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The First Rule of Swimming
"Courtney Brkic gracefully interweaves three generations of family stories and lies...all with authority and wisdom...An intimate portrayal of life in exile."
---O, the Oprah Magazine
When free spirit Jadranka mysteriously disappears shortly after emigrating to America, her older sister Magdalena must leave their ancestral Croatian island home and follow her to New York City. Magdalena's search begins to unspool the dark history of their family, reaching back three generations to a country torn by war.
This haunting and sure-footed first novel explores the legacy of betrayal and loss in a place where beauty is fused with hardship, and where individuals are forced to make wrenching choices as they are swept up in the tides of history.
When free spirit Jadranka mysteriously disappears shortly after emigrating to America, her older sister Magdalena must leave their ancestral Croatian island home and follow her to New York City. Magdalena's search begins to unspool the dark history of their family, reaching back three generations to a country torn by war.
This haunting and sure-footed first novel explores the legacy of betrayal and loss in a place where beauty is fused with hardship, and where individuals are forced to make wrenching choices as they are swept up in the tides of history.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
74 people are currently reading
3549 people want to read
About the author
Courtney Angela Brkic
6 books37 followersCourtney Angela Brkic is the author of The First Rule of Swimming (Little, Brown, and Company, 2013), Stillness: and Other Stories (FSG, 2003) and The Stone Fields (FSG, 2004). Her work has also appeared in Zoetrope, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Harpers & Queen, the Utne Reader, TriQuarterly Review, The Alaska Review and National Geographic, among others. Brkic has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Whiting Writer’s Award. Stillness was named a Barnes and Noble Discover pick, a 2003 Chicago Tribune "Best Book" and a 2003 New York Times "Notable Book". The Stone Fields was shortlisted for a Freedom of Expression Award by the Index on Censorship. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and son, and teaches in the MFA program at George Mason University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews
August 26, 2019
Meh...
Jadranka and Magdalena are sisters tied together in unbreakable bonds. But when Jadranka turns up missing, Magdalena must go find her and in the process uncovers some very interesting family secrets along the way.
I'm not really sure what exactly to categorize this book as. It's supposed to be literary fiction but it has elements of a thriller in it as well which is very confusing.
The story has a very simple premise but I feel that it was very weak execution. The poetic writing style is nice but it also makes for more confusion if you are already confused by this book which indeed I was. This was just all together a very confusing read for me. These elements made it not only confusing but boring as well. I really need to stop allowing myself to be taken in by a pretty cover. 🤦🏼♀️
Speaking of which this cover is absolutely stunning! Whoever did the cover art for this book did a tremendously good job! It is very simple and eye-catching. Love it.
And I have to say also that the love between the two sisters is very touching and it ultimately got me through the book. Without it I would have been bored to tears.
I can't really say that I would recommend this one.
Jadranka and Magdalena are sisters tied together in unbreakable bonds. But when Jadranka turns up missing, Magdalena must go find her and in the process uncovers some very interesting family secrets along the way.
I'm not really sure what exactly to categorize this book as. It's supposed to be literary fiction but it has elements of a thriller in it as well which is very confusing.
The story has a very simple premise but I feel that it was very weak execution. The poetic writing style is nice but it also makes for more confusion if you are already confused by this book which indeed I was. This was just all together a very confusing read for me. These elements made it not only confusing but boring as well. I really need to stop allowing myself to be taken in by a pretty cover. 🤦🏼♀️
Speaking of which this cover is absolutely stunning! Whoever did the cover art for this book did a tremendously good job! It is very simple and eye-catching. Love it.
And I have to say also that the love between the two sisters is very touching and it ultimately got me through the book. Without it I would have been bored to tears.
I can't really say that I would recommend this one.
July 11, 2014
THE FIRST RULE OF SWIMMING: stay afloat. Easier said than done when I hovered beneath the depths of prose, and searched for my bubbles on my way toward the surface, popping above the water and gasping for air. More often than not, I drowned, swallowing seawater, my lungs filling, my eyes popping out of my head, my clothes drenched, as I ended up entrenched with the sharks and a stingray. But I did see a blowfish explode, and I tried to blow my nose underwater—it didn’t work—and I coughed my way to the surface, barely making it to the top.
What kept me treading water was the writing. But what smacked me over the head was elongated prose, a world filled with bastard characters, loose threads, and strangled sensations that had me traipsing through time.
Needless to say, this book probably came at the wrong time, along with being more than a tad too ambitious in 337 pages. Instead, of punching through my psyche, it ripped me in about six different pieces, none of which seemed to lead the charge. How would you like to phrase the answer, Alex? Maybe we’ll call it a historical, psychological, literary, contemporary women, domestic thriller. And if you figure out what the frick that is, please let me know, because I honestly don’t have a clue.
What might have been this book’s greatest sin of all, though, was once I finished it, I promptly forgot it. And not just a slight memory lapse either. By the time I reached the end, the whole damn book might have been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
What kept me treading water was the writing. But what smacked me over the head was elongated prose, a world filled with bastard characters, loose threads, and strangled sensations that had me traipsing through time.
Needless to say, this book probably came at the wrong time, along with being more than a tad too ambitious in 337 pages. Instead, of punching through my psyche, it ripped me in about six different pieces, none of which seemed to lead the charge. How would you like to phrase the answer, Alex? Maybe we’ll call it a historical, psychological, literary, contemporary women, domestic thriller. And if you figure out what the frick that is, please let me know, because I honestly don’t have a clue.
What might have been this book’s greatest sin of all, though, was once I finished it, I promptly forgot it. And not just a slight memory lapse either. By the time I reached the end, the whole damn book might have been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
May 22, 2013
3.5 First I love the cover of this book, it is one of the best covers I have seen lately. I first started this book and was excited it was about an area I knew little about. Croatia, and Yugoslavia and their civil war, the effects of the civil war on this family and how part of the family ended up in America made for fascinating reading. The description of the island, the love some of these family members had for this place was wonderful as was the love between the two sisters. The mystery develops when one of the sisters go missing and the other sister goes to look for her uncovering many family secrets and revealing some misconceptions. This was a well written, for the most part a well paced story and I would have rated it higher except for one part that seemed to come out of nowhere, that I could not place as necessary to the story. It is still well worth reading because the story is a very different type of family story with some good history included but it is the love for a place that steals the show.
September 12, 2014
"In the beginning was the sea," she said, so that Luka's heart expanded, exactly as wind filled a white sail. "And the sea was God."
3.5 stars. I chose this book because of it's beautiful cover, and in this instance it's okay to judge the book by its cover.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book:
1. The authors description of the love you can feel for a physical place.
2. The description of the relationship between siblings, not only Jadranka and Magdalena, but also Luka and Vinka, and Marin and Ana.
3. The way the author shows you a characters actions and only later gives you their background, which enables you to interpret their actions differently.
4. The fact that none of the characters were perfect.
5. The vivid picture she paints of life on a small island of the coast of Croatia.
I will definitely read more by Courtney Angela Brkic.
The Story: A woman must leave her Croatian island home to search for her missing sister and confront the haunted history of her family.
*Netgalley copy
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October 20, 2013The First Rule of Swimming is a debut novel about a family which has been beaten but not drowned by the War in the Balkans? War is always awful and the survivors suffer collateral damage whether their scars are visible or not. We often think that small islands are insulated because they are out of the way and protected by their close knit communities. As we see in this novel, the inhabitants of the fictional Island, are easily controlled by the police and gossip.
The writing is good and the characters, the two sister are complicated, fully fleshed and interesting. The descriptions of the island are lovely. The Croatian neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn are vibrant and accurate.
I question the plot. I got swept up in Magdalena's life in Croatia. She and her sister, Jadranka,live a both charmed and horrific life. Their grandparents provide a warm and loving home; their mother and stepfather a living hell. I also enjoyed, the story of their Uncle Marin's successful escape and new life in the Brooklyn . I was disappointed in the tale of their cousin, Caterina's life in Manhattan . The pretentious, affluent life with paid housekeepers ,well appointed bed rooms,even multiple studios contrasted too neatly with the earthy simple life on the Mediterranean island where raw talent is natural, not cultivated and emotions are raw and blood drawn.
Jadranka's odyssey across the Long Island Sound and then the Hudson River as she is chased by her own demons is too contrived and not authentic . Her cousin, Marin and the thousands of Croatian refugees should not be compared to Jadranka's self exile.
I also think the title is poorly chosen. The patriarch, Luka has taught the girls to float, first. Yeah, so. Although there are many engaging stories, and this is a first attempt, I can not recommend this novel, unless the reader just wants good writing which washes on the shore, but quickly returns out to sea.
The writing is good and the characters, the two sister are complicated, fully fleshed and interesting. The descriptions of the island are lovely. The Croatian neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn are vibrant and accurate.
