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Review
`There comes a point in almost every relationship when you discuss the future. Where is this heading? Do you want to get married? Do you want to get married? Vaclav and Lena have had this talk. It has gone well. Vaclav and Lena are 10 ... [A] wonderful and wrenching debut novel ... Whimsical love stories are tough to pull off. But vibrant characters, believable romance and dark undertones make for a moving tale. The book's contrast between childhood fantasy and the grim world outside tamps down the cutesiness. It helps that Ms. Tanner is such a strong storyteller, and her distinctive voice - winsome without being dopey - engulfs you immediately ... There are two love stories in this book: the one between the boy and the girl, and the one between the mother and the son ... Many an author has relied on the redemptive power of love as the ultimate fixer. Too often its capacity to heal is taken for granted. Ms. Tanner reserves the abracadabra for Vaclav's routines. She shows what love can do and also what it cannot. But that's not to say that Ms. Tanner isn't a romantic. She offers a case of love so mighty that you believe that it will end up rescuing a traumatized young woman.' --New York Times
`Vaclav and Lena meet as small children at an English class in Brooklyn. They have come from Russia during the aftermath of glasnost. At the age of 10 Vaclav has set his heart on becoming a famous magician and performing on the boardwalk at Coney Island, with Lena as his lovely assistant. He already knows that he will marry Lena some day. Tanner infuses their relationship with sunlight but never sentimentalises the immigrant experience. Vaclav's father is an architect who drives a cab and drinks vodka. The warmth in his house is generated by his mother, Rasia, who quietly feeds her son's little friend. Lena feels safe only with Vaclav and his family. Her parents are in Russia and she lives with her mostly absent aunt. One day Lena does not come to school and Vaclav spends the next seven years waiting for her. A uniquely charming first novel.' --Kate Saunders, The Times
`Like all the best tricks, Hayley Tanner's novel leaves you wondering how it's done. [A] Brighton Beach ROMEO AND JULIET ... What lifts the book above the ordinary are the voices Tanner gives her characters: all youth's anxiety and hope brilliantly refracted through an uncertain second tongue. Funny, warm and smart - and with a peppery twist that suggests truth and love don't always sit easily - this is a magical summer read.' --Financial Times
`Set in New York's Russian émigré community, this is a quirky tale about two children from different worlds who are destined to be together. Amid dark revelations, the relationship between these vividly painted characters will stay with you.' --Easy Living
`Not yet 30 years old herself, the Brooklyn-based author Haley Tanner has painted in this touching, sparsely written and powerful love story set in New York's Russian community, a vivid portrait of childhood and young adulthood that is likely to appeal to teenage readers and adults alike ... It's not often a book comes along that can leave you literally nodding in agreement with the clarity of its insights - but this one has to be a contender.' --Daily Mail
`Vaclav and Lena meet as small children at an English class in Brooklyn. They have come from Russia during the aftermath of glasnost. At the age of 10 Vaclav has set his heart on becoming a famous magician and performing on the boardwalk at Coney Island, with Lena as his lovely assistant. He already knows that he will marry Lena some day. Tanner infuses their relationship with sunlight but never sentimentalises the immigrant experience. Vaclav's father is an architect who drives a cab and drinks vodka. The warmth in his house is generated by his mother, Rasia, who quietly feeds her son's little friend. Lena feels safe only with Vaclav and his family. Her parents are in Russia and she lives with her mostly absent aunt. One day Lena does not come to school and Vaclav spends the next seven years waiting for her. A uniquely charming first novel.' --Kate Saunders, The Times
`Like all the best tricks, Hayley Tanner's novel leaves you wondering how it's done. [A] Brighton Beach ROMEO AND JULIET ... What lifts the book above the ordinary are the voices Tanner gives her characters: all youth's anxiety and hope brilliantly refracted through an uncertain second tongue. Funny, warm and smart - and with a peppery twist that suggests truth and love don't always sit easily - this is a magical summer read.' --Financial Times
`Set in New York's Russian émigré community, this is a quirky tale about two children from different worlds who are destined to be together. Amid dark revelations, the relationship between these vividly painted characters will stay with you.' --Easy Living
`Not yet 30 years old herself, the Brooklyn-based author Haley Tanner has painted in this touching, sparsely written and powerful love story set in New York's Russian community, a vivid portrait of childhood and young adulthood that is likely to appeal to teenage readers and adults alike ... It's not often a book comes along that can leave you literally nodding in agreement with the clarity of its insights - but this one has to be a contender.' --Daily Mail
Review
"In this charming and wonderfully engaging tale, the reader is swept into the beautifully rendered landscape of the immigrant childhood experience. Haley Tanner has created a world peopled with characters of great poignancy and they will linger in the mind--and heart--long after the book is put down."
-- Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge
-- Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's not Charles Dickens, but if you want something that's a bit above your general beach read then this is it. I loved the story - it's beautifully told and the characters are vivid. I'm not a chick lit lover, and if this hadn't been given to me as a gift I would have ignored it fearing that chick lit was exactly what it was. Very wrong.
Both my teenage daughters read it after me and both loved it, so it's a book that spans the generations. Lovely.
Both my teenage daughters read it after me and both loved it, so it's a book that spans the generations. Lovely.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Affecting, poignant, unforgettable all describe Haley Tanner's wonderful debut novel VACLAV & LENA. One would be hard-pressed to think of anyone who would not be touched by her story, especially when read by two such talented actors as Kirby Heyborne and Rebecca Lowman.
A gifted and versatile performer Heyborne has received acclaim for not only his acting but his music (four solo albums) and his comedy. Lowman brings a wealth of stage, film and television experience to her narration. An inimitable pairing for this narration! Listen as they introduce us to Vaclav and Lena who first meet as children when they're enrolled in an English as a Second Language class in Brooklyn. Both are six-year-old Russian immigrants.
Drawn to one another they begin to play a game. He is to be a magician; she will be his assistant. Every day after school they practice their act; they grow closer and make promises. For instance, when they perform on the boardwalk at Coney Island they'll be billed as Vaclav the Magnificent and his assistant, the Lovely Lena. Another vow is that they will be together forever.
Vaclav's mother, Rasia, is sympathetic toward Lena who has no family but lives in an apartment with an aunt. Rasia walks Lena home every night after supper and is aware of the messy shabbiness of Lena's apartment as well as the unsavory way her aunt makes a living.
One day Lena does not show up for class. Rasia is stunned with what she finds when she goes to look for her and cannot bring herself to tell the frantic Vaclav the truth. Time passes until Vaclav is 17 and his phone rings - it is Lena. Yes, they are together again yet in Tanner's gifted hands there is more to come.
VACLAV & LENA is a love story that reminds us of the strength and redemptive power of love.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
A gifted and versatile performer Heyborne has received acclaim for not only his acting but his music (four solo albums) and his comedy. Lowman brings a wealth of stage, film and television experience to her narration. An inimitable pairing for this narration! Listen as they introduce us to Vaclav and Lena who first meet as children when they're enrolled in an English as a Second Language class in Brooklyn. Both are six-year-old Russian immigrants.
Drawn to one another they begin to play a game. He is to be a magician; she will be his assistant. Every day after school they practice their act; they grow closer and make promises. For instance, when they perform on the boardwalk at Coney Island they'll be billed as Vaclav the Magnificent and his assistant, the Lovely Lena. Another vow is that they will be together forever.
Vaclav's mother, Rasia, is sympathetic toward Lena who has no family but lives in an apartment with an aunt. Rasia walks Lena home every night after supper and is aware of the messy shabbiness of Lena's apartment as well as the unsavory way her aunt makes a living.
One day Lena does not show up for class. Rasia is stunned with what she finds when she goes to look for her and cannot bring herself to tell the frantic Vaclav the truth. Time passes until Vaclav is 17 and his phone rings - it is Lena. Yes, they are together again yet in Tanner's gifted hands there is more to come.
