“The war in Sarajevo was a tragic, horrifying series of events to which most of us in the world were unbelievably oblivious. As in "The Cellist of Sarajevo", the day-to-day descriptions of the basics needs of survival are devastatingly brutal. By centering the story of "Pretty Birds" around young, teenage, athletic girls, we are shown just how this war was fought not on battlefields, but on the streets and sidewalks of every town. It's certainly not a pretty story, but through Irena, the novel has a heart. Scott Simon's language is gritty and as a journalist writing his first novel, he pulls no punches - this is a story of war, after all. However, Irena and her family and friends bring to us a sense of the ordinary, every-day existence of the victims and their enemies. It speaks poignantly about friendship, dignity and humanity in the face of carnage. I liked the "Cellist of Sarajevo" a bit better, but we all need to know much more about this tragedy, and this novel is a lucid addition to the increasing number of books written about the many tragedies of a modern war.”
carlags wrote this review Wednesday, April 7, 2010.
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