I question the plot. I got swept up in Magdalena's life in Croatia. She and her sister, Jadranka,live a both charmed and horrific life. Their grandparents provide a warm and loving home; their mother and stepfather a living hell. I also enjoyed, the story of their Uncle Marin's successful escape and new life in the Brooklyn . I was disappointed in the tale of their cousin, Caterina's life in Manhattan . The pretentious, affluent life with paid housekeepers ,well appointed bed rooms,even multiple studios contrasted too neatly with the earthy simple life on the Mediterranean island where raw talent is natural, not cultivated and emotions are raw and blood drawn.
Jadranka's odyssey across the Long Island Sound and then the Hudson River as she is chased by her own demons is too contrived and not authentic . Her cousin, Marin and the thousands of Croatian refugees should not be compared to Jadranka's self exile.
I also think the title is poorly chosen. The patriarch, Luka has taught the girls to float, first. Yeah, so. Although there are many engaging stories, and this is a first attempt, I can not recommend this novel, unless the reader just wants good writing which washes on the shore, but quickly returns out to sea.
May 29, 2013
After not receiving a letter from her sister for two months, Magdalena journeys to America from a small Croatian island named Rosmarina. Magdalena is worried that something has happened to Jadranka, her free-spirited, artistic, younger sister who's unable to sit still long anyplace. Although Magdalena and Jadranka are very different, they share a close bond to each other. The worry and concern for Jadranka always provides a sense of angst for the reader since history has dictated that usually circumstances don't always work out for the adventurer.
As Magdalena searches for her sister, the author Courtney Angela Brkic, provides excerpts from the past lives of the Babic family and their existence in the war-torn country of Croatia. Their reasons for leaving or staying in Rosmarina are revealed. For some, like Magdalena, Rosmarina is their home. For others, such as Marin and Jadranka, it's the one place they wish to never return. Each flashback is perfectly executed and really provides insight to the characters introduced in The First Rule of Swimming.
The First Rule of Swimming is a must read while at the beach this summer. This is a short read but not a light read. Themes such as family, tragedy, guilt, past shames, and sisterhood are heavy in this novel. The characters are well-developed and demensional. You will feel like you know these people by the end of the book and their actions will be totally justified. I look forward to reading more by Brkic.
As Magdalena searches for her sister, the author Courtney Angela Brkic, provides excerpts from the past lives of the Babic family and their existence in the war-torn country of Croatia. Their reasons for leaving or staying in Rosmarina are revealed. For some, like Magdalena, Rosmarina is their home. For others, such as Marin and Jadranka, it's the one place they wish to never return. Each flashback is perfectly executed and really provides insight to the characters introduced in The First Rule of Swimming.
The First Rule of Swimming is a must read while at the beach this summer. This is a short read but not a light read. Themes such as family, tragedy, guilt, past shames, and sisterhood are heavy in this novel. The characters are well-developed and demensional. You will feel like you know these people by the end of the book and their actions will be totally justified. I look forward to reading more by Brkic.
May 18, 2013
The war(s) in the Balkans divided families, sometimes for decades, and that is the premise at the center of this novel. Two sisters, Magdalena and Jadranka, are now adults and the younger sister has gone missing in New York Sister.
The story winds around several different periods of time, centering around this family. The turmoil felt very raw, very recent, still unresolved, despite some hopeful moments. At times, I would lose the thread of a character because of the somewhat circular storytelling, but I usually found my way back. I enjoyed the descriptions of the tiny island culture and how it contrasted with the rest of Croatia, as well as the difficulty of navigating NYC after such a small life.
"None of the islanders are themselves when the wind blows."
The story winds around several different periods of time, centering around this family. The turmoil felt very raw, very recent, still unresolved, despite some hopeful moments. At times, I would lose the thread of a character because of the somewhat circular storytelling, but I usually found my way back. I enjoyed the descriptions of the tiny island culture and how it contrasted with the rest of Croatia, as well as the difficulty of navigating NYC after such a small life.
"None of the islanders are themselves when the wind blows."
July 9, 2013
The First Rule of Swimming is the debut novel by author Courtney Angela Brkic. The title quote of the book comes from Luka, the patriarch of a Croatian family from the island of Rosmarina, "the first rule of swimming....is to stay afloat" is what he tells each successive generation as he teaches them to survive in the waters around the island. This is a very fitting metaphor for the book as a whole as Luka's family has been trying to do just that...stay afloat despite all of the turmoil and changes happening in Croatia and in their family.
The book centers on Luka's two granddaughters. The oldest of the two, Magdalena, loves everything about Rosmarina and is content to live her life their in much the same way that her family has for generations. She is the old, traditional Croatia. Jadranka, on the other hand, is a free spirit who has never quite fit in on Rosmarina or the old ways. Through the interactions of the two sisters, both with each other, and with other members of their family, a picture of the family begins to emerge. It is through this picture that we learn about the choices each member has made, and just how much they have all done to survive.
The story of Magdalena, Jadranka, and their family was an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, I thought the story was a bit uneven. The parts of the story that took place in Croatia, especially those that were set on the island of Rosmarina, were mesmerizing. This is where the author definitely warmed to her subject. Her descriptions of the island and it's inhabitants were very poetic and lyrical. The parts of the story that took place in the US, though also enjoyable, did not seem to me to be of the same caliber. Here the story was more in line with the average fare of many contemporary novels. In addition, although the ending fit the book well, there were no huge revelations or spectacular outcomes.
The same can be said of the characters. By far the most interesting characters were those that lived in Croatia. By far Magdalena was the character that I was able to connect with the most. Luka was another one and I especially liked what the author did with his character later in the book. Here the descriptions of feelings and life were the most vivid and interesting. Of the US characters, Marin was my favorite as he seemed to get the most detail and therefore was the most interesting. I would have liked to see the author do a bit more with Jadranka and some of the other characters, though.
All in all, I thought this was a good effort for a debut novel. It was an enjoyable read with interesting characters and a story that was at times mesmerizing, but on the whole interesting. I would definitely like to read more by this author, especially if she is writing about life in Croatia, or in Croatian settlements in the US. A job well done for a first book and I would give it 3.5 stars.
The book centers on Luka's two granddaughters. The oldest of the two, Magdalena, loves everything about Rosmarina and is content to live her life their in much the same way that her family has for generations. She is the old, traditional Croatia. Jadranka, on the other hand, is a free spirit who has never quite fit in on Rosmarina or the old ways. Through the interactions of the two sisters, both with each other, and with other members of their family, a picture of the family begins to emerge. It is through this picture that we learn about the choices each member has made, and just how much they have all done to survive.
The story of Magdalena, Jadranka, and their family was an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, I thought the story was a bit uneven. The parts of the story that took place in Croatia, especially those that were set on the island of Rosmarina, were mesmerizing. This is where the author definitely warmed to her subject. Her descriptions of the island and it's inhabitants were very poetic and lyrical. The parts of the story that took place in the US, though also enjoyable, did not seem to me to be of the same caliber. Here the story was more in line with the average fare of many contemporary novels. In addition, although the ending fit the book well, there were no huge revelations or spectacular outcomes.
The same can be said of the characters. By far the most interesting characters were those that lived in Croatia. By far Magdalena was the character that I was able to connect with the most. Luka was another one and I especially liked what the author did with his character later in the book. Here the descriptions of feelings and life were the most vivid and interesting. Of the US characters, Marin was my favorite as he seemed to get the most detail and therefore was the most interesting. I would have liked to see the author do a bit more with Jadranka and some of the other characters, though.
All in all, I thought this was a good effort for a debut novel. It was an enjoyable read with interesting characters and a story that was at times mesmerizing, but on the whole interesting. I would definitely like to read more by this author, especially if she is writing about life in Croatia, or in Croatian settlements in the US. A job well done for a first book and I would give it 3.5 stars.
April 24, 2013
This book is the kind of read that you will either find to be one of the most beautiful pieces of literature ever written, or you will find it intensely boring. I would say that I found it of the former variety and really enjoyed it, although it does not have a fast pace or a ridiculously twisted plot, which seems to be the new thing in mainstream literature.
What this novel is, in my opinion, is a book that has a quiet eloquence. The beauty of the passages rather set me back at times (in a good way.) Whereas many of the books I choose are rivers full of exciting rapids, this book is more like a gentle creek. The calm, passive writing pulled me into the story and the simplistic elegance of the author's words kept me there until the last page.
If you are looking for a book that you can relax with, and get away from everything, I would strongly recommend this novel. The characters have a lot of depth, and each come with a history deeply rooted in the place they live and the generations that came before them.
This is a book about family, sisterhood, love, loss and the bonds that we share as humans. The story may not be flashy and fast paced, but it was thoughtful and the descriptions were beautiful and in the end, that was enough for me.
