Historical fiction can be so much fun to read when you feel immersed in the time period. Imagine scout finch adrift in war ravaged croatia, and youve got ana juri, the heroine of novis audacious first novel. An incredible read and some notes on storytelling as a deaf novelist. Ana juric is a carefree tenyearold, living with her family in a small apartment in croatias capital. Girl at war is a superb exploration of conflict and its aftermath. Novic is most notable for her debut novel, girl at war, which tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life is upended by the civil war that resulted in. The following is from sara novics debut novel, girl at war. Girl at war sara novic part war saga, part coming of age tale, part story of love and friendship, girl at war is a powerful debut novel by a young writer who will appeal to readers of anthony marra, tea obreht, and anthony doerr. Sara novic fearlessly shows the impact of war on one young girland its legacy on all of us. Theres a character in girl at war, a professor who acts as a sort of book angel, lending ana new books each week and guiding her reading. She is a graduate of the mfa program at columbia university, where she studied fiction and translation. Its a debut by a writer who has stared into recent history to find a story that continues to resonate today. Girl at war on apple books apple books apple apple. So begins girl at war, sara novics debut novel about ana, the girl of the title.
Girl at war by sara novic overdrive rakuten overdrive. I read girl at war on my recent trip to dubrovnik and while the croatia portrayed in the novel was thankfully. America is immigrants, new, illustrated nonfiction, is. May 27, 2015 sara novics writing is incredible and she completely shattered me a quarter of the way into the book. Her powerful debut novel girl at war random house, 2015 tells the story of ana, a 10yearold girl who is living in zagreb. A wrenching new novel relives the disastrous croatian war. Sara novic was born in 1987 and has lived in the united states and croatia. We first meet her protagonist, ana, as an ordinary, happy girl, living with her parents and baby sister i. Shes describing how the memory of the yugoslav civil war will. Buy a cheap copy of girl at war book by sara novic. May 27, 2015 a conversation with sara novic, the young writer behind one of the most powerful books of the year. If youre looking for a novel that will pull at your heartstrings and make you aware of a war, that in my mind hasnt been covered enough, look no further than girl at war. Sara novic is the author of the novel girl at war random house, now out in paperback. Imagine scout finch adrift in warravaged croatia, and youve got ana juri, the heroine of novis audacious first novel.
May 19, 2015 girl at war depicts the stillfresh nightmare of the yugoslavian civil war, survived by a girl much too young to know all she knows. Sara novic s debut novel, girl at war, zeroes in on the croatian war of independence, which lasted from 1991 to 1995. Novic is most notable for her debut novel, girl at war, which tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life is upended by the civil war that resulted in the dissolution of yugoslavia. In this installment, our own fiction editor sara novic tells the story behind the story of her debut novel girl at war, out in 24 march in paperback in the uk. She recently graduated from the mfa program at columbia. Sara novic writes with ruthless understatement not only about a modern city subjected to primitive horrors, but about young anas subsequent war against the american urge to forget.
You dont need to experience something to remember it, a former child soldier remarks in the final pages of sara novics outstanding first novel. In her stunning first novel, sara novic tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life is upended by the start of the yugoslavian civil war. She holds an mfa in fiction and literary translation from columbia university, and is an assistant professor of creative writing at stockton university. Novic says he was inspired by a professor she had at emerson as an undergrad, whose office was similarly crammed with piledup books. It will be interesting to see if another novelist, particularly a firsttime novelist, can match novics bravura, gutpunching opening section.
I read this book covertocover on a 3hour flight and loved it. She holds an mfa in fiction and literary translation fr. What happened to that girl, and how it haunts the woman she grows up to be, is the premise of girl at war, the remarkable debut novel by sara novic 14soa. Novic was born in 1987 and has lived in the us and croatia. The book begins with what deserves to become one of contemporary literatures more memorable opening lines. Girl at war by sara novic when starting this book, i didnt expect the experience i had from reading it. Into this space steps sara novic with her first novel, girl at war, a book in which the writing seems pedestrian until it captures you with its poetry. In this promising debut, novic tells the story of 10yearold ana, for whom the war in zagreb began over a pack of cigarettes. Girl at war by sara novic meet your next favorite book.
