What do you think?
Rate this book
Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary
Destined to be a classic, a poet’s powerful look at the courage of resistance
When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Victoria Amelina was busy writing a novel, taking part in the country’s literary scene, and parenting her son. Now she became someone new: a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of extraordinary women like herself who joined the resistance. These heroines include Evgenia, a prominent lawyer turned soldier, Oleksandra, who documented tens of thousands of war crimes and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, and Yulia, a librarian who helped uncover the abduction and murder of a children’s book author.
Everyone in Ukraine knew that Amelina was documenting the war. She photographed the ruins of schools and cultural centers; she recorded the testimonies of survivors and eyewitnesses to atrocities. And she slowly turned back into a storyteller, writing what would become this book.
On the evening of June 27th, 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries, and lost consciousness. She died on July 1st. She was thirty-seven. She left behind an incredible account of the ravages of war and the cost of resistance. Honest, intimate, and wry, this book will be celebrated as a classic.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Victoria Amelina was busy writing a novel, taking part in the country’s literary scene, and parenting her son. Now she became someone new: a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of extraordinary women like herself who joined the resistance. These heroines include Evgenia, a prominent lawyer turned soldier, Oleksandra, who documented tens of thousands of war crimes and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, and Yulia, a librarian who helped uncover the abduction and murder of a children’s book author.
Everyone in Ukraine knew that Amelina was documenting the war. She photographed the ruins of schools and cultural centers; she recorded the testimonies of survivors and eyewitnesses to atrocities. And she slowly turned back into a storyteller, writing what would become this book.
On the evening of June 27th, 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries, and lost consciousness. She died on July 1st. She was thirty-seven. She left behind an incredible account of the ravages of war and the cost of resistance. Honest, intimate, and wry, this book will be celebrated as a classic.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2025
201 people are currently reading
11731 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Amelina
8 books145 followersViktoriia Yuriivna Amelina (Ukrainian: Вікторія Юріївна Амеліна), later known as Victoria Amelina, was a Ukrainian novelist. She was the author of two novels and a children's book, a winner of the Joseph Conrad Literary Award and a European Union Prize for Literature finalist.
Viktoriia Yuriivna Amelina was born in Lviv on 1 January 1986. She emigrated to Canada with her family at the age of fourteen, then returned to Ukraine soon after. After completing a degree in computer science in Lviv, Amelina started her career in IT before becoming a full-time writer and poet in 2015.
From 2015, when her first book Синдром листопаду, або Homo Compatiens (The Fall Syndrome: about Homo Compatiens) was published, she dedicated her time solely to writing. Her debut novel deals with the events at Maidan in 2014; the foreword was written by Yurii Izdryk. The novel has received several literary awards, and was welcomed by critics and scholars from Ukraine and wider Europe.
In 2016, Amelina published a book for children called Хтось, або водяне серце (Somebody, or Water Heart).
In 2017, she published a novel Дім для Дома (Dom's Dream Kingdom) about a family of a Soviet colonel who in the 1990s lived in the former childhood apartment in Lviv of the Polish Jewish author Stanisław Lem. The novel was short-listed for the LitAkcent literary award in 2017. and European Union Prize for Literature in 2019.
Amelina was a member of PEN International. In 2018, she took part in 84th World PEN Congress in India as a delegate from Ukraine and gave a speech on Ukrainian filmmaker and political prisoner in Russia Oleg Sentsov.
In 2022, she started writing poetry as well.[11] Her prose and poems have been translated into numerous other languages.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, she worked as a war crimes researcher. In September 2022, while doing research in the Izium region, she uncovered the war diary of fellow Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko, who had been killed by the occupying forces.
As of 2022, Amelina lived in Kyiv. On 27 June 2023, she was injured during the Russian attack on Kramatorsk while she was dining at RIA Pizza together with Héctor Abad, Sergio Jaramillo and Catalina Gómez. The restaurant was hit by an Iskander missile. Amelina died due to her injuries on 1 July at the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro at the age of 37.
Viktoriia Yuriivna Amelina was born in Lviv on 1 January 1986. She emigrated to Canada with her family at the age of fourteen, then returned to Ukraine soon after. After completing a degree in computer science in Lviv, Amelina started her career in IT before becoming a full-time writer and poet in 2015.