I love it when the beauty of the novel matches the beauty of the cover, and I am pleased to say, this one did. I would read another book by this author happily, and I look forward to her future offerings.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.
What this novel is, in my opinion, is a book that has a quiet eloquence. The beauty of the passages rather set me back at times (in a good way.) Whereas many of the books I choose are rivers full of exciting rapids, this book is more like a gentle creek. The calm, passive writing pulled me into the story and the simplistic elegance of the author's words kept me there until the last page.
If you are looking for a book that you can relax with, and get away from everything, I would strongly recommend this novel. The characters have a lot of depth, and each come with a history deeply rooted in the place they live and the generations that came before them.
This is a book about family, sisterhood, love, loss and the bonds that we share as humans. The story may not be flashy and fast paced, but it was thoughtful and the descriptions were beautiful and in the end, that was enough for me.
I love it when the beauty of the novel matches the beauty of the cover, and I am pleased to say, this one did. I would read another book by this author happily, and I look forward to her future offerings.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.
May 9, 2013
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic is the story of the bond of sisterly love and the lengths one sister will go for the other. Two young girls, Magdelena and Jadranka were raised by their grandparents on Rosmarina, a small island off the coast of Croatia after the death of their father and their mother’s desertion. For one, life on the small island is all she needs, for the other, something is missing, something she needs to discover out in the world. When Jadranka leaves to go to the United States to visit family, she disappears and Magdelena leaves behind her dying grandfather and the island she loves to find her. What she discovers upon arriving and her determination to find Jadranka could put both of their lives in peril.
Courtney Angela Brkic has a unique style that floats along on a cloud of beautifully descriptive passages full of passion and emotion. This is not a fast-paced read, but its intensity comes from the relationship issues between the characters as a family and the reasons behind them.
An ARC copy of The First Rule of Swimming was provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: May 28, 2013.
Courtney Angela Brkic has a unique style that floats along on a cloud of beautifully descriptive passages full of passion and emotion. This is not a fast-paced read, but its intensity comes from the relationship issues between the characters as a family and the reasons behind them.
An ARC copy of The First Rule of Swimming was provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: May 28, 2013.
June 18, 2013
This included an interesting sister dynamic going on and it also was not a difficult read, despite the poor jumps in transition between places/times. You often had to reread the first of each sequence to understand "where you were" so to speak. But you could still follow the gist after a page or two of context reread. But somehow, and I don't know why, I just did not like the characters all that much in this book. And immigration stories are in my top three of "favorite" scenarios, on top of it.
I absolutely did not have a feel for any urgency in discovering their outcomes either. Had to force myself to finish this book. In a way, I feel they even left each other "cold"- out of warmth or connection, for the majority of their lives. Sorry I disagree with most of the reviews here on this one. Put this one in a "it's not the book, it's me" category, I guess. But I still feel it is nowhere near a 5 star. Nor even close to a 4.
Ironic that it left me so cold, since in my youth and middle age I had close contact with Croatian/ American immigrants (Chicago)and their community. And never, ever, ever meet a cold or even quiet Croatian. Certainly not one who would never call home to parents for decades or lose such touch with extended family. It's just not inherent in that culture.
I absolutely did not have a feel for any urgency in discovering their outcomes either. Had to force myself to finish this book. In a way, I feel they even left each other "cold"- out of warmth or connection, for the majority of their lives. Sorry I disagree with most of the reviews here on this one. Put this one in a "it's not the book, it's me" category, I guess. But I still feel it is nowhere near a 5 star. Nor even close to a 4.
Ironic that it left me so cold, since in my youth and middle age I had close contact with Croatian/ American immigrants (Chicago)and their community. And never, ever, ever meet a cold or even quiet Croatian. Certainly not one who would never call home to parents for decades or lose such touch with extended family. It's just not inherent in that culture.
April 27, 2013
This is a lovely novel that focuses on tradition and family, and how they are intricately bound together even when one tries to severe them. The story is about the family of two sisters, Magdalena and Jadranka. They develop a strong connection to one another after their father dies in a fishing accident and their mother begins a relationship with an abusive man. They leave their mother's home on the mainland of Croatia to be raised by their grandparents on their tiny home island of Rosmarina. There they share in the simple living that the other members of their family have all deserted. Their grandparents provide a loving and nurturing environment for the girls. Magdalena leaves to become a teacher and returns to teach on the island. Her sister Jadranka has an amazing artistic talent but lacking direction winds up leaving art school and ends up back in the city with her mother. Eventually she is persuaded to go to the United States to work for her cousin caring for her children. This cousin, Katerina, is the daughter of her grandfather's sister whose family left Rosmarina many years ago, along with Jadranka's uncle. There is much underlying tension between the family members, and those living in the U.S., with the exception of this cousin, have had no contact with the rest of the family. While this is left unexplained at first, eventually the whole family history comes out as well as the reasons for many of the relational problems.
Although the story evolves slowly, I thought it was very well written, and I was fascinated by the exotic setting and family. I always enjoy reading novels that are somewhat ethnic as this certainly was. I also liked learning some information relating to the history of the area. The characters were depicted well. There were some that I was drawn to and sympathized with and others that I found to be self-centered and unappealing. Some of those opinions changed as the story unfolded and things that had been kept hidden came to light.
I very much enjoyed The First Rule of Swimming. There was an exotic quality to the story and yet it was not a fast paced or excessively dramatic tale. The relationships between the family members ultimately were the real story. Those relationship issues are ultimately resolved with their forgiveness and acceptance of one another, as well as a willingness to be satisfied with how each of their lives winds up. I found the book to be satisfying to me as a reader. Ms. Brkic has a new and unique voice as an author, and I won't hesitant to recommend this book to others.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher, Little, Brown, and Company for the chance to read and review this book prior to publication.
Although the story evolves slowly, I thought it was very well written, and I was fascinated by the exotic setting and family. I always enjoy reading novels that are somewhat ethnic as this certainly was. I also liked learning some information relating to the history of the area. The characters were depicted well. There were some that I was drawn to and sympathized with and others that I found to be self-centered and unappealing. Some of those opinions changed as the story unfolded and things that had been kept hidden came to light.
I very much enjoyed The First Rule of Swimming. There was an exotic quality to the story and yet it was not a fast paced or excessively dramatic tale. The relationships between the family members ultimately were the real story. Those relationship issues are ultimately resolved with their forgiveness and acceptance of one another, as well as a willingness to be satisfied with how each of their lives winds up. I found the book to be satisfying to me as a reader. Ms. Brkic has a new and unique voice as an author, and I won't hesitant to recommend this book to others.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher, Little, Brown, and Company for the chance to read and review this book prior to publication.
April 29, 2013
I just need to say first, that this novel has one of the most beautifully designed book covers that I've ever seen. The colors in the flowers contrasted against the aqua gradient -- simply lovely. Sadly, for me, the cover was far more intriguing than the novel itself.
Magdalena was born and raised on the island of Rosmarina -- a small island off the coast of Croatia. While everyone around her grows up and moves off the island never to return, Magdalena remains. Rather than marry and breed a child, she decides to be a teacher on the island and stay unmarried. Her one love, Luka, left the island a few years before, giving her the option to go, but she decided to stay.
So one day Magdalena's sister, Jadranka, is missing. Disappeared. Gone. But since Jadranka was such a free-spirit, she was not so concerned -- at first. It drives her to leave the island to find her sister, who was living in New York with their cousin at the time of her disappearance.
The good parts: Obviously the gorgeous book cover. The author, Courtney Angela Brkic, is skilled with words, and is able to write simply, but effectively. The prose is -- lovely, but not beautiful. It's a little difficult to explain. The story and plot is good, if you have the tenacity to hang on.
The bad parts: I fought quite the struggle to get "into" this novel. The big issues were that I felt that I was tossed into some region that I didn't know (and wasn't mentioned -- I had to google for the area), and then thrown acronyms I was completely unfamiliar with from history. For example, "UDBA Assassins". Now, I don't mind if a novel makes me work a bit, having to look up references and words, but this novel just lost me from the start. I felt like I couldn't understand the history and references there without having to go into a deep internet search of the area and region (which we don't know because there are no year references in the beginning, etc).
All in all, it's a beautiful book, and a good story, but you have to be willing to bear the price point of entry, which in the end was a little too much for me. It felt like a book that was translated from another language and lost a bit somewhat in the translation.
Magdalena was born and raised on the island of Rosmarina -- a small island off the coast of Croatia. While everyone around her grows up and moves off the island never to return, Magdalena remains. Rather than marry and breed a child, she decides to be a teacher on the island and stay unmarried. Her one love, Luka, left the island a few years before, giving her the option to go, but she decided to stay.
