anya Ulinich's Petropolis is a great read on so many levels. It has the depth of literary fiction but is nonetheless a page-turner. Wonderful characters, compelling story, and a bit of sadness set in as I turned the last page, because honestly, I would have love to have kept reading. Ulinich is a great writer, up there with Ann Pratchett, Zadie Smith and Barbara Kingsolver. I look forward to more from her.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-01-30.