Girl at war is an extraordinarily poised and potent debut novel, a story about grief and exile, memory and identity, and the redemptive power of love financial times a shattering debut. As the balkan conflict escalates, the 10yearold plays amid blackouts and air raids until a tragedy compels her to flee to america. Sara novics girl at war girl at war amber galloway gallego ht. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. Novics debut novel centers on the civil war in croatia between croats and serbs in the 1990s. Moving back and forth through time, girl at war is an honest, generous, brilliantly written novel that illuminates how history shapes the individual. She is a writing instructor at columbia university and with words after war. I knew in the end the guilt of one side did not prove the innocence of the other.
Novic s debut novel centers on the civil war in croatia between croats and serbs in the 1990s. Sara novic writes with ruthless understatement not only about a modern city subjected to primitive horrors, but about young anas subsequent war against the. Sara novics debut novel, girl at war, zeroes in on the croatian war of independence, which lasted from 1991 to 1995. Sara novic is author of the novel girl at war, random house, an american library association award winner thats available in languages. A decade later, she returns to witness her countrys tenuous rebirth and grapple with lingering trauma. America is immigrants, new, illustrated nonfiction, is coming in 2019. The young perspective is the novels principal charm, but. Sara novic fearlessly shows the impact of war on one young girl and its legacy on all of us. Mar 23, 2016 sara novic is the fiction editor of blunderbuss. This clumsy debut novel never for a moment convinces in its setting, characters or conflict, says eileen battersby. When we first meet her, ana is a tomboyish tenyearold, riding bikes in zagreb with her best friend, luka, and laughing at the redfaced serbian leader slobodan milosevic on tv. Apr 18, 2016 the war in zagreb began over a pack of cigarettes. I knew nothing of her life before reading this book, and appx. For readers of the tigers wife and all the light we cannot see comes a powerful debut novel about a girls coming of ageand how her.
She also structures her story perfectly jumping backward and forward from the war in. From the devastation of the yugoslavian civil war, sara novic has wrought a deeply moving and necessary story of exile, family, and memory. Sara novics writing is incredible and she completely shattered me a quarter of the way into the book. Sara novic s girl at war girl at war amber galloway gallego ht. Jun 15, 2016 an incredible read and some notes on storytelling as a deaf novelist. Novic is very good at noting the little things, as well as the big picture. In her stunning first novel, sara novic tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life. Girl at war depicts the stillfresh nightmare of the yugoslavian civil war, survived by a girl much too young to know all she knows. She also structures her story perfectly jumping backward and forward from the war in 1991. It opened my eyes to what some people may feel where ptsd and war is concerned but theres naturally no way i would ever really know this.
Novic is also a deaf rights activist who has written about the challenges she has faced as a deaf novelist. Girl at war relives the disastrous croatian war vanity fair. The united nations estimates that 3,000 to 4,000 child soldiers some as young as 10 took part in the fighting, most of them in bosnia and croatia, though other sources put the numbers at more like 10,000. If i hadnt known this was novics debut, id have assumed there was a backlist to check out. Its anas tenth birthday and, during the family celebration dinner, her godfather has sent her out to the nearby kiosk to buy him cigarettes. Girl at war is an extraordinarily poised and potent debut novel, a story about grief and exile, memory and identity, and the redemptive power of love. The main protagonist, ana, is a tenyearold girl from zagreb, enjoying the innocence that should be universally packaged up with those early years of life. A conversation with sara novic, the young writer behind one of the most powerful books of the year. Novic is most notable for her debut novel, girl at war, which tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life is upended by the civil war that resulted in the dissolution of. Girl at war performs the miracle of making the stories of broken lives in a distant country feel as large and universal as myth.
A capacity for empathy, an interview with sara novic, author. Author interview sara novic, author of girl at war bookpage. Sara novic born 1987 is an american writer, translator, and creative writing professor. The violent conflicts in croatia, where she has many friends and family, and the complicated history of that region have been obsessions of saras for many years. Ana juric has her childhood interrupted by the civil war in yugoslavia and 10 years later and half a world away is st. It will be interesting to see if another novelist, particularly a firsttime novelist, can match novic s bravura, gutpunching opening section. For those picking up girl at war without prior knowledge, it would be forgivable to mistake it for memoir. Understated, selfassured roman a clef of a young girls coming of age in wartorn croatia. May 22, 2015 girl at war is an extraordinarily poised and potent debut novel, a story about grief and exile, memory and identity, and the redemptive power of love. Im looking forward to reading more of sara novics novels. She studied fiction and translation at columbia university, and now teaches writing at wesleyan, columbia, and with the literary nonprofit words after war.
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