So one day Magdalena's sister, Jadranka, is missing. Disappeared. Gone. But since Jadranka was such a free-spirit, she was not so concerned -- at first. It drives her to leave the island to find her sister, who was living in New York with their cousin at the time of her disappearance.
The good parts: Obviously the gorgeous book cover. The author, Courtney Angela Brkic, is skilled with words, and is able to write simply, but effectively. The prose is -- lovely, but not beautiful. It's a little difficult to explain. The story and plot is good, if you have the tenacity to hang on.
The bad parts: I fought quite the struggle to get "into" this novel. The big issues were that I felt that I was tossed into some region that I didn't know (and wasn't mentioned -- I had to google for the area), and then thrown acronyms I was completely unfamiliar with from history. For example, "UDBA Assassins". Now, I don't mind if a novel makes me work a bit, having to look up references and words, but this novel just lost me from the start. I felt like I couldn't understand the history and references there without having to go into a deep internet search of the area and region (which we don't know because there are no year references in the beginning, etc).
All in all, it's a beautiful book, and a good story, but you have to be willing to bear the price point of entry, which in the end was a little too much for me. It felt like a book that was translated from another language and lost a bit somewhat in the translation.
May 19, 2013
Most reviews that I've seen say that this is a book that focuses on the bond between the two sisters, Magdalena and Jadranka. I think that the differences between the two sisters are actually more important. Jadranka is a talented artist and an individualist. She desperately wanted to leave home for the sake of her art career. Magdalena values tradition, community and family. Because Magdalena values these things, she remains on the island off the coast of Croatia where she was born. She commits to the community as a teacher, and lives with her grandmother who gave her security and a sense of home. When Magdalena learns that Jadranka has disappeared, she never gives up on trying to find her. Would Jadranka have done the same if Magdalena had been the one to disappear?
Since Americans have been brought up to believe that separation from family is part of the process of growing up, I imagine that most American readers will find Jadranka more sympathetic and wonder what's wrong with Magdalena. I feel that Magdalena's choices are legitimate ones and that they are the right ones for her. I was also impressed by Jadranka. She is an amazingly strong woman and a survivor. Brkic's characters are very real--sometimes painfully so.
Because I have a concern with authenticity, I need to mention that there is no island called Rosmarina off the coast of Croatia. There is an island called Brac which may be the island that Rosmarina is modeled on, or it may be a composite of more than one island.
I felt that this was a heartfelt story that reflected Croatian and Croatian-American experience. A number of Magdalena’s relatives left Rosmarina for the U.S., but they continued to be haunted by past events on Rosmarina. The island was more than a place, but for some it was home and for others it was a prison.
For the blog version of this review see my May 2013 blog entry "The First Rule of Swimming: A Croatian Island Can Be Home or a Prison" at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com
Since Americans have been brought up to believe that separation from family is part of the process of growing up, I imagine that most American readers will find Jadranka more sympathetic and wonder what's wrong with Magdalena. I feel that Magdalena's choices are legitimate ones and that they are the right ones for her. I was also impressed by Jadranka. She is an amazingly strong woman and a survivor. Brkic's characters are very real--sometimes painfully so.
Because I have a concern with authenticity, I need to mention that there is no island called Rosmarina off the coast of Croatia. There is an island called Brac which may be the island that Rosmarina is modeled on, or it may be a composite of more than one island.
I felt that this was a heartfelt story that reflected Croatian and Croatian-American experience. A number of Magdalena’s relatives left Rosmarina for the U.S., but they continued to be haunted by past events on Rosmarina. The island was more than a place, but for some it was home and for others it was a prison.
For the blog version of this review see my May 2013 blog entry "The First Rule of Swimming: A Croatian Island Can Be Home or a Prison" at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com
July 8, 2013
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic was a boring read for me. I tried to like it, I tried to get into the story but it was all over the place and I really didn't like the characters at all so it made it hard.
The story is about two sisters in Croatia, Magdalena and Jadranka. Magdalena goes to America to search for Jadranka which ended up going missing. The thing is, this story is from a lot of different characters views such as the grandfather who had a stroke and can't do anything but barely be conscious in bed.
The one thing that I really did like is the visuals that you get of Rosamarina and from the descriptions of it, it is a beautiful little village. To be honest though, I read half of the book and ended up skimming the rest of it. I just was not into it.
It did interest me because the love between these two sisters were very strong but really, the story wasn't as strong for me and there was just way too much going on to follow sometimes. Such as if it was in the present or in the past and who was telling the story then. Whose present and whose past were we reading now?
Based solely on the blurb and that gorgeous freaking cover I wanted to love this book but sadly, this one wasn't for me.
November 2, 2013
I received an ARC on Net Galley for a fair review.
I started reading this book, but put it down for a bit while I read a few others. I am finding it a bit disjointed and slow even though I am interested in the story.
I just started reading again and will be back with more...
So happy I stuck with this book, I really enjoyed it. It was a bit difficult to follow in the beginning but once I got into the story I was hooked. The history of the island and the family dynamics were very interesting.
Don't give up on this one, read it through, you won't regret it.
I started reading this book, but put it down for a bit while I read a few others. I am finding it a bit disjointed and slow even though I am interested in the story.
I just started reading again and will be back with more...
So happy I stuck with this book, I really enjoyed it. It was a bit difficult to follow in the beginning but once I got into the story I was hooked. The history of the island and the family dynamics were very interesting.
Don't give up on this one, read it through, you won't regret it.
June 26, 2013
Received from Goodreads first reads giveaway.
This was a good book and nice debut for writer Courtney Angela Brkic. It was well written and tells the story of not only two sisters but various members of a family. This book allows us to look at the legacy of betrayal, hardships, war, family secrets and loss. Although it is well written, I did have some difficulty getting into this book. It did not grip me right away but there was enough in the story for me to want to keep reading.
This was a good book and nice debut for writer Courtney Angela Brkic. It was well written and tells the story of not only two sisters but various members of a family. This book allows us to look at the legacy of betrayal, hardships, war, family secrets and loss. Although it is well written, I did have some difficulty getting into this book. It did not grip me right away but there was enough in the story for me to want to keep reading.
September 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It has a bit of everything: a family story, a mystery, history and a setting, mostly, in another country. Much of the story takes place in Rosmarina, a fictional island near Split, Croatia. A small part of the story also takes place in Pittsburgh when some of the family members immigrate. The primary characters are Magdalena and her sister, Jadranka and their parents, grandparents and extended family members, great aunt and cousin, Katarina, also have roles. The historical parts highlight both World War II and the 1990's war. Although there is some romance, the love portrayed in The First Rule of Swimming is familial, especially the special relationship of the two sisters.
"He lived, overwhelmingly, in the random scattering of days and weeks." (40)
"And it was homesickness that might have explained the section of western Queens to which Katarina directed her, for it was there that old men stopped and greeted each other in the street, an elaborate ritual of arm slapping that Magdalena had witnessed nowhere else in this American city. Restaurants served grilled fish and palacinke....." (172) [Note for possible future trip to NYC]
"The island has a history that stretches back through centuries of settlers and marauders, centuries of people who, like him, have been blessed by chance. Its residents' bloodlines are so mixed that untangling them would be as impossible as it is pointless." (316)
"He lived, overwhelmingly, in the random scattering of days and weeks." (40)
"And it was homesickness that might have explained the section of western Queens to which Katarina directed her, for it was there that old men stopped and greeted each other in the street, an elaborate ritual of arm slapping that Magdalena had witnessed nowhere else in this American city. Restaurants served grilled fish and palacinke....." (172) [Note for possible future trip to NYC]
"The island has a history that stretches back through centuries of settlers and marauders, centuries of people who, like him, have been blessed by chance. Its residents' bloodlines are so mixed that untangling them would be as impossible as it is pointless." (316)
July 1, 2018
What I loved about this was how Croatia was affected by the secret police: the fear that you were being watched, even after the decades. How the experience of communism tore families apart.
This is a family story: part of Magdalena's family lives in America, where they escaped from the Croatian communist regime. This is a story about living with the aftereffects of that large tragedy.
Within that larger story is also the smaller one - ties that breaks a family apart (domestic violence, ) and ties that keep the family together (Luka and his siblings, Luka eventually teaching all his children to swim). It's a story about family.
The prose is pretty, although I feel it tends a little to the overwrought.
This is a family story: part of Magdalena's family lives in America, where they escaped from the Croatian communist regime. This is a story about living with the aftereffects of that large tragedy.
Within that larger story is also the smaller one - ties that breaks a family apart (domestic violence, ) and ties that keep the family together (Luka and his siblings, Luka eventually teaching all his children to swim). It's a story about family.
The prose is pretty, although I feel it tends a little to the overwrought.