From 2015, when her first book Синдром листопаду, або Homo Compatiens (The Fall Syndrome: about Homo Compatiens) was published, she dedicated her time solely to writing. Her debut novel deals with the events at Maidan in 2014; the foreword was written by Yurii Izdryk. The novel has received several literary awards, and was welcomed by critics and scholars from Ukraine and wider Europe.
In 2016, Amelina published a book for children called Хтось, або водяне серце (Somebody, or Water Heart).
In 2017, she published a novel Дім для Дома (Dom's Dream Kingdom) about a family of a Soviet colonel who in the 1990s lived in the former childhood apartment in Lviv of the Polish Jewish author Stanisław Lem. The novel was short-listed for the LitAkcent literary award in 2017. and European Union Prize for Literature in 2019.
Amelina was a member of PEN International. In 2018, she took part in 84th World PEN Congress in India as a delegate from Ukraine and gave a speech on Ukrainian filmmaker and political prisoner in Russia Oleg Sentsov.
In 2022, she started writing poetry as well.[11] Her prose and poems have been translated into numerous other languages.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, she worked as a war crimes researcher. In September 2022, while doing research in the Izium region, she uncovered the war diary of fellow Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko, who had been killed by the occupying forces.
As of 2022, Amelina lived in Kyiv. On 27 June 2023, she was injured during the Russian attack on Kramatorsk while she was dining at RIA Pizza together with Héctor Abad, Sergio Jaramillo and Catalina Gómez. The restaurant was hit by an Iskander missile. Amelina died due to her injuries on 1 July at the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro at the age of 37.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
August 24, 2025
It’s painful, reading this account of Russian invasion of Ukraine through the eyes of a Ukrainian novelist and poet who not only lives through the surreal horror of this injustice but also joins an NGO Truth Hounds trying to document Russia's war crimes, brutal and cynical crimes against humanity. And not just because of the horrific crimes done with seeming impunity, but also because this book is unfinished. And it’s unfinished because Victoria Amelina was killed by Russia in a bombing of a civilian place, just as it has been happening every single day in Ukraine for over three years now. Every day people die while the rest of the world is tutting in concern.
As Margaret Atwood says in the foreword, “Russians claim to be “brothers” of Ukrainians, but Ukrainians reject the kinship. Who needs a “brother” who is a homicidal psychopath and is trying to kill you?”
Russia killed her, adding to the endless list of its crimes. Her afterword looks forward to the future, but Amelina was robbed of the chance to be in that future, while her murderers get to live in luxury, safety and walk red carpets.
At the time of Victoria’s murder her book was about two-thirds done. The book therefore has finished or almost finished chapters, with just notes for other chapters, and some excerpts included from earlier drafts, investigative missions reports, as well as some materials from other sources that Amelina did not have the chance to integrate into her work yet. It’s a work in progress, and it’s painful knowing that these chapters will never be finished. And the gaps between the finished chapters, gaps in her narrative that her death didn’t let her fill, make the surreal somber effect even stronger. These unfinished notes — life interrupted by homicidal maniac in pursuit of more power grabs.
Amelina rushed back to Ukraine from a brief vacation in Egypt once invasion happened, leaving her young son in safety abroad, passing lines of people fleeing to safety. She shelters refugees from the front lines in her apartment. She meets women who are taking new roles in the war - a lawyer learning “how to stop tanks with a Kalashnikov” is particularly memorable. She meets women who lost their loved ones to Russia’s senseless war crimes. People kidnapped by the occupiers, tortured and murdered — like a Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko whose diary Amelina finds buried in his garden while he himself was shot and dumped into a mass grave, his body to be found much later. A woman trying to reach her kidnapped husband just to be mockingly told on the phone that they already beheaded him (he survives the kidnapping just to be killed later, leaving his young family behind).
Her mission reports in the end lets the war crimes starkly stand in their unadorned horror. Torture, beatings, rape, murders, forced labor, “electric shock torture for bettering understanding of Russian language”.
Civilian deaths among Ukrainians as well as Russian atrocities in occupied territories seem to be old news now, after years of this war. And while unsurprising — Russian army seems particularly prone to mindless violence — it can’t become habitual, it’s unacceptable.
