Epic! Samir Hussein/WireImage. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. When Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote Georgia on My Mind they were of course not referring to the actual country with that name, but it seems as good a title as any for my review. The willingness of the novel to embrace tragedy stories dont always have happy endings and villains dont always get their just deserts is unusual but refreshingly so. The story moves on to the chocolatiers daughter, Stasia, who marries a member of the White Guard, a man who then transfers his allegiance to the Red Army; the story then moves to their son, Kostya, an ambitious and self-centred young man who joins the Navy and later the NKVD, and also their daughter, Kitty - who, after undergoing more than one tragic incident, escapes to the West where, in England, she becomes a well-known singer; we then meet Elene, Kostyas wayward daughter, who becomes mother to the narrator of the story, Niza, and Nizas half-sister, Daria; and finally to Darias daughter, Brilka, for whom the story is being written. It is a coup! Sddeutsche Zeitung, Not only in its length does this novel resemble the work of Boris Pasternak. The Eighth Life is more than a family saga: it is an ode, a lamentation, . Royal Family Tree. Her co-translation, with Ruth Martin, of Nino Haratischvilis, won the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, and in 2017 she was awarded the Goethe-Instituts Helen and Kurt Wolff Translators Prize for Robert Seethalers, Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022. I felt part of this family as I traveled with them through time and history; as they shared with me all the threads of their woven carpet, generations old I loved this amazing book. Shannon Alden, Literati Bookstore, Its definitely the best work of fiction I've read in the last year. John Leake, Novel Bookstore, The scope is Tolstoyan: the drama of War and Peace, the emotion of Anna Karenina A sprinkling of Allendesque magic realism is added, along with a handful of spirits and a secret recipe for delicious and addictive hot chocolate that appears to curse those who drink it. Lizzy Siddal, The Riveter, The Eighth Life is capacious, voluble, urgent, readable, translated heroically and sparklingly by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin. Julian Evans, Stuff, If you only read one book this year make sure it is The Eighth Life Intricately crafted and addictive, The Eighth Life is an extraordinary, dramatic and compelling read The ambitious, vivid and unflinching translation from the original German by Ruth Martin and Charlotte Collins is in itself a work of art, and deserves to win every translation prize going. BookBlast, [A] generational saga of 20th-century Georgia with the drama and grandeur to be Georgias Gone With the Wind. Lit Hub, Everybody requires a new, vigorous narrative of European ideals, of the European past Nino Haratischwili has created this narrative in her new novel. Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Nino Haratischwili has written a great book: a book which ranges over a century and half of the globe; a book however, within whichas in the infants experienceeverything is only love and dread. Not Russian, it's GEORGIAN story! He spent 70 years as first in line for the throne. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2020, Nino Haratischvilis The Eighth Life is a multi-generational saga focusing on a Georgian family and written by Niza Jashi for her 12 year-old niece, Brilka, which spans six generations of the Jashi family, the first of whom is Niza's great-great-grandfather, a master chocolatier whose secret recipe for a hot chocolate drink is so addictive that it must be used sparingly in order to avert totally enslavement. ), Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2020. It is definitely a view of life behind the Iron Curtain and eventually, of a people emerging from a century of domination. If you are patient - more than 1000 pages - I truly recommend it. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II. They seldom bring it off. Book 6: Daria, his elder daughter, the favourite, who enters an abusive relationship and uses her beauty to realise her dream of becoming an actress. Niza likens it to weaving an intricate carpet: the threads of each character are woven into a complicated pattern that can only be 'read' when it is complete. Simply the best! Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. The fate of the Jashis seems to be a mirror for the fate of Georgia. Dreams are hung, drawn and quartered. The 60s herald teenagers and rebellion, but for this generation it is a false dawn; Stasias daughter sings to the demonstrators in the middle of the Prague Spring as the tanks roll in. The author sketches in the historical background, in so far as it affects the characters, but keeps this to a minimum: the focus is . Please try again. The only thing I can say good is that over 900 pages and dozens of characters you always know who where and what is going on. You have to wait a long time for a novel of this richness, scope and greatness to come along. Prince Harry is the sixth in line to the British throne. The family ties are knotted with dramatic societal changes, exposing them to all of society's strata. Highly recommend. As a family saga, where the women are strong and resourceful and play a significant part in the story, this rather works well, and I ended the novel feeling better informed about Georgia and its part in Russias tumultuous history; however, like at least one other reviewer writing here, I expected something a little more literary and a little less soap-opera-ish (is that a word?) Events are woven through the lives of the family, in keeping with a recurring knotted carpet metaphor. The novel focuses on the lives of seven women in the Jashi line, but each of these seven sections includes backstory; side stories; and continues the story of previous baton-holders. I have certainly met enough women in my life who have expressed this explicitly, especially the stories shared by their mothers and grandmothersthe implication being that we dont get enough of these stories in literature or biographies. I felt part of this family as I traveled with them through time and history; as they shared with me all the threads of their woven carpet, generations old I loved this amazing book., Its definitely the best work of fiction I've read in the last year., A sprinkling of Allendesque magic realism is added, along with a handful of spirits and a secret recipe for delicious and addictive hot chocolate that appears to curse those who drink it., If you only read one book this year make sure it is, is an extraordinary, dramatic and compelling read The ambitious, vivid and unflinching translation from the original German by Ruth Martin and Charlotte Collins is in itself a work of art, and deserves to win every translation prize going., [A] generational saga of 20th-century Georgia with the drama and grandeur to be Georgias, Everybody requires a new, vigorous narrative of European ideals, of the European past Nino Haratischwili has created this narrative in her new novel., Nino Haratischwili has written a great book: a book which ranges over a century and half of the globe; a book however, within whichas in the infants experienceeverything is only love and dread. Ruth is currently co-chair of the Society of Authors Translators Association. It also speaks to the resilience of the Georgian people, while sharing the rhythms and concerns and opportunities of their everyday lives during the peak, the decline, and the fall of their occupier. This is an amazing book. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Full of promise; starting advantages and natural resources. The red century devours a family, and history comes with a pinch of chocolateLike Water for Chocolate, even. Brigitte, The Eighth Life is a sprawling family saga, to be savored for its grandeur, scope and scale Interwoven with love, loss, trumps and tragedy are the uncanny impacts of a family recipe for divine hot chocolate, which just might carry a curse enthralling and satisfying. FIVE STARS Maureen Eppen, Good Reading, This multi-award winning novel is a riveting read You too often want to pause and appreciate delightful twists, intriguing concepts, the catch-your-breath unexpected. The Australian, The Eighth Life is the sort of book that sweeps you along, sustaining a tremendous feeling of urgency, as if the narrator is desperate to get it all out, get it all on paper, before the family curse catches up with her. The Saturday Paper, A harrowing, heartening and utterly engrossing epic novel astonishing A subtle and compelling translation by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin (on the heels of a Georgian version earlier this year) should make this as great a literary phenomenon in English as it has been in German. The Guardian, This is one for long-haul flights or the Christmas lock-in. Aer Lingus, Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. Looks exactly like footnote font sizingI get wanting to cut costs in terms of paper, but wow. This is a very long book that tells the story of four generations of a Georgian family, which started with the great-grandfather, a famous chocolatier. The author's words are liquid so that one flows through this long novel. I built up a family tree, adding the most notable subsidiary characters, because as the century unfolds the canvas becomes crowded. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. Does this item contain inappropriate content? It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. A real page turner. These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Simply put, The Eighth Life is Georgias Gone with the Wind. Words Without Borders, Once I finished this amazing family tale, the gold is worn off the cover in places, but the memories that made for a story told well will remain with me. It starts at the beginning of the XXth century end ends in the first decade of this century. This is a big book. The author's words are liquid so that one flows through this long novel. The Eighth Life (for Brilka) is a phenomenal novel right up there with the best of the best. Haratischvilis epic portrait of a close-knit family doubles as a stunning tribute to the power of resilience. STARRED REVIEW Publishers Weekly, This novel has generated substantial industry buzz and international critical praise. The writing is rich and the characters full-blooded. It's written to try answer the latter's questions regarding the secrets of her family, and to lay some troubling family ghosts. Heartily recommended. STARRED REVIEW Edward B. Cone, Library Journal, This is a long, rewarding novelably translated through a collaborative process. ${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}. As the life of this family progresses we learn some of the history of this country, always threatened by the Russians and in continuous wars with its neighbors or even civil wars to overthrow one government or another. And that curse haunts the history of this family: against the turbulent backdrop of Georgian history - the first world war; Stalin's purges; state repression; the second world war; the siege of Leningrad; the Cold War; the Prague Spring and glasnost - each generation has to grapple with some personal disaster, the effects of which reverberate down the generations. Catherine was a daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendall, an official of the royal household. It is the story of a people living and thriving and struggling to survive through wars and in the grip of a totalitarian empire. Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. And hot chocolate. ASIN The Eighth Life is more than a family saga: it is an ode, a lamentation, a monumentto Georgia, its people, its past and future." Bryan Karetnyk, TLS " The Eighth Life is capacious, voluble, urgent, readable, translated heroically and sparklingly by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin." Julian Evans, The Telegraph Elizabeth shares life-changing truth that has the healing power youve been searching for, and helps you walk through your current life situations from a new perspectiveone that embraces actual, real, deep joy in the midst of the inevitable longings of life. A little over 900 pages but once you get into it it's very hard to put down. The author does not comply with the nationalism that came with Georgian independence and allows no reveling in glorifications and perpetual conspiracy theories. Instead, her novel chronicles more needless deaths, more wasted lives. By the 70s, Nizas childhood, life has lapsed into a comfortable complacency, a golden age corrupted by alcoholism, theft and absenteeism., In the 90s, things fall apart. At home in two different worlds, each with their own language, she has been writing in both German and Georgian since the age of twelve. It is moving, sincere, powerfully told. It is a very long book, but I regret when I finished reading it. The big hands of history scoop up futures and throw them away. It is a coup! Sddeutsche Zeitung, Not only in its length does this novel resemble the work of Boris Pasternak. Does this item contain quality or formatting issues? Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Book 3: Kostya, their nephew, the only major male family member to succeed the grandfather; he becomes a right-wing, despotic, naval officer and staunch communist, who keeps the family afloat during difficult times, someone other members of the family react against. We are reminded of good and evil, and that you do not need a god or a devil, when man himself is so good at creating both to extremes. New Years Eve, 1927: The sinister Little Big Man, favorite of the Generalissimus, appears at a party with a menacing interest in Stasias sister, the beautiful Christine. Highly recommended. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Haratischvili has created a fascinating cast (and its easy to imagine it as a television series) whose lives illuminate some of the greatest events of the 20th century., Elegant it demonstrates a technical mastery, impressively sustained, is more than a family saga: it is an ode, a lamentation, a monumentto Georgia, its people, its past and future., is capacious, voluble, urgent, readable, translated heroically and sparklingly by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin., Spanning six generations of a family between 1900 and the 21st century, its characters travel to Tbilisi, Moscow, London and Berlin in an epic story of doomed romance that combines humor with magic realism., , Ten of the best new books in translation, Nino Haratischvili's elegant epic is a triumph of both authorship and painstaking translation, is an unforgettable love letter to Georgia and the Caucasus, to lives led and to come, and to writing itself., is a lavish banquet of family stories that can, for all their sorrows, be devoured with gluttonous delight. 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