Reviews for Post-Communist Romania

The average rating for Post-Communist Romania based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-08-02 00:00:00 Michael Depaepe This is the second book that I have read by Maria Szonert. Her other book, Null and Void was written after WW II Through Polish Eyes. To have done credit to Ms. Szonert, I should have read Null and Void second, because reading her newer work shows dramatically how she has grown as a writer in 6 years. I feel a bit awkward writing a review of this book after writing one about her subsequent book because now that review seems incomplete. Null and Void is a tremendous contribution to the Polish WW II experience and the post war experience bringing to light the suffering of Polish AK members at the hands of their own country. This is not something that has been written about widely and her thesis of the subject of her book being between two imperialist powers stood as a powerful metaphor for Poland and its history. WW II Through Polish Eyes is a different kind of contribution. It is the story of Danuta, her family, and their live before the war and during the war. It is the story of an ordinary woman; not a privileged woman but an ordinary one (like you or me) and her extraordinary experiences during this time in history. There are not many books written in English on this subject, especially in recounting what it was like to live from day to day in this turmoil and with constant terror. This is among the handful of books that fills that gap. It is one thing to read about the WW II experience and narrative from the standpoint of a historical or military work; it is altogether a more interesting one to read how people experienced it and coped from reading about the intimate details of that day to day coping. It expands the narrative in a rich way. Bravo to Ms. Szobert for adding this and helping to put a very human face on WW II in Poland. Ms. Szonert is successful in making us truly engage with this delightful woman, Danuta, who I am sure was somehow related, by blood or marriage to Ms. Szonert. The smallest facets about Danuta are detailed in the book, and I cannot imagine that they would have been shared with Ms. Szonert if there was not some relationship there. Danuta was an enchanting woman and I took great pleasure in "getting to know her." There are a few observations that I have about this book. First, the use of the present tense did not really work for me. I'm not sure whether her editors suggested it to increase a sense of immediacy, but I found it a bit ungainly to read, as opposed to a more conventional past tense. There are also a number of places which I thought needed editing for sentences to be re-worked because they were a bit awkward. E.g. "Alek pulls out from his infinite pocket a white handkerchief, nearly the size of a tablecloth". Infinite is an odd word to use there, but aside from that, the sentence would have been smoother if written: Alek pulled a table sized handkerchief from his pocket. I'm not sure if the book had the benefit of a professional English or American editor but it would have helped immensely for one to have had a go at the manuscript. Sentences like this are easily re-worked. Actually the sentence would have worked better gramatically in Polish than it does in English, as I think about it. Which brings me back to Null and Void, in which I didn't stumble on any such sentences - a much better written and gripping book. Both are very worthy efforts and it was exciting for me personally to compare the two and see the growth of a very, very good writer.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-01-08 00:00:00 Thomas Brown Brought to close a loop of my ethnic heritage. Raised Polish American, toured Poland post WW II with my parents first generation Polish Americans. Seen through my eyes as reported by Maria Szonert.