5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
As Margaret Atwood says in the foreword, “Russians claim to be “brothers” of Ukrainians, but Ukrainians reject the kinship. Who needs a “brother” who is a homicidal psychopath and is trying to kill you?”
Russia killed her, adding to the endless list of its crimes. Her afterword looks forward to the future, but Amelina was robbed of the chance to be in that future, while her murderers get to live in luxury, safety and walk red carpets.
“[…] It seems that in looking at me, people have started seeing not me but war. I am war. We Ukrainians all became a war.”
At the time of Victoria’s murder her book was about two-thirds done. The book therefore has finished or almost finished chapters, with just notes for other chapters, and some excerpts included from earlier drafts, investigative missions reports, as well as some materials from other sources that Amelina did not have the chance to integrate into her work yet. It’s a work in progress, and it’s painful knowing that these chapters will never be finished. And the gaps between the finished chapters, gaps in her narrative that her death didn’t let her fill, make the surreal somber effect even stronger. These unfinished notes — life interrupted by homicidal maniac in pursuit of more power grabs.
Pizzeria in Kramatorsk, where Victoria Amelina was fatally wounded after Russian missile strike.
Amelina rushed back to Ukraine from a brief vacation in Egypt once invasion happened, leaving her young son in safety abroad, passing lines of people fleeing to safety. She shelters refugees from the front lines in her apartment. She meets women who are taking new roles in the war - a lawyer learning “how to stop tanks with a Kalashnikov” is particularly memorable. She meets women who lost their loved ones to Russia’s senseless war crimes. People kidnapped by the occupiers, tortured and murdered — like a Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko whose diary Amelina finds buried in his garden while he himself was shot and dumped into a mass grave, his body to be found much later. A woman trying to reach her kidnapped husband just to be mockingly told on the phone that they already beheaded him (he survives the kidnapping just to be killed later, leaving his young family behind).
Her mission reports in the end lets the war crimes starkly stand in their unadorned horror. Torture, beatings, rape, murders, forced labor, “electric shock torture for bettering understanding of Russian language”.
Civilian deaths among Ukrainians as well as Russian atrocities in occupied territories seem to be old news now, after years of this war. And while unsurprising — Russian army seems particularly prone to mindless violence — it can’t become habitual, it’s unacceptable.
5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
January 16, 2025
I have never read anything like this before - a book that was 60% finished when the author was killed at the age of 37 by a Russian missile while relaxing in a pizzeria. Her book was published in its incomplete form.
Victoria Amelina’s book documents the reality of the Russian-Ukrainian war while introducing us to the everyday women who courageously joined the resistance.
Victoria’s love of her country and its people is felt through her words. She captures both the best and worst of humanity as she shares the raw reality of war. I felt drawn to the book, despite its emotional and sometimes heavy content.
“We hope that as you hold this document in your hands, you now understand the meaning of the empty pages in it. This book is not only a work of literature, but a testimony to the awful crimes that Russia has been committing against Ukrainian culture and people for centuries. This book also bears witness to that emptiness that we have been feeling ever since Victoria has been gone, and which can never be filled.” Afterword: Empty Pages
Scheduled for publication February 18, 2025
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
#LookingAtWomenLookingAtWar
#VictoriaAmelina
#StMartinsPress
Victoria Amelina’s book documents the reality of the Russian-Ukrainian war while introducing us to the everyday women who courageously joined the resistance.
Victoria’s love of her country and its people is felt through her words. She captures both the best and worst of humanity as she shares the raw reality of war. I felt drawn to the book, despite its emotional and sometimes heavy content.
“We hope that as you hold this document in your hands, you now understand the meaning of the empty pages in it. This book is not only a work of literature, but a testimony to the awful crimes that Russia has been committing against Ukrainian culture and people for centuries. This book also bears witness to that emptiness that we have been feeling ever since Victoria has been gone, and which can never be filled.” Afterword: Empty Pages
Scheduled for publication February 18, 2025
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
#LookingAtWomenLookingAtWar
#VictoriaAmelina
#StMartinsPress
February 15, 2025
What will be left after us when we are gone? And I mean not the immaterial legacy, not the lasting impact on others, but the lived mess of our everyday lives, which made sense to us in its dynamism, but once the human organizing principle is gone, becomes just that - a bunch of stray objects and notes. This is probably familiar to anyone who has had to sort through the belongings of a deceased relative.
