Baba Dunja's Last Love
Ratings2
Average rating4
15
Ratings2
Average rating4
A defiant woman and her colorful neighbors reclaim their homes in Chernobyl in this “enthralling story of humor, tragedy, and triumph” (World Literature Today). There may be government warnings about radiation levels in her hometown of Tschernowo—also known as Chernobyl—but Baba Dunja has returned. And she’s brought a motley bunch of her former neighbors with her. With the town largely to themselves, and lots of strangely misshapen fruit, they have everything they need to start anew. The terminally ill Petrov passes the time reading love poems in his hammock; Marja takes up with the almost 100-year-old Sidorow; Baba Dunja whiles away her days writing letters to her daughter. Life is beautiful. But then a stranger turns up in the village, and once again the little idyllic settlement faces annihilation. From Alina Bronsky, the acclaimed Russian-born German author of Broken Glass Park and The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine, comes the story of a post-meltdown settlement and an unusual woman who finds her version of paradise late in life.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was perfectly charming but there was nothing spectacular here. The believeable and mundane charcters set against a backdrop of unlikely events creates the most unexpectedly engaging tale. I didn't want it to end where it did. If there were a sequel, I would be all over it.
Thank you to Europa Editions who sent me this review copy.
My son-in-law got this book for me as I'm writing one myself about a woman in Ukraine. This story is set in Chernobyl, after the nuclear accident that affected so many. Baba Dunja is a very likeable and wise character, also one with a good sense of humour. This latter character trait was enough to keep me interested. Her interactions with neighbours and a stranger give the story a home-spun feel. It's a book I plan to read again.
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