May 30, 2013
Originally posted at Novel Idea Reviews
RATING: 3/5
Anything that centers around the bond between sisters always resonates pretty deeply with me because I have a sister of my own. We’re seven years apart, but look and act more like twins now that we’re not kids anymore. (Actually, you might have seen her around here — her name is Nina and she does guest reviews for us once in a while.) The heart of this book is the relationship between sisters Magdalena and Jadranka, who have stuck together through the turbulent events of their shared childhood and, while as different as night and day, have a connection that’s never been broken. Until the day Jadranka disappears, and Magdalena finds herself assaulted by a storm of family secrets.
Aside from being about a pair of sisters, The First Rule of Swimming has an extremely nuanced writing style that brings its characters to life. Magdalena’s grandfather, grandmother, and overseas relatives were fully fleshed out. The big snag for me, though, was the pacing. As lovely as the writing can be at times, the fact remains that this isn’t a book for those who love a lot of action. Action isn’t even a big deal to me, and yet the pace still felt agonizingly slow at times. It was one of those books that were under 300 pages and yet still took me forever to get through. This story definitely calls for a patient reader.
I loved the way the two sisters balanced one another; they truly know each other inside out. It made my heart hurt reading the things they’d been through together and how fiercely Magdalena fought to protect Jadranka, who was younger. But it was equally powerful to see how Jadranka, the one everyone assumed was wild and careless, actually saw more about the world than she let on. She was as much Magdalena’s keeper as Magdalena was hers. In the realm of complex relationships, this book undeniably succeeds. It really delves into the reasons why family will always be family, peeling back layer after layer of shared history.
Another thing worth mentioning is that Rosmarina Island, where most of the book takes place, is so vivid and well drawn that it serves as a character unto itself. You can see the island in your mind’s eye, and being able to visualize it only makes it easier to understand why it’s so important to the intertwined lives in the novel.
I’ve already said that the pace bothered me, largely because it felt like not very much happened at all in the first half of the book. The groundwork for all the different family members and their relationships with one another was established, yes, but I think another big reason why it seemed slow was that a vital part of the story is the violent history of what is now the Republic of Croatia, where the fictional island of Rosmarina is located. I am definitely not the world’s expert on Croatia, and the book doesn’t offer much in the way of information. You just get dropped into the events surrounding Croatia’s battle for independence from Yugoslavia, events that directly affected Magdalena and Jadranka’s family. Lack of familiarity with this subject matter made it pretty confusing for me and I had to stop and read up on that situation before proceeding. If I hadn’t, I would have missed out on a pretty significant slice of the plot. You can only rely on context for so long before it just doesn’t work anymore. I feel like just a pinch of background info on Croatian independence would’ve done wonders for me.
I had issues with certain events that took place towards the end of the book, but thankfully the ending itself redeemed the story in my eyes and brought it full circle. It was a satisfying ending and one that was infused with so much hope. I appreciate when loose ends are tied up at the conclusion of a story, I guess because the raging control freak in me just really wants to know what happened to everyone and where they ended up after the plot wound down. It’s not that I can’t live with endings that are more ambiguous, but for this particular book and its characters, I was glad to have closure. I felt like the ending helped lighten the burden of reading all those pages at such a sluggish pace.
The First Rule of Swimming evokes such a wide range of emotions. It truly explores the depths of loyalty and sacrifice, exposing the ties that bind Magdalena and Jadranka to one another as well as those that bind them to three generations of a family separated by war and circumstance. While a very slow read that demands a lot of endurance, I thought it was thought provoking as well. It’s a book that renews your faith in what family really means and where home will always be.
Many thanks to Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley for the ARC! The book is out May 28th!
RATING: 3/5
Anything that centers around the bond between sisters always resonates pretty deeply with me because I have a sister of my own. We’re seven years apart, but look and act more like twins now that we’re not kids anymore. (Actually, you might have seen her around here — her name is Nina and she does guest reviews for us once in a while.) The heart of this book is the relationship between sisters Magdalena and Jadranka, who have stuck together through the turbulent events of their shared childhood and, while as different as night and day, have a connection that’s never been broken. Until the day Jadranka disappears, and Magdalena finds herself assaulted by a storm of family secrets.
Aside from being about a pair of sisters, The First Rule of Swimming has an extremely nuanced writing style that brings its characters to life. Magdalena’s grandfather, grandmother, and overseas relatives were fully fleshed out. The big snag for me, though, was the pacing. As lovely as the writing can be at times, the fact remains that this isn’t a book for those who love a lot of action. Action isn’t even a big deal to me, and yet the pace still felt agonizingly slow at times. It was one of those books that were under 300 pages and yet still took me forever to get through. This story definitely calls for a patient reader.
I loved the way the two sisters balanced one another; they truly know each other inside out. It made my heart hurt reading the things they’d been through together and how fiercely Magdalena fought to protect Jadranka, who was younger. But it was equally powerful to see how Jadranka, the one everyone assumed was wild and careless, actually saw more about the world than she let on. She was as much Magdalena’s keeper as Magdalena was hers. In the realm of complex relationships, this book undeniably succeeds. It really delves into the reasons why family will always be family, peeling back layer after layer of shared history.
Another thing worth mentioning is that Rosmarina Island, where most of the book takes place, is so vivid and well drawn that it serves as a character unto itself. You can see the island in your mind’s eye, and being able to visualize it only makes it easier to understand why it’s so important to the intertwined lives in the novel.
I’ve already said that the pace bothered me, largely because it felt like not very much happened at all in the first half of the book. The groundwork for all the different family members and their relationships with one another was established, yes, but I think another big reason why it seemed slow was that a vital part of the story is the violent history of what is now the Republic of Croatia, where the fictional island of Rosmarina is located. I am definitely not the world’s expert on Croatia, and the book doesn’t offer much in the way of information. You just get dropped into the events surrounding Croatia’s battle for independence from Yugoslavia, events that directly affected Magdalena and Jadranka’s family. Lack of familiarity with this subject matter made it pretty confusing for me and I had to stop and read up on that situation before proceeding. If I hadn’t, I would have missed out on a pretty significant slice of the plot. You can only rely on context for so long before it just doesn’t work anymore. I feel like just a pinch of background info on Croatian independence would’ve done wonders for me.
I had issues with certain events that took place towards the end of the book, but thankfully the ending itself redeemed the story in my eyes and brought it full circle. It was a satisfying ending and one that was infused with so much hope. I appreciate when loose ends are tied up at the conclusion of a story, I guess because the raging control freak in me just really wants to know what happened to everyone and where they ended up after the plot wound down. It’s not that I can’t live with endings that are more ambiguous, but for this particular book and its characters, I was glad to have closure. I felt like the ending helped lighten the burden of reading all those pages at such a sluggish pace.
The First Rule of Swimming evokes such a wide range of emotions. It truly explores the depths of loyalty and sacrifice, exposing the ties that bind Magdalena and Jadranka to one another as well as those that bind them to three generations of a family separated by war and circumstance. While a very slow read that demands a lot of endurance, I thought it was thought provoking as well. It’s a book that renews your faith in what family really means and where home will always be.
Many thanks to Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley for the ARC! The book is out May 28th!
January 6, 2023
3.5 rounded up. I picked up this book because I was drawn to the cover. The story is a slow burn and was a little difficult to get through at times. POV and timeline jumps occur throughout chapters but I did appreciate how the author skillfully revisited certain scenes from different characters perspectives, painting a full picture of this family’s journey.
May 26, 2013
The first rule of swimming, he had told her, was to stay afloat.
Let me start this review, by saying that once again I found myself wanting to read this book because of its cover. The colorful combination of floating flowers and the contrast with the legs behind and the tealish gradient at the bottom was eye-catching.
When I finished reading the book I found it strange and thought the cover wasn't relatable to the story. But after looking at it closely and trying to think from what I think is Courtney Angela Brkic's poetic point of view, this is what I get from the cover:
The legs represent the island. Women legs, because the island is the motherland. I see the flowers as the islanders. They come and go, they live their lives the best they can, doing everything they can to try to stay afloat, but never drifting and floating too far away from the island. They can't deny their roots. They stay afloat, live their lives but never forget where they come from. The island doesn't drag them back. Those who stay, stay. Those who leave, leave. But they never deny their origin, not even if they put a whole ocean between them and the island.
I enjoyed reading this book because it opened my mind into new territories. I knew nothing about Croatia, its people, religion and their customs. Not that I think that Croatia is only what she describes, of course there's more to that country than what this book depicts, but you know what I mean. The author does a wonderful job in describing you places and the moments this story takes place at. Even though the island is made up (thank you google for clearing this up :D ), you get a vivid, colorful description of life in the remote croatian islands. The contrast between islanders and the city people. She makes you feel like you really visited those places after you finish the book.