I have heard from many women in Ukraine that they have started to put on nicer underwear when they go to sleep. Because if there's shelling at night and the building collapses on them, they don't want to be in old underwear with holes in it when the emergency services find their cold bodies days later.
When I went back to Ukraine to do some research for the first time since the full-scale invasion, I texted a professor at my US university, who had become a good friend during my Ph.D., and got her to promise that she would make sure my manuscript was published if anything happened to me.
The book is not about any of these things, but these are all things I couldn't get out of my head while reading it. By its very form - and this would be discussed as a wonderful literary device if it were done in a fictional book - but in this case, completely unintentionally, the book is an epitome of the fragility and precariousness of human life in war.
Victoria Amelina was a prominent Ukrainian writer who published for both adults and children. With russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she realized that the old ways of being a useful member of society were now worth nothing - and after first joining the volunteer effort in other capacities, she trained as a war crimes investigator and participated in missions to recently liberated regions to document war crimes committed there during the occupation. And then she decided to write a book about all these experiences - part diary, part reportage, part memoir, focusing on her own experience as a war crimes investigator, but also highlighting the stories of other women.
This book is the best attempt to reconstruct Victoria's plan based on the last working draft that existed when she was killed by a russian missile in 2023.
It's got it all: fully fleshed out chapters; brief notes from interviews; sections identified only by what they were supposed to be about; excerpts from mission reports; quotes from historical sources she pulled to show some parallels with current events; sections that adhered to a previous organizing principle for the book that was superseded by the current structure. As I said, if we saw this in a fiction book, we would applaud it as a clever postmodern device. Instead, this is just a snippet of a work-in-progress that tragically lost its source of meaning, its human creator, halfway through.
One of the central themes of the book is how Victoria found the diary of Volodymyr Vakulenko, a children's author who was killed when his village was occupied, but who managed to hide his diary, which describes the first month of the full-scale invasion, by burying it in his garden. Amelina dug it out with her hands, then took it to a museum and presented it to the public when it was published. So you can't help but get the feeling of "mise-en-abyme" as you read it: the story of a diary that was abruptly cut short because its author's life was taken by the aggressor and reconstructed for public view by others appears in another diary that... well, had exactly the same fate.
I highly recommend this title. If you don't feel like reading into notes that only made sense to the person who jotted them down, I strongly recommend reading at least the completed sections (which is all of Part 1 and many chapters throughout the book) and flipping through the rest. Victoria has done a great job of making the subject accessible to an international audience, and where she didn't have enough time, the editors have provided explanations in the footnotes.
Publication date February 18, 2025.
I am grateful to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley ahead of the publication. The opinion above is my own.
I have heard from many women in Ukraine that they have started to put on nicer underwear when they go to sleep. Because if there's shelling at night and the building collapses on them, they don't want to be in old underwear with holes in it when the emergency services find their cold bodies days later.
When I went back to Ukraine to do some research for the first time since the full-scale invasion, I texted a professor at my US university, who had become a good friend during my Ph.D., and got her to promise that she would make sure my manuscript was published if anything happened to me.
The book is not about any of these things, but these are all things I couldn't get out of my head while reading it. By its very form - and this would be discussed as a wonderful literary device if it were done in a fictional book - but in this case, completely unintentionally, the book is an epitome of the fragility and precariousness of human life in war.
Victoria Amelina was a prominent Ukrainian writer who published for both adults and children. With russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she realized that the old ways of being a useful member of society were now worth nothing - and after first joining the volunteer effort in other capacities, she trained as a war crimes investigator and participated in missions to recently liberated regions to document war crimes committed there during the occupation. And then she decided to write a book about all these experiences - part diary, part reportage, part memoir, focusing on her own experience as a war crimes investigator, but also highlighting the stories of other women.
This book is the best attempt to reconstruct Victoria's plan based on the last working draft that existed when she was killed by a russian missile in 2023.
