- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: John Murray (5 Jun 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0719563054
- ISBN-13: 978-0719563058
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 734,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
'(A) punchy, preposterous tale of a cut-price Sundance Kid of the Eastern bloc ... Rubinstein relishes every misstep taken by his anti-hero on the way to a long sentence.' -- The Times 'Those who shy away from the "true crime" section of the bookshop ... may nevertheless like to try Ballad of the Whiskey Robber ... I particularly enjoyed Rubinstein's descriptions of the hapless cops ... funny ... the book is entirely free of schmaltz, which allows some unexpectedly tender moments' -- Daily Telegraph 20051008 'A funny and thrilling slice of modern history, told with all the charm of Butch and Sundance's flamboyant escapades.' -- Independent 20051008 'An extraordinary story ... told here with a hint of Louis de Bernieres and a lot of panache.' -- Daily Mail 20051104 'An hilarious, absurd parable for our times' -- Word 20051104 'A true caper of burglaries and broken hearts in the Eastern bloc' -- Wanderlust 20051201 'This stuff just can't be made up' -- Maxim 20051201 'One of the quirkiest and most riveting narratives. Weirdness has never been so winning' -- Elle 20051201 'Rubinstein has found a story of the sort that would make even the most dry-mouthed journalist slobber. Sometimes sad, often hilarious and always absurd, Ambrus's tale microcomsically condenses the politico-historic oddities into one entertaining and fairly tidy narrative.With a keen eye for the ridiculous, fearlessly high-speed prose and an extraordinary wealth of reported detail, Rubinstein conducts the affair like an unusually thoughtful carnival barker.' -- New York Times 20051201 '[The book] got fantastic reviews in the US on publication ... I am sure it will have a similar success here.' -- Bookseller 20050722 'Outrageously entertaining' -- San Francisco Chronicle 20050722 'An instant classic' -- Globe & Mail (Canada) 20050722 'A fast-paced and exquisitely detailed true-crime lark' -- Outside 20050722 'Punchy, hilarious, and apparently even true ! truth can be better than fiction' -- Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutant 20050722 'Fabulous stuff.' -- The Times, Ross Leckie 20060610 'Stories abound of Eastern Europe slipping off its communist skin and slipping on leopard-skin hot pants, but it's a story like this that really screws in the light bulbs.' -- tangled-web.co.uk 20060621 'Forget girlie pony stories -- this is the passionate adventure of taming a wild horse in the red dust and rugged terrain of the Australian outback.' -- Good Housekeeping 20060701
Outside
‘A fast-paced and exquisitely detailed true-crime lark’
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber is a stunning work of nonfiction. Mr. Rubinstein has crafted a masterpiece about Attila Ambrus-- the Transylvanian title figure who escapes from Romania only to find a life in Budapest that has him desperately trying to make a living as a gravedigger, (awful, but determined) professional hockey goalie, pen salesman... and finally the only trade that seems to bear fruit in post-Communist Hungary: thief. This work is also about the painful transition of Hungary from a Communist state to a democracy, and the lack of support from outside countries who sell the ideal of democracy to the desperate people of this country. At times hilarious, at other times painfully depressing, "Whiskey Robber" provides an enlightening view of life in this overlooked part of the world. I could hardly put it down.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I only came across this book by randomly searching for something that covered the Eastern-European pre/post-communism era of the 80s/90s. The moment I read within the blurb about a Romanian in Hungary robbing banks while drunk, I thought to myself 'sold'!
This book covers the unbelievable life of Attila Ambrus, and his escapades which are pretty well summed up by the lengthy book title. The book also gives us a good insight into the state of Romania and Hungary at that time, and how life was beginning to change post-communist occupation. The factual information on Eastern Europe sets the backdrop brilliantly for how Mr. Ambrus was able to carry out his lifestyle, succeed, and ultimately transcend life as a criminal and become a much-loved celebrity.
As others have mentioned in previous reviews, sometimes the glorification of Ambrus' antics can lose sight of how serious his actions were, but Julian Rubinstein can be forgiven for this as even some of Ambrus' victims have reminisced about what a legend he is!
A fantastic tale, and a real one-off. I have never read a biographical account of any person that comes close to resembling the intriguing life of Attila Ambrus. If you enjoy reading, and you enjoy a good tale - which is about 99.7% of the population - then go forth and read this book!!!
This book covers the unbelievable life of Attila Ambrus, and his escapades which are pretty well summed up by the lengthy book title. The book also gives us a good insight into the state of Romania and Hungary at that time, and how life was beginning to change post-communist occupation. The factual information on Eastern Europe sets the backdrop brilliantly for how Mr. Ambrus was able to carry out his lifestyle, succeed, and ultimately transcend life as a criminal and become a much-loved celebrity.
As others have mentioned in previous reviews, sometimes the glorification of Ambrus' antics can lose sight of how serious his actions were, but Julian Rubinstein can be forgiven for this as even some of Ambrus' victims have reminisced about what a legend he is!
A fantastic tale, and a real one-off. I have never read a biographical account of any person that comes close to resembling the intriguing life of Attila Ambrus. If you enjoy reading, and you enjoy a good tale - which is about 99.7% of the population - then go forth and read this book!!!
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Marvellous true story of an ice hiockey player who takes up robbing banks as a lucrative sideline. The writer sometimes gets lost in the Hungarian/Romanian labyrinth, but a decent read.
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