The plot was emotional and compelling. I liked the fact that there was no main character. At least that's how I felt. The story is told in such a way that each and every single character in this story is important. I felt like the main character was the Family, past, present and future. Without one of the members of this family, this story would no be so intriguing and interesting.
The author also touches the immigration subject and quite frankly, she does a great job in showing that no matter which country you come from, when you immigrate you share a bond with every single person who knows what if feels like to leave their homes, families and lives behind.
I must admit that even though I read this book practically in one night, I had a hard time getting into it. The first part took me a lot of time to get me interested. All that coming and going back and forth distracted me and almost got me to lose my attention on the book, specially those parts that told grandpa's hallucinations. The author made such a wonderful job in mixing his visions with his reality that I also got lost a little. But once Jadranka dissappeared, I couldn't put this book down. In the end, they all demonstrated they all showed grandpa they had really learned the first rule of swimming.
Read this book if you are looking for a story about strong unbreakable family bonds. It will for sure take you places you can only go with your imagination. Hopefully, you'll discover that even though all families are different, they are all alike. Even if you want to deny it, no problem, betrayal, difference of opinion, envy, distress, can break family bonds.
p.s. This is a 3.5 stars book but goodreads gave me no other choice but to give it 3. ;)
July 7, 2013
My Rating – 3 ¾ Stars
Magdalena has lived in the Croatian island of Rosamarina her whole life, except for one year as a child and when she went to university. Her father died when she was a child and her mother, left her with her grandparents on the island. She’s very quiet and reserved and has no desire to ever leave the island.
Her younger sister, Jadranka, has an easy smile and fiery red hair and flits from place to place. She eventually lands in America, acting as a babysitter for a cousin that immigrated to the states as a child. She’s a talented artist and her American cousin, Katarina has promised to show Jadranka’s art in her gallery. But Jadranka has disappeared. No note, no call, no nothing. Disappeared in the night without a trace after slashing a self-portrait to pieces.
Magdalena is worried. Jadranka has disappeared many times over the years but has always kept in contact with her sister. She packs her bags and heads to America to search for her sister, leaving her grandmother to deal with her dying grandfather.
The grandfather, Luka, has suffered a stroke and is lying in bed unable to speak or move but remembering the days of war and how his sister left the island with him to be a soldier. How his son had to run away to America because of government agents wanting to throw him in prison for being a radical. The things his daughter did that screwed up her life and what she did to try and protect her only brother.
As Magdalena searches for her sister, she unravels family secrets that have been kept from her since she was a child. Secrets that Jadranka may have discovered and that may have fueled her need to disappear.
The book was beautifully written. You can picture the fictional island of Rosmarina perfectly and the emotions of the characters are very real. The bond between the sisters is strong and you can feel the distress of Magdalena as she tries to locate her sister. The book starts out slow, building up to the secrets and flipping between past and present.
The book is a bit heavy. Ok, a lot heavy. It took me awhile to really get into it and even then I had a hard time. The story travels through time and point of view in a sentence and I found myself having to reread sections to understand whose view I was seeing from and what time period it was.
You don’t get to see from Jadranka’s point of view a lot and I felt like she was a bit of a selfish brat, disappearing without notice and making family worry and travel across the world to find her. I understand the shock of the secret she discovered but still, not cool dude.
Overall the book was good but the pacing was off and the change of time and POV without any kind of warning/notice was annoying. I recommend if you like heavy family oriented stories with dark secrets.
Read more reviews at Punk's House of Books
Magdalena has lived in the Croatian island of Rosamarina her whole life, except for one year as a child and when she went to university. Her father died when she was a child and her mother, left her with her grandparents on the island. She’s very quiet and reserved and has no desire to ever leave the island.
Her younger sister, Jadranka, has an easy smile and fiery red hair and flits from place to place. She eventually lands in America, acting as a babysitter for a cousin that immigrated to the states as a child. She’s a talented artist and her American cousin, Katarina has promised to show Jadranka’s art in her gallery. But Jadranka has disappeared. No note, no call, no nothing. Disappeared in the night without a trace after slashing a self-portrait to pieces.
Magdalena is worried. Jadranka has disappeared many times over the years but has always kept in contact with her sister. She packs her bags and heads to America to search for her sister, leaving her grandmother to deal with her dying grandfather.
The grandfather, Luka, has suffered a stroke and is lying in bed unable to speak or move but remembering the days of war and how his sister left the island with him to be a soldier. How his son had to run away to America because of government agents wanting to throw him in prison for being a radical. The things his daughter did that screwed up her life and what she did to try and protect her only brother.
As Magdalena searches for her sister, she unravels family secrets that have been kept from her since she was a child. Secrets that Jadranka may have discovered and that may have fueled her need to disappear.
The book was beautifully written. You can picture the fictional island of Rosmarina perfectly and the emotions of the characters are very real. The bond between the sisters is strong and you can feel the distress of Magdalena as she tries to locate her sister. The book starts out slow, building up to the secrets and flipping between past and present.
The book is a bit heavy. Ok, a lot heavy. It took me awhile to really get into it and even then I had a hard time. The story travels through time and point of view in a sentence and I found myself having to reread sections to understand whose view I was seeing from and what time period it was.
You don’t get to see from Jadranka’s point of view a lot and I felt like she was a bit of a selfish brat, disappearing without notice and making family worry and travel across the world to find her. I understand the shock of the secret she discovered but still, not cool dude.
Overall the book was good but the pacing was off and the change of time and POV without any kind of warning/notice was annoying. I recommend if you like heavy family oriented stories with dark secrets.
Read more reviews at Punk's House of Books
May 20, 2013
The First Rule of Swimming is Courtney Angela Brkic’s debut novel, a family saga that explores the repercussions of the Yugoslav war on three generations of the Babic family. The story focuses on Magdalena and Jadranka, sisters who are completely opposite from one another. Magdalena, the elder of the two, is serious and private, with no desire of leaving their home on Rosmarina, a fictional island off the coast of Croatia. Jadranka is the free-spirited, artistic wanderer. Regardless of their differences, the girls are extremely close. It is no surprise to Magdalena that Jadranka goes to the United States to stay with their cousin. However, Jadranka disappears without a word to Magdalena. Her disappearance is the only catalyst that will cause Magdalena to pick up and search for her sister in a strange land. Her search for her little sister unfurls a family secret and what people will do to survive.
While the cover art is beautiful and certainly eye-catching (yet, incidentally, seems to have little to do with the book), the description was a little of a turn-off for me. I waffled back and forth about whether or not I wanted to read it. I had negative expectations for this story, but as it turns out, I was really surprised at how good and well-layered it was.
This was one of those books that I kind of dragged my feet to read, but when I actually hunkered down and started reading, I found that the time zipped by. It is a little slow moving, and the way the story was written took some getting used to. It creeped up on me, but in a good way.
While I love family sagas and have an interest in Old Country/New Country cultural differences, I’ve gotten really tired of polar opposite sibling clichés. Yet, there is no enmity between the sisters. They truly loved one another and understood each other, which was unexpected. I was thinking that somewhere along the way, there would be a clash of wills and personalities. All of the characters were really well-written, complex and realistic. It was definitely an engrossing character study. I also have a soft spot for stories the center around familial love.
Initially, I had a little trouble keeping up with whom was whom, largely because I am unaccustomed with such exotic names. However, it pans out whenever you get further into the story. One thing to know while reading this book: The UDBA is discussed with no description of what it is. It is translated from Croatian as the “State Security Administration”, the secret police organization of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. It was the American equivalent of the CIA.
The First Rule of Swimming is a compelling and sensitive look at a family torn apart by war, the things they do, and the sacrifices they make for one another, all out of love.
While the cover art is beautiful and certainly eye-catching (yet, incidentally, seems to have little to do with the book), the description was a little of a turn-off for me. I waffled back and forth about whether or not I wanted to read it. I had negative expectations for this story, but as it turns out, I was really surprised at how good and well-layered it was.
This was one of those books that I kind of dragged my feet to read, but when I actually hunkered down and started reading, I found that the time zipped by. It is a little slow moving, and the way the story was written took some getting used to. It creeped up on me, but in a good way.
While I love family sagas and have an interest in Old Country/New Country cultural differences, I’ve gotten really tired of polar opposite sibling clichés. Yet, there is no enmity between the sisters. They truly loved one another and understood each other, which was unexpected. I was thinking that somewhere along the way, there would be a clash of wills and personalities. All of the characters were really well-written, complex and realistic. It was definitely an engrossing character study. I also have a soft spot for stories the center around familial love.
Initially, I had a little trouble keeping up with whom was whom, largely because I am unaccustomed with such exotic names. However, it pans out whenever you get further into the story. One thing to know while reading this book: The UDBA is discussed with no description of what it is. It is translated from Croatian as the “State Security Administration”, the secret police organization of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. It was the American equivalent of the CIA.
