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Product Description
Review
A major new talent ... superb (Independent )
Terrific ... In bringing the tribulations of the Krasnanskys in their Roman limbo so vividly to life, Bezmozgis has written a novel that succeeds admirably in combining comic brilliance with a poignant portrait of a family trapped between two worlds (Sunday Times )
Self-assured, elegant and perceptive ... [his] taut 2004 debut collection Natasha and Other Stories suggested that he might well be of those authors' [Philip Roth and Leonard Michaels] caliber; The Free World goes a long way toward confirming this status (The New York Times )
There is a lust for life imbuing his prose - the jokes, the descriptions of faces and kisses and streets and laughter, the sprinkles of Italian, Yiddish and Latvian - making it wonderfully uplifting. It is hard to escape the conclusion that Bezmozgis is one of the most assured new Jewish writers of the century so far (The Times )
David Bezmozgis projects a sense of ease that is very rare in first novels; he does everything well (Telegraph )
A proper novel that bulges and pulses and thrums with life ... I ended up loving it ... The principal tone is wry - mainly comedic, sometimes melancholic, occasionally tragic, ironical, playful, charming ... a rich and occasionally brilliant novel [that] is well worth reading (Observer )
Heavy with the consciousness of time, the inevitability of crises. Bezmozgis has the knack of ending scenes, chapters, especially, at the perfect reverberant moment, plangent or ironic (Guardian )
Colourful, sharply funny and deeply moving (Financial Times )
Delivered in an understated style which can accommodate serious subtext as well as ironical humour ... His portraits of the family circle are neatly rendered and compassionate ... There is no doubt Bezmozgis remains a writer worth monitoring (Independent on Sunday )
Alternately comic, sharp and sombre ... it's impossible not to be caught up in the tangled web of its unforgettable case (Daily Mail )
A wonderful affirmation of the most novelish kinds of virtues ... Bezmozgis choreographs his work beautifully; with a drip-feed of revelations that humanises the characters and undercuts the reader's partial judgements on them ... A Chekhovian tragicomedy; part heartbreaking farce and part risible melancholy ... Like Gary Shteyngart, [Bezmozgis] is brilliantly able to use the former Cold War enemies as foils to each other. Each side is as bad as the other; and the humans are always caught in the middle of the muddle (Scotsman )
Quietly astonishing fables of unmistakeable brilliance ... Breathtaking (Observer on Natasha and other Stories )
With a maturity and control far beyond his years, Mr Bezmozgis has produced a captivating and impressive debut. The title story itself is one I will never forget (Jeffrey Eugenides )
Passionately full of life ... his literary skills [are] remarkable (James Wood London Review of Books )
He is being described as the new Philip Roth, the new Chekhov ... the hype may not be entirely exaggerated (Guardian )
Scary good ... Not a line or note in the book rings false (Esquire )
A stunning first collection, characterized by a painful honesty and clarity of vision ... Bezmozgis writes with compassion, quietly reminding us of the hidden beauty within human imperfection (Julie Orringer The Believer )
Terrific ... In bringing the tribulations of the Krasnanskys in their Roman limbo so vividly to life, Bezmozgis has written a novel that succeeds admirably in combining comic brilliance with a poignant portrait of a family trapped between two worlds (Sunday Times )
Self-assured, elegant and perceptive ... [his] taut 2004 debut collection Natasha and Other Stories suggested that he might well be of those authors' [Philip Roth and Leonard Michaels] caliber; The Free World goes a long way toward confirming this status (The New York Times )
There is a lust for life imbuing his prose - the jokes, the descriptions of faces and kisses and streets and laughter, the sprinkles of Italian, Yiddish and Latvian - making it wonderfully uplifting. It is hard to escape the conclusion that Bezmozgis is one of the most assured new Jewish writers of the century so far (The Times )
David Bezmozgis projects a sense of ease that is very rare in first novels; he does everything well (Telegraph )
A proper novel that bulges and pulses and thrums with life ... I ended up loving it ... The principal tone is wry - mainly comedic, sometimes melancholic, occasionally tragic, ironical, playful, charming ... a rich and occasionally brilliant novel [that] is well worth reading (Observer )
Heavy with the consciousness of time, the inevitability of crises. Bezmozgis has the knack of ending scenes, chapters, especially, at the perfect reverberant moment, plangent or ironic (Guardian )
Colourful, sharply funny and deeply moving (Financial Times )
Delivered in an understated style which can accommodate serious subtext as well as ironical humour ... His portraits of the family circle are neatly rendered and compassionate ... There is no doubt Bezmozgis remains a writer worth monitoring (Independent on Sunday )
Alternately comic, sharp and sombre ... it's impossible not to be caught up in the tangled web of its unforgettable case (Daily Mail )
A wonderful affirmation of the most novelish kinds of virtues ... Bezmozgis choreographs his work beautifully; with a drip-feed of revelations that humanises the characters and undercuts the reader's partial judgements on them ... A Chekhovian tragicomedy; part heartbreaking farce and part risible melancholy ... Like Gary Shteyngart, [Bezmozgis] is brilliantly able to use the former Cold War enemies as foils to each other. Each side is as bad as the other; and the humans are always caught in the middle of the muddle (Scotsman )
