Reviews for Life and Death in the Balkans: A Family Saga in a Century of Conflict

The average rating for Life and Death in the Balkans: A Family Saga in a Century of Conflict based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-04-24 00:00:00 Christopher Dalton This memoir really held my interest, since it covered a period in the history of the Balkans that is central to my research. The man telling the tale survived enormous upheaval, and gives an honest detailed account of what life was like for him and his family in Montenegro, Kosovo, and post-war Yugoslavia. Bato Tomasevic became a Yugoslavian Partisan during World War II at the tender age of 14 and lost several friends and family members along the way. He himself nearly died several times and I can only admire his loyalty to his friends and family and the cause he was fighting for. His views on the Chetniks, in particular, drew me in as I have read similar works by other authors with very different views and the contrast was highly informative. What I enjoyed the most, however, was the personal side of things and the way of life he describes, including descriptions of family holidays, savas or saints' days, and his early encounters with the shady ladies brought into Cetinje to 'entertain' the Italian occupation troops.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-10-11 00:00:00 Michal Marek Now this book I found very interesting because I have that very strong interest in Eastern Europe. I find the period from post WWII to the present, especially so. Not recommended as a fun read.