Magdalena Zyzak

I read the novel. I've read most of the farces and parodies mentioned in various reviews, and, I simply didn't find this book as funny as others or as engaging. The closest in tone is The Manila Rope by Vaijo Meri--and that book I laughed out loud when I read that novel. I also enjoyed The Golden Ass, although I found it difficult to get into the story, just as I did with this work. Most of Myzak's plot is quite simple, but there are so many characters and situations which intertwine that is often difficult to follow the storyline. Myzak's writing skill is the only the only reason I finished the novel and I will look at her next work because of it. However, I cannot recommend this novel except to those who absolutely love the absurd and will stick to it.… (més)

I received an ARC from Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for my review. I wanted to give this a higher rating because its very well-written, but I found my mind wandering toward the latter half. It's a funny satirical tale with comically ridiculous characters engaging in silly antics. Humor is hard to successfully pull off, but the writer is obviously very clever in creating her characters and dialogue. I found myself chuckling aloud a few times and smiling quite a bit. The storyline just lacked punch for me, ultimately.… (més)

I'm not entirely sure what the whole point of this novel was, but it was fun. There's a lot of cool stuff to compare it to - The Mouse That Roared series by Leonard Wibberley, Don Quixote, long humorous picaresque novels of the 18th century, classic parodies in general, and hints of absurdism. The book wasn't laugh-out-loud funny for me, but it was quite amusing the entire way through.

I guess what got me, though, is just the lack of any apparent reason behind everything. It's a fun read, yes, but what points is the author trying to make about history, particularly with regards to small 20th century European nations and villages? It felt like some kind of message is there but never comes through entirely. This message is what would have turned a delightful read into something deeper that makes the story stick with the reader past the conclusion of the book.… (més)

Barnabas is a young swineherd in a tiny provincial town in the fictional Eastern European country of Scalvusia, on the cusp of World War II. He is quite clever, though utterly naive and completely guileless. He is besotted with a local gypsy woman, Roosha, mistress to the shoe-and-boot mogul von Grushka. Too bad poor Barnabas' deluded ideas of great romance come from epic love poems and melodramatic movies (a la Rudy Valentino). Along with his trusty (if short-legged) woman-horse Wilhelm, Barnabas is determined to woo Roosha away from von Grushka.

The town of Odolechka is embroiled with petty entanglements of corruption, greed, romance, apathy, and revenge. Every resident has a motive, and every motive a complication. Little do the distracted inhabitants of this backward and insulated town know, that just beyond the treeline, a German Panzer scout has come to size up the opposition.

The plot is so intricate, and at the same time so utterly simple, I can't divulge much here. But I haven't been so thoroughly entertained by satire in a long time! To get a feel for the pace of the story, imagine the set of Clue, and then imagine a group of grim Nazis knocking on the door-- Wadsworth tersely asking the Kommandant to hold his wrench.

The characters are searingly drawn, revealing both goodness and shortcomings, extraordinary failings and trivial triumphs. Roosha is, at the same time, the most shallow and the hardest to read. She's the quintessential roaming gypsy fortune teller: a tease, a flirt, choosing to appear ingenuous but all the while unscrupulously plotting with her sister. I liked our first introduction to her:

The contents of her skirts were also passionately debated. Dzawav the tavernkeeper, who claimed to have been given a brief peek, maintained that a rainbow of ribbons with nests at their ends swung about her knees; dark birds laid dappled eggs in these nests.

This book is a first-rate, fast-paced, ridiculous farce along the lines of The Good Soldier Svejk, Ivan Chonkin, The Inspector General, and Noises Off!. The author is skilled at setting up a joke in two lines, or two chapters; she can weave each of the separate plots together in a way that shouldn't happen, but must happen, and turns out just right. It is absurd, sure, but delightfully so, even as it winds down to its dark and inevitable conclusion. Zyzak's skill with language and lyrical turns-of phrase are charming. I laughed out loud many times, such as at this scenario:

(Barnabas) awoke and drank more river water and then spent some intimate and thoughtful time with his reflection. This reflection on the state of his reflection was interrupted by the sound of not too distant pounding hooves. What mad lancer was it this time? Who would shoot at him next? His life had become romantic at last. His imagination had collapsed onto his boredom like a one-ton unicorn onto a pygmy pig.

In all, highly recommended for fans of farce, satire, or just plain fun.… (més)