Review of London for immigrant suckers; so long Yugoslavia

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "London for immigrant suckers; so long Yugoslavia" by Kolya S..]

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5 out of 5 stars

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London for immigrant suckers; so long, Yugoslavia.
Author: S. Kolya.

Although this was not an immensely long story, I felt mentally tired after completion, as if I had studied a considerably larger volume. It's an in-depth book, neither joyous nor sad, yet bleak in many ways. We read about the hugely complicated political history of the Eastern European region of the Balkans through his perspective, which is sometimes very cynical. This cynicism sets the tone.

There are three sections: Books one, two and three. The first is primarily concerned with life in Bosnia. This area was once part of Yugoslavia, with Tito at its head, and much later, Slobodan Milosevic and his cruel regime came to the fore. There has always been either discord or unity between Muslims and Christians and their various political parties. Parallel to the politics, almost an integral part, was the rise and fall of the success of their football on the world stage.

During the first part, I needed clarification about which country he was in at a specific time. The conversation jumped quite a lot from politics to his everyday life, and I found this a tad confusing. Despite being melancholic, there were various women in his life, including two marriages (which ended).

He writes 'in the first person' yet often refers to himself 'in the third person': this is not criticism, as this is part of his writing style.

Arriving in Birmingham in Book Two, he rapidly settles and has various bar jobs, the occasional horse-race flutter, all the time with one eye on the property market: he's pretty savvy. I enjoyed this book; having a foreign perspective on England and the English was interesting. It has similarities to George Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London'. Yes, I found it tough going, but I recognise that it is an articulate and intelligent book, well-edited, and I find no reason not to give it five stars.

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London for immigrant suckers; so long Yugoslavia
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[Ajain12]

This in-depth book delves into the political history of the Balkans through a cynical lens. Despite some confusion, it offers a unique perspective on England. Well-edited and deserving of five stars.