Quietly astonishing fables of unmistakeable brilliance ... Breathtaking (Observer on Natasha and other Stories )
With a maturity and control far beyond his years, Mr Bezmozgis has produced a captivating and impressive debut. The title story itself is one I will never forget (Jeffrey Eugenides )
Passionately full of life ... his literary skills [are] remarkable (James Wood London Review of Books )
He is being described as the new Philip Roth, the new Chekhov ... the hype may not be entirely exaggerated (Guardian )
Scary good ... Not a line or note in the book rings false (Esquire )
A stunning first collection, characterized by a painful honesty and clarity of vision ... Bezmozgis writes with compassion, quietly reminding us of the hidden beauty within human imperfection (Julie Orringer The Believer )
Product Description
Welcome to Rome. It is the summer of 1978, and the Krasnansky family, bickering, tired and confused, are supposed to be passing through. Alongside thousands of other Soviet Jewish refugees - among them criminals, dissidents and refuseniks - they await passage to their new homes in the West. But escaping Communism is not so easy, especially when some of the Krasnanskys insist on bringing it with them, and even more so when their sponsor in the USA lets them down and they find that they're no longer passing through at all. On the contrary, they're stuck.
Welcome, then, to the waiting room of your life, and to a tragic yet comic tale of reckless brothers and long-suffering sisters, ailing parents and innocent children, of love affairs and criminal liaisons, of a wonderfully troubled family and a perpetually wandering people, and their epic search for a home: somewhere, anywhere - or Canada, as it turns out.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is the debut novel of Russian/Canadian David Bezmozgis. It tells a part of the story of the Russian, Jewish, émigrés that were allowed to leave the ongoing revolution of the Soviet and go to the `free world'.
As his vehicle he uses primarily the family Krasnansky - who arrive in a hot Rome in the summer of 1978. They think they are on their way to America as does everyone else of the thousands of émigrés and that they will be welcomed with open arms. Many like Samuil Krasnansky, held important positions back in Riga, he is now levelled more completely than communism ever could to the true ranks of the proletariat. His sons are constantly feuding and scheming as do everyone else. The primary characters are his second son Alec and his wife Polina, they seem to be the weather vane for the families fortunes.
It tells the story of their stay in Rome, and how they eke out a subsistence with dodgy deals, all kinds of deceit and often a helping hand from the refugee organisations. The Russian authorities had been quite generous in letting the Jews go and had given papers to all sorts including refuseniks, dissidents and criminals. This melting pot of political friction, religious ambivalence and criminal tendencies are all explored by Bezmozgis. The lives of each of the characters is explored often by going back to the past to recall what they have been through to bring them to this point, especially the sacrifices and the selfish choices as well as giving into the all too prevalent passions. These continue to haunt and guide them in their present position of being in Rome's waiting room. That is why the Krasnansky's decide on Canada when they are told that the Canadians are not as fussy as the Americans.
The narrative is taken forward most of the time through dialogue and it has a fluid style that is both engaging and accessible. Some may be concerned at the breadth of characters that are included, as there are more than most, but that is a very Russian trait anyway and I did not find it a problem as it added to the flavours of the stories; everyone has some importance. There are some great little stories within all of this and I must say I found it a compelling and rewarding read, but not realy that comic.
As his vehicle he uses primarily the family Krasnansky - who arrive in a hot Rome in the summer of 1978. They think they are on their way to America as does everyone else of the thousands of émigrés and that they will be welcomed with open arms. Many like Samuil Krasnansky, held important positions back in Riga, he is now levelled more completely than communism ever could to the true ranks of the proletariat. His sons are constantly feuding and scheming as do everyone else. The primary characters are his second son Alec and his wife Polina, they seem to be the weather vane for the families fortunes.
It tells the story of their stay in Rome, and how they eke out a subsistence with dodgy deals, all kinds of deceit and often a helping hand from the refugee organisations. The Russian authorities had been quite generous in letting the Jews go and had given papers to all sorts including refuseniks, dissidents and criminals. This melting pot of political friction, religious ambivalence and criminal tendencies are all explored by Bezmozgis. The lives of each of the characters is explored often by going back to the past to recall what they have been through to bring them to this point, especially the sacrifices and the selfish choices as well as giving into the all too prevalent passions. These continue to haunt and guide them in their present position of being in Rome's waiting room. That is why the Krasnansky's decide on Canada when they are told that the Canadians are not as fussy as the Americans.
