Review of Echoes Of The Iron Curtain
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Sham Gwalani
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- Latest Review: Echoes Of The Iron Curtain by Marosh Moncek
Review of Echoes Of The Iron Curtain
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Echoes Of The Iron Curtain" by Marosh Moncek.]
Book Review: "Echoes of the Iron Curtain" by Marosh Moncek
This book, presented as a novel, is more of a memoir belonging to the author Marosh. The book takes us through the lives of a few Czechoslovakian kids, as they are forced to leave their homeland and search for a life and livelihood in the world unknown.
The story begins in the post-World War Two era, with the events of 1968 when Russia invaded Czechoslovakia. Our author was on a vacation outside of the country when this happened. Their love for their motherland made them return to their country, not knowing what to expect. As the young adults came face to face with the realities of living in a land that was not theirs anymore, they began harboring hatred towards the Russians and the KGB. A life-altering event occurred in March 1969, with the arrest of Pipo, the author's brother, by the KGB. Then, the author, along with his friends, Dodo and Kamilo, decided to flee to America. The rest of the book tells the tales of what they encountered and how the various escapes were planned and executed.
The book has all the elements that any good adventure novel needs. The life of the author and his fellows, as described, follows the land and environment of the countries they are in. The fear of the uncertainties and the anxieties of trying to hustle up a livelihood is very palpable. With the help of various people whom the author meets in his path, the story takes us on a wonderful journey of grit and persuasiveness. Out of the various girls and ladies who the author encounters, Angie, Sonia, and Sydney stand apart. The book also serves as an important survival lesson to be used as and when needed, like when the author's father says, 'But to be on the safe side, don’t circulate any political jokes or mention any names of 'anybody' who seems to be 'somebody.' My favorite part of the book is when the author recounts his childhood memories where Babushka was trying to get his brother Ferino to talk after he was shocked and experienced a traumatic experience. It was a good experience knowing about the stories of people like Pascal, Frank, Dusan, Jozef, and Honza, and the book serves the purpose that the author wanted in the end.
I wish the book were edited a little better, as I found quite a few errors in the writing. I would give the book three out of five stars, with the stars being cut for the subpar editing and the length of the book. I feel the book could have been shorter, with fewer pages devoted to the time spent in the refugee house in Hungary. I would recommend the book for an easy read to anyone who wants to know about the lives of refugees and asylum seekers.
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Echoes Of The Iron Curtain
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Book Review: "Echoes of the Iron Curtain" by Marosh Moncek
This book, presented as a novel, is more of a memoir belonging to the author Marosh. The book takes us through the lives of a few Czechoslovakian kids, as they are forced to leave their homeland and search for a life and livelihood in the world unknown.
The story begins in the post-World War Two era, with the events of 1968 when Russia invaded Czechoslovakia. Our author was on a vacation outside of the country when this happened. Their love for their motherland made them return to their country, not knowing what to expect. As the young adults came face to face with the realities of living in a land that was not theirs anymore, they began harboring hatred towards the Russians and the KGB. A life-altering event occurred in March 1969, with the arrest of Pipo, the author's brother, by the KGB. Then, the author, along with his friends, Dodo and Kamilo, decided to flee to America. The rest of the book tells the tales of what they encountered and how the various escapes were planned and executed.
The book has all the elements that any good adventure novel needs. The life of the author and his fellows, as described, follows the land and environment of the countries they are in. The fear of the uncertainties and the anxieties of trying to hustle up a livelihood is very palpable. With the help of various people whom the author meets in his path, the story takes us on a wonderful journey of grit and persuasiveness. Out of the various girls and ladies who the author encounters, Angie, Sonia, and Sydney stand apart. The book also serves as an important survival lesson to be used as and when needed, like when the author's father says, 'But to be on the safe side, don’t circulate any political jokes or mention any names of 'anybody' who seems to be 'somebody.' My favorite part of the book is when the author recounts his childhood memories where Babushka was trying to get his brother Ferino to talk after he was shocked and experienced a traumatic experience. It was a good experience knowing about the stories of people like Pascal, Frank, Dusan, Jozef, and Honza, and the book serves the purpose that the author wanted in the end.
I wish the book were edited a little better, as I found quite a few errors in the writing. I would give the book three out of five stars, with the stars being cut for the subpar editing and the length of the book. I feel the book could have been shorter, with fewer pages devoted to the time spent in the refugee house in Hungary. I would recommend the book for an easy read to anyone who wants to know about the lives of refugees and asylum seekers.
******
Echoes Of The Iron Curtain
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Echoes Of The Iron Curtain by Marosh Moncek