VACLAV & LENA is a love story that reminds us of the strength and redemptive power of love.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
Format:Paperback
'Vaclav and Lena' is a literary novel set in New York and the 2 protagonists are the children of Russian immigrants. Their home lives could not be more different and yet they become best friends. During their first playdate they go to see a magic show on Coney Island and Vaclav becomes determined to become a famous magician, like his hero, Houdini, with Lena as his assistant. The first part of the book is about their early life which revolves around getting homework completed as quickly as possible so that they can practise their magic show. From the start we know that Vaclav lives in a loving environment with parents who are always there for him. All we really know about Lena is that she is very quiet at school and lives with her Aunt who has a disreputable lifestyle working in a 'Club'. When they are 10 Vaclav's mother makes a discovery that leads to Lena disappearing suddenly from Vaclav's life and they don't meet again for 7 years. In the next 2 parts of the novel we meet the protagonists when they are 17 and making their own way in life but they have never forgotten each other. Finally we learn what happened on that fateful night, where Lena went and why. In the final part they meet again and Lena's past comes to light, her early childhood, how and why she came to America. Lena is desperate to find out about her past, about her parents, and draws Vaclav into the scheme, but should some truths stay hidden?
I was drawn into the lives of the characters and cared about what happened to them, the novel took me into the heart of this close knit community, the way they speak and live. It is a poignant and sometimes tragic story about love and friendship. It is a slow paced novel which concentrates on the characters of Vaclav and Lena and how their different backgrounds and experiences have effected the way that they see life. It isn't easy for an author to get into the hearts and minds of children but in this case Haley Tanner has managed it successfully.
I was drawn into the lives of the characters and cared about what happened to them, the novel took me into the heart of this close knit community, the way they speak and live. It is a poignant and sometimes tragic story about love and friendship. It is a slow paced novel which concentrates on the characters of Vaclav and Lena and how their different backgrounds and experiences have effected the way that they see life. It isn't easy for an author to get into the hearts and minds of children but in this case Haley Tanner has managed it successfully.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not for me
I picked this book several time to try and read it but just could not get into it at all. The language was tricky to follow as it began with the friendship between a young girl &... Read more
Published 7 months ago by I. Clarke
Difficult to get into to
I found this book very difficult to get into. It is written in a distracting present tense which is a bit pidgin English too and that was a major block for me. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Coulton
Author shows promise but 'naive' prose style wasn't for me
Tanner clearly has an innate talent for storytelling which should be commended. If you're expecting a love story, a good half of the novel details the lives of two 10-year-old... Read more
Published 10 months ago by uncle barbar
Stunning debut
Although not what I expected, this novel gripped me from the very beginning. It narrates the intertwined stories of the two russian emigre protagonists -- Vaclav and Lena -- who... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Scheherazade
A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your...
This is a complex but beautifully written story. Lena and Vaclav are two children living in Brooklyn, both from families of Russian immigrants to the States. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Uenna
Moving, entertaining and well-written
"Vaclav and Lena" is set in a Russian immigrant community in Brooklyn, NYC, and for the majority of the story it is written through the eyes of two children, Vaclav and Lena. Read more
Published 11 months ago by San Diego surfer
Well written debut
This book is a beautifully written story about Russian immigrants living in New York. I was very impressed with the way that the author has managed to portray the difficulties and... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Pam Dhinsa
Clever
I really enjoyed this book. It follows the rather intense relationship of Vaclav and Lena from the time they meet, as small kids, through separation, and then meeting up again. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Laura Smith
An original and refreshing debut
On receiving this book, I had very little knowledge about it, all I knew was that it had something to do with Russians, which intrigued me from the start as I don't think I have... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Vivienne Serendipity
Not sure who this is for
Even when I got to the end of this book I was not quite sure whether it was for adults or children. The child-like voice in the first few sections, before the disappearance of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mrs. J. Jones
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