It's got it all: fully fleshed out chapters; brief notes from interviews; sections identified only by what they were supposed to be about; excerpts from mission reports; quotes from historical sources she pulled to show some parallels with current events; sections that adhered to a previous organizing principle for the book that was superseded by the current structure. As I said, if we saw this in a fiction book, we would applaud it as a clever postmodern device. Instead, this is just a snippet of a work-in-progress that tragically lost its source of meaning, its human creator, halfway through.
One of the central themes of the book is how Victoria found the diary of Volodymyr Vakulenko, a children's author who was killed when his village was occupied, but who managed to hide his diary, which describes the first month of the full-scale invasion, by burying it in his garden. Amelina dug it out with her hands, then took it to a museum and presented it to the public when it was published. So you can't help but get the feeling of "mise-en-abyme" as you read it: the story of a diary that was abruptly cut short because its author's life was taken by the aggressor and reconstructed for public view by others appears in another diary that... well, had exactly the same fate.
I highly recommend this title. If you don't feel like reading into notes that only made sense to the person who jotted them down, I strongly recommend reading at least the completed sections (which is all of Part 1 and many chapters throughout the book) and flipping through the rest. Victoria has done a great job of making the subject accessible to an international audience, and where she didn't have enough time, the editors have provided explanations in the footnotes.
Publication date February 18, 2025.
I am grateful to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley ahead of the publication. The opinion above is my own.
Read
May 14, 2025(reposting my review from twitter)
I've read Victoria Amelina's "Looking at Women Looking at War" a while back but didn't know how to write about it without centering the fact that Amelina was killed by a Russian missile. That's so unfair; unfair to her, unfair to the book. I still don't, but I guess I'll try.
If you like stories about women taking one look at the coiled snake of history ready to strike, shrugging, going "not on my fucking watch," and moving to stand between the horrors and their target, this is the book for you. They are not guaranteed a win, but they won't go quietly:
The story is so densely packed: the current generation of truth hunters meets at the museum of Ukrainian dissidents; one of the museum's protagonists, a 1960s artist Alla Horska, uncovered Soviet killing fields around Kyiv & was killed for it; her mosaics are being destroyed in Mariupol:
But beside all these horrors and the women reaching into the dark to move us a step, a breath, a hairbreadth closer to justice, it's also so funny at times. Just look at this tone, kinda Eat Pray Love meets war crimes investigations:
And it's such a human story: learning to parent under the most horrible circumstances, learning to lie to your nearest and dearest, learning to deal with the stupid survivors' guilt (this quote is so relatable, I cannot even):
Amelina has such a great eye for uncomfortable details, like this shift when you stop being quite human in the eyes of others:
In a word, it's a great book, one of the best I've read about the war, and even its form—polished chapters making way for random notes and broken sentences, and then for silence—could have been a very neat literary conceit. I wish it was just that.
And in the spirit of storytelling never coming to an end, I happen to know what this fragment from when the book becomes more disjointed refers to:
This is the story of Tetiana Pylypchuk, the director of the Kharkiv Literary Museum & custodian of memories of Ukrainian artists killed by the Soviets in the 1930s. Mykola Hryhorovych Khvyliovy, a writer who brilliantly documented the exultation and the horrors of the early Soviet days (& killed himself in 1933 when he saw the gathering dark of the Great Terror), is one of the key figures for the Kharkiv Literary Museum. When the museum was evacuating its holdings during the full-scale war, their contact with the railways office had the same name and patronymic as Khvyliovy, as if literature was watching over them from beyond. The museum has been damaged by shelling, but remains active.
I've read Victoria Amelina's "Looking at Women Looking at War" a while back but didn't know how to write about it without centering the fact that Amelina was killed by a Russian missile. That's so unfair; unfair to her, unfair to the book. I still don't, but I guess I'll try.
If you like stories about women taking one look at the coiled snake of history ready to strike, shrugging, going "not on my fucking watch," and moving to stand between the horrors and their target, this is the book for you. They are not guaranteed a win, but they won't go quietly:
Yet despite all our efforts, we still might lose. And if we lose, I want to at least tell the story of our pursuit of justice. Please let me work with you to tell your story.