The First Rule of Swimming is a compelling and sensitive look at a family torn apart by war, the things they do, and the sacrifices they make for one another, all out of love.
June 4, 2013
Kat's Review
This novel is a work of art, from the cover right through to the epilogue. It's not a fast paced story, packed with action and adventure. It starts off slow, laying out the key players and setting the scene, before building up to present. It's obvious from the start that there are secrets waiting to be unraveled; secrets that threaten to tear Magdalena's family apart. The problem is, no one is willing to lay those secrets on the table, to put together all the missing pieces of the puzzle that could finally put all the pain behind them.
While it's not necessary to have a complete understanding of the recent history of war in Croatia to understand the story, it does help the reader understand some of the decisions that were made by some members of Magdalena's family when she was a child. Military service, secret spies, threats, undercover deals, secrets, lies- all in order to protect each other, but ultimately only causing more pain. As Magdalena tries desperately to hold on to the life on Rosmarina that she's always wanted, Jadranka is counting down the hours until her escape. Unlike her sister, Jadranka has never felt at home on the island, and is determined to set out and solve some of the mysteries that have plagued her family for years.
I adored this story. It touches on so many areas of life, from the mundane to the extraordinary. What seems like the story of a simple family living by the sometimes stifling rules of a small, contained island community is actually a bigger tale about loyalty, love, hate, and the effects of war long after the actual threat has retreated. I could identify with some of the traditions, even though I'm not of Croatian descent. The friction between the sisters, despite their fierce love for each other was also familiar. Two distinct personalities trying to find their unique places in the family fold, each going about it in her own way.
Rating: All Consuming
This is a novel to be savoured. I never wanted it to end, and yet I felt that it finished exactly where it was meant to end. It provided enough information to satisfy my curiosity without extending the book another hundred pages to draw it all out in detail. Courtney Brkic is a talented writer, deftly moving from past to present without losing the flow or pace of the story along the way. Highly recommended.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This novel is a work of art, from the cover right through to the epilogue. It's not a fast paced story, packed with action and adventure. It starts off slow, laying out the key players and setting the scene, before building up to present. It's obvious from the start that there are secrets waiting to be unraveled; secrets that threaten to tear Magdalena's family apart. The problem is, no one is willing to lay those secrets on the table, to put together all the missing pieces of the puzzle that could finally put all the pain behind them.
While it's not necessary to have a complete understanding of the recent history of war in Croatia to understand the story, it does help the reader understand some of the decisions that were made by some members of Magdalena's family when she was a child. Military service, secret spies, threats, undercover deals, secrets, lies- all in order to protect each other, but ultimately only causing more pain. As Magdalena tries desperately to hold on to the life on Rosmarina that she's always wanted, Jadranka is counting down the hours until her escape. Unlike her sister, Jadranka has never felt at home on the island, and is determined to set out and solve some of the mysteries that have plagued her family for years.
I adored this story. It touches on so many areas of life, from the mundane to the extraordinary. What seems like the story of a simple family living by the sometimes stifling rules of a small, contained island community is actually a bigger tale about loyalty, love, hate, and the effects of war long after the actual threat has retreated. I could identify with some of the traditions, even though I'm not of Croatian descent. The friction between the sisters, despite their fierce love for each other was also familiar. Two distinct personalities trying to find their unique places in the family fold, each going about it in her own way.
Rating: All Consuming
This is a novel to be savoured. I never wanted it to end, and yet I felt that it finished exactly where it was meant to end. It provided enough information to satisfy my curiosity without extending the book another hundred pages to draw it all out in detail. Courtney Brkic is a talented writer, deftly moving from past to present without losing the flow or pace of the story along the way. Highly recommended.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this title in return for an honest review.
April 20, 2013
A passionate story of the bond between family and those ties that bind.
I found this story magical, this little island in Croatia, which seems to be only appreciated by the innocence of children, the elderly and tourists. Brkic has painted a realistic picture of the heart and spirit of the true artist in Jadranka, who's fleeting moments of passionate creativity come and go like the winds of the little island.
The First Rule of Swimming has characters anyone can relate to, like the motherly older sister Magdalena, who is the first to set out on the mission to find her sister, the mother Anna who deeply defined by her past abandons her daughters, the caring and loving grandparents, who already having learned from their own mistakes in life, take their granddaughters in with open arms.
This novel had a slow start but it does pickup soon after Jadranka decides to leave the island for America. Although Brkic never goes to deep into any of her characters, through profound glimpses the reader can easily grasp the full picture and past lives of each character. I felt the author put a lot of artistic emotion into this story, and you can find that throughout the story but mostly during the scenes where Luka the grandfather spends lying in bed, where he has hallucinations that clash with his sense of reality. During those visions the author reveals his past as well as the past relationship between his own son and daughter. Anyone who has been really ill can relate to these scenes, as the mind pulls sounds from the present and encompasses them in the dream like state of the illness. I found this to be very unique in how the author presented this to the reader.
I came to my own conclusion that Jadranka with her distinct looks and red hair is like a metaphor to the little island. Always moving , always changing, never still, yet seeking those who once walked on its soil, searching for their secrets. The author has also concealed wisdom throughout the story which is not easily revealed unless you are paying attention. Although this story has a vague ending, in the end you get a sense of the immeasurable love within this family and just when you think all hope is lost, that motherly bond prevails.
I found this story magical, this little island in Croatia, which seems to be only appreciated by the innocence of children, the elderly and tourists. Brkic has painted a realistic picture of the heart and spirit of the true artist in Jadranka, who's fleeting moments of passionate creativity come and go like the winds of the little island.
The First Rule of Swimming has characters anyone can relate to, like the motherly older sister Magdalena, who is the first to set out on the mission to find her sister, the mother Anna who deeply defined by her past abandons her daughters, the caring and loving grandparents, who already having learned from their own mistakes in life, take their granddaughters in with open arms.
This novel had a slow start but it does pickup soon after Jadranka decides to leave the island for America. Although Brkic never goes to deep into any of her characters, through profound glimpses the reader can easily grasp the full picture and past lives of each character. I felt the author put a lot of artistic emotion into this story, and you can find that throughout the story but mostly during the scenes where Luka the grandfather spends lying in bed, where he has hallucinations that clash with his sense of reality. During those visions the author reveals his past as well as the past relationship between his own son and daughter. Anyone who has been really ill can relate to these scenes, as the mind pulls sounds from the present and encompasses them in the dream like state of the illness. I found this to be very unique in how the author presented this to the reader.
I came to my own conclusion that Jadranka with her distinct looks and red hair is like a metaphor to the little island. Always moving , always changing, never still, yet seeking those who once walked on its soil, searching for their secrets. The author has also concealed wisdom throughout the story which is not easily revealed unless you are paying attention. Although this story has a vague ending, in the end you get a sense of the immeasurable love within this family and just when you think all hope is lost, that motherly bond prevails.
March 17, 2018
3.5 stars.
"The First Rule of Swimming" is a deliciously evocative novel, where the Adriatic island of Rosmarina, while fictional, is emblematic of so many other ancient and insular communities not only in Croatia, but all over the world. The island is its own character – the author does an amazing job of imbuing it with both visual imagery as well as the heart-tugging sense of belonging that comes from being the most recent in a long march of generations that hail from a particular place. That sense of belonging is a balm and a comfort to main character Magdalena and her grandparents, but a source of claustrophobia and provincial isolation to Magdelena's sister, Jadranka, as well as a host of other family members who have fled the island – and the country – for a host of reasons. The storytelling is a bit uneven; there are occasional events and, especially, character actions that seem sudden and out-of-place; on the other hand, having spent some time in Croatia in the late 90s, I found the Croats to be deeply passionate and mercurial people, so the author may actually be attempting to accurately portray her characters' ethnic temperamentalism where the casual reader just finds inexplicable outbursts! There is much pain in these characters' lives; Brkic does a competent job at demonstrating how the harsh regime of the former Yugoslavia oppressed the region to its core, but it would have been nice to have just a bit of exposition and context for those readers who might not be familiar with Balkan history. Be prepared with Google (and Google Translate) to look up a few things here and there to enhance your appreciation of the historical events that shaped the characters' lives. And finally, while the loss, despair, and damage inflicted on these characters over time is truly heartbreaking, this is ultimately an uplifting and triumphant story, where the strength of family ties win out over the scandals that would break them apart, where oppression cannot destroy indomitable human spirit and resilience. Just like Croatia and her people themselves.
