Slow (9. September 2008)

I found this book very hard going. Not one of my best reads. The story of a man who returns to his parents Czech homeland.Here he discovers the story of his Mothers true love during the war. Very sad and touching in places, and lots of references to the war. I only really enjoyed the last section of the book.

Memories from Another World (29. August 2008)

The story itself is not remarkable, although it is intriguing. A young man's childhood memories as he tries to piece together the story of his parents' past. Memories of his American childhood, interspersed with tales of wartime horrors and escapades in Czechoslovakia, a real love affair that's doomed from the beginning, plus the memories of those living in exile as a result of the war. What does make this novel remarkable is the way in which it's written - the reading of it can be likened to partaking of a feast! Mark Slouka's use of the English language is quite wonderful - like listening to a magnificent piece of music being beautifully played. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

vivid memories of second generations (29. July 2008)

This book is not for readers who expect a straight narrative, but for everyone who enjoys an emotive and beautiful writing. For some reason i thought it was an autobiography as the vivid images of central European culture, people and places were so true and beautifully described. It felt like flicking through old photographs of a family that you did not really know, but whose story you had the privilage to peep into. Very very lovely.

Unmissable (26. June 2008)

I simply cannot understand the negative reviews here, unless they have been written by youngsters who are not yet sophisticated enough to appreciate it. This is an absolutely magnificent book that works on several levels. Unlike many novels today, it is beautifully written but is also incredibly easy to read and tells a gripping and tragic story. The first part is a memoir with the narrator telling of his childhood growing up in the USA as the child of immigrants who have not told him everything about their past. As an adult he travels to Prague and discovers some of the facts for himself. The third part is an imagining - if you like - of what his parents' story was.

Unlike some other reviewers, the fact that this was a Richard & Judy choice might actually have put me off if I had not read The Conjuror's Bird, one of their previous choices and also a brilliant book.
If you like The Visible World I would suggest you read The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn. It is non fiction but the two have a lot in common.

Moments of beauty (1. June 2008)

A man looks back at the lives of his parents and the events in the second world war that brought them together. A beautifully composed narrative at its best when describing the natural surroundings in which the events of the story take place. The tenderness and understanding of the writing is beautiful and evocative, the characterisation is detailed and sensitive. It's a book which needs to be read more than once, one which needs to be read and read again to allow the details to sink in. Yet, even so, I felt that it didn't quiet work, that I never felt close enough to any of the characters to really share their experience. Maybe it is because the writer does not really evoke the terror of the Nazi occupation of Prague. Maybe it is because the inital sections of the book seem fragmented and disjointed, never really allowing the plot to take shape.