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Review
'Masterly description . . . a gentle, engaging read' (Irish Times )
'Joyous account of our hero floundering . . . he is winningly self-effacing and willingly self-deprecating' (Sunday Tribune )
'Great reading' (Sunday Business Post )
'Joyous account of our hero floundering . . . he is winningly self-effacing and willingly self-deprecating' (Sunday Tribune )
'Great reading' (Sunday Business Post )
Review
"...his accounts of the incredibly welcoming kindness he met as a stranger should make Irish people cringe with shame...A brilliant book -- funny, yes, but also incisive..."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Have been tempted to visit Poland recently but as there are very, very few books (apart from history and actual travel guides) written by people who have spent time there, I spotted this one and gave it a go.
The author has a deceptively easy-going style that hooks you in right away, but beneath the humour, the boozy escapades and some of the grim experiences, there is a lot more going on here than just 'eggs in soups'.
The catchy title is a cliche that works well - who can ignore it? - but once inside, you can tell the author has a great knowledge of Poland and that he truly lost his heart to the country and the people.
This will surely go down as a worthy chronicle of a time and place now lost to history.
All said and done, it's a funny, witty and very tender book about a country few of us (in the West) know much about. A must for those who want to discover the 'real' Poland, even if, one suspects, it has changed since the book was written.
The author has a deceptively easy-going style that hooks you in right away, but beneath the humour, the boozy escapades and some of the grim experiences, there is a lot more going on here than just 'eggs in soups'.
The catchy title is a cliche that works well - who can ignore it? - but once inside, you can tell the author has a great knowledge of Poland and that he truly lost his heart to the country and the people.
This will surely go down as a worthy chronicle of a time and place now lost to history.
All said and done, it's a funny, witty and very tender book about a country few of us (in the West) know much about. A must for those who want to discover the 'real' Poland, even if, one suspects, it has changed since the book was written.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a thoroughly good read which should be of interest to those who have spent time in Poland and readers curious as to what the country is like. The author spent five years living and working in the east of Poland and he recounts his time there in a vivid and enjoyable style. I was drawn to the book as I was going to spend some time in the south east of the country and wanted some reading material to prepare myself. Although Poland is in the middle of a furious period of rapid transition, following accession to the EU, the Poland the author describes is still very much there - from the hauntingly beautiful villages consisting mostly of ramshackle wooden houses, to the questionable cuisine to the unavoidable vodka binges. I would have no hesitation recommending this title.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It was the title that prompted me to pick up Tom Galvin's "There's an Egg in my Soup" as I found it quite intriguing and having completed a very enjoyable read, I have to say that the title really sums up the experience.
We get a fresh and honest perspective from Galvin who communicates his own perplexed reactions to the new and unknown world of Poland as it was to him at the time. Anything I've read about Poland in the past has either been from a historical perspective or has had an agenda trying to prove how advanced Poland has become.
This book was not just about Poland but about an Irish guy's reaction to actually living there and having to cope in a very different reality. It's a charming read and Galvin's often bemused attitude to events is witty and intelligent.
It was refreshing in that his self-deprecating perspective is of a regular 'young fella' trying to get his head round this new place, rather than the kind of colonial whinging you often get by ex-pats who can't understand why not everything works the way they expect it to.
There was a very good balance between positive and negative experiences, though you get the sense that there was much more he could have said about them. However, the book is mostly about his reaction which is its main strength; it avoids preaching. Galvin resisted a Norman Mailer style critique of the Polish condition and left it up to the reader to make of it what they will. It's an over the shoulder view of a young man trying to make sense of the new and being quite funny in his retelling of the tale.
I'd like to see more of this author. He has a raconteur's style reminiscent of Peter Ustinov or David Niven and his unique viewpoint and urbane style make for a very engaging read.
We get a fresh and honest perspective from Galvin who communicates his own perplexed reactions to the new and unknown world of Poland as it was to him at the time. Anything I've read about Poland in the past has either been from a historical perspective or has had an agenda trying to prove how advanced Poland has become.
This book was not just about Poland but about an Irish guy's reaction to actually living there and having to cope in a very different reality. It's a charming read and Galvin's often bemused attitude to events is witty and intelligent.
It was refreshing in that his self-deprecating perspective is of a regular 'young fella' trying to get his head round this new place, rather than the kind of colonial whinging you often get by ex-pats who can't understand why not everything works the way they expect it to.
There was a very good balance between positive and negative experiences, though you get the sense that there was much more he could have said about them. However, the book is mostly about his reaction which is its main strength; it avoids preaching. Galvin resisted a Norman Mailer style critique of the Polish condition and left it up to the reader to make of it what they will. It's an over the shoulder view of a young man trying to make sense of the new and being quite funny in his retelling of the tale.
I'd like to see more of this author. He has a raconteur's style reminiscent of Peter Ustinov or David Niven and his unique viewpoint and urbane style make for a very engaging read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Promising Idea but Ends Weakly
I was disappointed by this book. It descends fairly quickly into a series of brief and unrevealing reminisces and doesn't really lift the lid on life in Poland or the Polish... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Paddyman
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I brought this for a present but I have been told it was a good read.
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. Anne Rees
An egg has been laid
Clearly this book makes no great claims for itself and is not abounding in literary ambition, but, by being held out for sale, it calls for the opinion of the marketplace. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Zelenka
Light-hearted, hilarious, grim in parts, but overall amazing!
This book is an amazing work about a country that has changed so much, it is now (almost) unrecognisable from the country described throughout its pages. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by Dennis
Inaccurate
Although the book is humorous the content referring to the description of the country and the culture is not accurate. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2008 by indunlao
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