"The First Rule of Swimming" is a deliciously evocative novel, where the Adriatic island of Rosmarina, while fictional, is emblematic of so many other ancient and insular communities not only in Croatia, but all over the world. The island is its own character – the author does an amazing job of imbuing it with both visual imagery as well as the heart-tugging sense of belonging that comes from being the most recent in a long march of generations that hail from a particular place. That sense of belonging is a balm and a comfort to main character Magdalena and her grandparents, but a source of claustrophobia and provincial isolation to Magdelena's sister, Jadranka, as well as a host of other family members who have fled the island – and the country – for a host of reasons. The storytelling is a bit uneven; there are occasional events and, especially, character actions that seem sudden and out-of-place; on the other hand, having spent some time in Croatia in the late 90s, I found the Croats to be deeply passionate and mercurial people, so the author may actually be attempting to accurately portray her characters' ethnic temperamentalism where the casual reader just finds inexplicable outbursts! There is much pain in these characters' lives; Brkic does a competent job at demonstrating how the harsh regime of the former Yugoslavia oppressed the region to its core, but it would have been nice to have just a bit of exposition and context for those readers who might not be familiar with Balkan history. Be prepared with Google (and Google Translate) to look up a few things here and there to enhance your appreciation of the historical events that shaped the characters' lives. And finally, while the loss, despair, and damage inflicted on these characters over time is truly heartbreaking, this is ultimately an uplifting and triumphant story, where the strength of family ties win out over the scandals that would break them apart, where oppression cannot destroy indomitable human spirit and resilience. Just like Croatia and her people themselves.
May 26, 2013
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC edition.
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic is a wonderful novel about a Croatian family with many secrets.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the first thing that captured me was not only the absolutely stunning book cover but because I do not know how to swim, I also found the title intriguing.
The premise of the story is a sister has to leave the small but beautiful Croatian island where her family has lived their entire lives and head to New York to find her younger sister who has disappeared in the city. It's not the first time Jadranka has gone missing but it is the first time she has done so without letting her older sister Magdalena know where she is.
Secrets come to light during the course of the story, with viewpoints being told by the different characters in the novel. I do not like to give away too much of a book's plot in a review because the synopsis on a cover should be enough to decide if you want to read it or now. For me the book started slowly but that is absolutely no fault of the author. I don't think I was ready for such a wonderfully written book because I was still trying to absorb my previous read.
The words strung together are almost hypnotic and eventually I found myself totally captivated with Ms. Brkic's style. Her writing is magnificent and this is her debut fiction novel! She has written short stories and has also written a book based on her experience working with a UN forensic team in Bosnia during the time of the "ethnic cleansing" massacres. While I suspect it will be a difficult read I look forward to reading that book titled "The Stone Fields: An Epitaph for the Living". If it's as well written as "The First Rule of Swimming" it will be an excellent book.
BTW according to one of the characters in the book the first rule of swimming is "to stay afloat"...I guess that pertains to life in general doesn't it?
http://gigi02.wordpress.com/2013/05/2...
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic is a wonderful novel about a Croatian family with many secrets.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the first thing that captured me was not only the absolutely stunning book cover but because I do not know how to swim, I also found the title intriguing.
The premise of the story is a sister has to leave the small but beautiful Croatian island where her family has lived their entire lives and head to New York to find her younger sister who has disappeared in the city. It's not the first time Jadranka has gone missing but it is the first time she has done so without letting her older sister Magdalena know where she is.
Secrets come to light during the course of the story, with viewpoints being told by the different characters in the novel. I do not like to give away too much of a book's plot in a review because the synopsis on a cover should be enough to decide if you want to read it or now. For me the book started slowly but that is absolutely no fault of the author. I don't think I was ready for such a wonderfully written book because I was still trying to absorb my previous read.
The words strung together are almost hypnotic and eventually I found myself totally captivated with Ms. Brkic's style. Her writing is magnificent and this is her debut fiction novel! She has written short stories and has also written a book based on her experience working with a UN forensic team in Bosnia during the time of the "ethnic cleansing" massacres. While I suspect it will be a difficult read I look forward to reading that book titled "The Stone Fields: An Epitaph for the Living". If it's as well written as "The First Rule of Swimming" it will be an excellent book.
BTW according to one of the characters in the book the first rule of swimming is "to stay afloat"...I guess that pertains to life in general doesn't it?
http://gigi02.wordpress.com/2013/05/2...
May 28, 2013
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
Author
Courtney Angela Brkic is the author of The First Rule of Swimming (Little, Brown, and Company, 2013), Stillness: and Other Stories (FSG, 2003) and The Stone Fields (FSG, 2004). Her work has also appeared in Zoetrope, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Harpers & Queen, the Utne Reader, TriQuarterly Review, The Alaska Review and National Geographic, among others. Brkic has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Whiting Writer’s Award. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and son, and teaches in the MFA program at George Mason University.
Review
I love books filled with family secrets where one generation slowly unravels those of previous generations. This book is filled with secrets like that but also with something mystical. There is a connection between people in this family that just jumps of the page building an atmosphere around you. It was not difficult to get a taste of the special way living on such a secluded island. Especially Lukes stories and the stories on Magdalena's childhood helped a lot with that. It is easy to connect to these people and see the live trough their eyes.It was also pretty clear which characters you where to like and which ones not by the way they where set up.
It is a story though, where not everything is told, only those things that are important for development and setting the right atmosphere. Thus leaving me with various questions after reading. Still I would like to grab a plane and boat and spent some time there
Author
Courtney Angela Brkic is the author of The First Rule of Swimming (Little, Brown, and Company, 2013), Stillness: and Other Stories (FSG, 2003) and The Stone Fields (FSG, 2004). Her work has also appeared in Zoetrope, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Harpers & Queen, the Utne Reader, TriQuarterly Review, The Alaska Review and National Geographic, among others. Brkic has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Whiting Writer’s Award. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and son, and teaches in the MFA program at George Mason University.
Review
I love books filled with family secrets where one generation slowly unravels those of previous generations. This book is filled with secrets like that but also with something mystical. There is a connection between people in this family that just jumps of the page building an atmosphere around you. It was not difficult to get a taste of the special way living on such a secluded island. Especially Lukes stories and the stories on Magdalena's childhood helped a lot with that. It is easy to connect to these people and see the live trough their eyes.It was also pretty clear which characters you where to like and which ones not by the way they where set up.
It is a story though, where not everything is told, only those things that are important for development and setting the right atmosphere. Thus leaving me with various questions after reading. Still I would like to grab a plane and boat and spent some time there
August 12, 2016
I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published tomorrow, 28 May 2013. The first thing that caught my attention to this book was the cover, it is absolutely beautiful.
The story is about two sisters, Magdalena and Jadranka, who lives on a small Croatian island called Rosmarina. From when they were young, they regularly corresponded with their cousin Katarina, who now lives in New York. Jadranka decided one day to leave for New York, upon Katarina’s visit request, however she later decides to stay. Magdalena, although sad made peace with this, until she receives news from Katarina that Jadranka had disappeared. Magdalena sets off to New York to find her sister.
The sisters’ past plays off on the island, Rosmarina, which by the descriptions sounds idyllic. I love how the author described it. The characters, I found to be very likeable as well. The story revolves around familiy secrets, which Magdalena discovers during her search for Jadranka and also which Jadranka discovers during her search for her real father. Family secrets is not all, there are betrayal, loss and pain. The sisters has a strained relationship with their mother, suffered abuse by the hands of their stepfather, but their mother herself also suffered abuse… a secret she kept from everyone in her family.
I loved reading this novel, it’s atmospheric and an easy read. I found some questions unanswered, and some puzzles I would have loved to see resolved, but nonetheless I gave it a 4 star, because it was an enjoyable read.
If you like novels such as The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, you might just like this.
The story is about two sisters, Magdalena and Jadranka, who lives on a small Croatian island called Rosmarina. From when they were young, they regularly corresponded with their cousin Katarina, who now lives in New York. Jadranka decided one day to leave for New York, upon Katarina’s visit request, however she later decides to stay. Magdalena, although sad made peace with this, until she receives news from Katarina that Jadranka had disappeared. Magdalena sets off to New York to find her sister.
The sisters’ past plays off on the island, Rosmarina, which by the descriptions sounds idyllic. I love how the author described it. The characters, I found to be very likeable as well. The story revolves around familiy secrets, which Magdalena discovers during her search for Jadranka and also which Jadranka discovers during her search for her real father. Family secrets is not all, there are betrayal, loss and pain. The sisters has a strained relationship with their mother, suffered abuse by the hands of their stepfather, but their mother herself also suffered abuse… a secret she kept from everyone in her family.
I loved reading this novel, it’s atmospheric and an easy read. I found some questions unanswered, and some puzzles I would have loved to see resolved, but nonetheless I gave it a 4 star, because it was an enjoyable read.
If you like novels such as The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, you might just like this.
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