The narrative is taken forward most of the time through dialogue and it has a fluid style that is both engaging and accessible. Some may be concerned at the breadth of characters that are included, as there are more than most, but that is a very Russian trait anyway and I did not find it a problem as it added to the flavours of the stories; everyone has some importance. There are some great little stories within all of this and I must say I found it a compelling and rewarding read, but not realy that comic.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The Free World tells the story of one family who took part in the wave of Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union in the 70s. The Krasnanskys have managed to survive the journey from Latvia to Rome, only to find themselves abandoned by their American sponsor and stranded in Italy until they can find another country willing to take them.
The Krasnanskys are a mixed bunch - father Samuil harks back to the idealistic `glory' days of early communism, while his sons Alec and Karl have a much less romantic view of the harsh life they and their wives were forced to lead behind the Iron Curtain, and it's they who have instigated the escape to the `free world'.
The best parts of the book for me were the flashbacks to the characters' earlier lives in Soviet Latvia. With the exception of Samuil the male characters are not very sympathetically portrayed - Alec is an inveterate womaniser and his brother Karl a shady would-be gangster. The female characters come across in a slightly better light.
The year is 1978 and topical issues such as the Middle East peace talks between Begin and Sedat and the deaths of consecutive Popes all get a mention and add to the `period' setting. There are flashes of humour, often centred around misunderstandings between the Krasnanskys and the Italians they come into contact with, which give a sense of how it feels to be a stranger in a strange land.
David Bezmozgis was six years old when his family made a similar journey from Latvia to Canada (though the characters in The Free World are entirely fictional) and presumably he has borrowed some of his family's experiences for the book. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
The Krasnanskys are a mixed bunch - father Samuil harks back to the idealistic `glory' days of early communism, while his sons Alec and Karl have a much less romantic view of the harsh life they and their wives were forced to lead behind the Iron Curtain, and it's they who have instigated the escape to the `free world'.
The best parts of the book for me were the flashbacks to the characters' earlier lives in Soviet Latvia. With the exception of Samuil the male characters are not very sympathetically portrayed - Alec is an inveterate womaniser and his brother Karl a shady would-be gangster. The female characters come across in a slightly better light.
The year is 1978 and topical issues such as the Middle East peace talks between Begin and Sedat and the deaths of consecutive Popes all get a mention and add to the `period' setting. There are flashes of humour, often centred around misunderstandings between the Krasnanskys and the Italians they come into contact with, which give a sense of how it feels to be a stranger in a strange land.
David Bezmozgis was six years old when his family made a similar journey from Latvia to Canada (though the characters in The Free World are entirely fictional) and presumably he has borrowed some of his family's experiences for the book. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The blurb on this book drew me in to begin with. It sounded like a real melting pot of a story, and I was not disappointed. Although son Alec seems to be the pivotal character in this story, we find out more about the whole family throughout the book, whether it be by observing them along their journey, or through the flashbacks to life before the journey. The story is really filled out and I felt like this were my own family, descriptions were so vivid and believeable. Although the characters can be quite dislikeable, there is a humanity to them that makes you feel for them anyway. My only problem with this book is the ending - I desparately wanted to read some more! I felt a bit short changed, I wanted to hear what happened next!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
[Yawn] Yet another new Philip Roth [/Yawn]
David Bezmozgis is described as a new Philip Roth. So are many others. They all seem to have in common that they write long and dull books about Jewish people being Jewish in the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by MisterHobgoblin
Not for everyone but those who can, will appreciate it
I think it helps if you are interested in Russian and Soviet history (and they are distinct from Latvian history and the tragic story of the Jews in the former USSR) not in the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Felis
A poignant story of impending exile
This is a moving book about the transition to exile. So many works of fiction focus on leaving totalitarian regimes, but this book, based on personal experience, shows what happens... Read more
Published 9 months ago by John Reardon
interesting, dark
I was drawn to this book by my interest in Russia - and there were some incidents and characters that made me smile with recognition. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Becky P
Beautifully written but too dense for me
I really wanted to enjoy this book and was surprised when I didn't. Of all the books I've got recently this is the one I was most looking forward to. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Victor Ward
Rather turgid - characters unmemorable
I'm afraid that I struggled with this book. I fully expected to find this novel of family immigration to be fast-paced and engaging. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ms. Sophy Friend
Another view on emigration, post communism and culture
This is a nice book about a group of jewish families leaving the former-USSR for the supposedly better 'free world'. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ioannis Glinavos
The free world
This book is tedious and odious, I dislike the characters intensely.
I bought it because it had a good review in the newspaper. I did not enjoy it. Read more
I bought it because it had a good review in the newspaper. I did not enjoy it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by D Lambert
Bleak and unengaging
Although it soon became clear that it wasn't my cup of tea and it took all my will power I persevered with this book. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bantam Dave
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