The story is so densely packed: the current generation of truth hunters meets at the museum of Ukrainian dissidents; one of the museum's protagonists, a 1960s artist Alla Horska, uncovered Soviet killing fields around Kyiv & was killed for it; her mosaics are being destroyed in Mariupol:
But beside all these horrors and the women reaching into the dark to move us a step, a breath, a hairbreadth closer to justice, it's also so funny at times. Just look at this tone, kinda Eat Pray Love meets war crimes investigations:
I have just bought my first gun in downtown Lviv. I’ve heard that everyone is capable of killing, and those who say they aren’t just haven’t met the right person yet. An armed stranger entering my country might just be the “right person.”
And it's such a human story: learning to parent under the most horrible circumstances, learning to lie to your nearest and dearest, learning to deal with the stupid survivors' guilt (this quote is so relatable, I cannot even):
I feel guilty for not being a target. This feeling is as illogical as Russians not bombing Lviv, but I cannot help it. I feel relieved when I finally hear explosions.
Amelina has such a great eye for uncomfortable details, like this shift when you stop being quite human in the eyes of others:
I weep [at the border crossing] not only because we are let in, but because it seems that in looking at me, people have started seeing not me but war. I am war. We Ukrainians all became a war. Nothing else about us matters now, only it— the catastrophe that has just begun. I buy train tickets to Poland; through worried Europe, I’m heading home to Ukraine. There I will be just myself at war, not war.
In a word, it's a great book, one of the best I've read about the war, and even its form—polished chapters making way for random notes and broken sentences, and then for silence—could have been a very neat literary conceit. I wish it was just that.
And in the spirit of storytelling never coming to an end, I happen to know what this fragment from when the book becomes more disjointed refers to:
The Ministry for Culture gives the contact of an individual in Ukrainian Railways and the individual is called Mykola Hryhorovych
This is the story of Tetiana Pylypchuk, the director of the Kharkiv Literary Museum & custodian of memories of Ukrainian artists killed by the Soviets in the 1930s. Mykola Hryhorovych Khvyliovy, a writer who brilliantly documented the exultation and the horrors of the early Soviet days (& killed himself in 1933 when he saw the gathering dark of the Great Terror), is one of the key figures for the Kharkiv Literary Museum. When the museum was evacuating its holdings during the full-scale war, their contact with the railways office had the same name and patronymic as Khvyliovy, as if literature was watching over them from beyond. The museum has been damaged by shelling, but remains active.
February 17, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
It was the title that seduced me to hit the request button. More than likely, it will be the picture of the woman on the front cover and what was written on the pages that will stick with me forever.
Ukraine, 2022 is marked by war with Russia, a war that has been ongoing since 2014 and the lives of Victoria Amelina, her family, her neighbours and all of her country are forever changed. It isn't the first time Ukraine has found itself invaded by its giant of a neighbour. Time and time again, the book refers to the many offences Ukraine has suffered in its history. Once a children's writer, Victoria Amelina feels she needs a new purpose and will become a war crimes journalist. She introduces us to many of the women who have forever been changed by this conflict. Amelina herself died tragically while out in the field, but her editors felt that her unfinished manuscript needed to be sent out to the world.
Frankly, I am glad that they did. Because it is the eyewitness accounts of women who were mothers, daughters, artists, etc, that we need to remember. As is mentioned in the book, "Why do we say more the names of the perpetrators than the people they have terrorized? " These heroines include Evgenia, a prominent lawyer turned soldier, Oleksandra, who documented tens of thousands of war crimes and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, and Yulia, a librarian who helped uncover the abduction and murder of a children’s book author.
About the Author
On the evening of June 27th, 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries and lost consciousness. She died on July 1st. She was thirty-seven.
Expected Publication Date 18/02/25
Goodreads Review Date 16/02/25
It was the title that seduced me to hit the request button. More than likely, it will be the picture of the woman on the front cover and what was written on the pages that will stick with me forever.
Ukraine, 2022 is marked by war with Russia, a war that has been ongoing since 2014 and the lives of Victoria Amelina, her family, her neighbours and all of her country are forever changed. It isn't the first time Ukraine has found itself invaded by its giant of a neighbour. Time and time again, the book refers to the many offences Ukraine has suffered in its history. Once a children's writer, Victoria Amelina feels she needs a new purpose and will become a war crimes journalist. She introduces us to many of the women who have forever been changed by this conflict. Amelina herself died tragically while out in the field, but her editors felt that her unfinished manuscript needed to be sent out to the world.
Frankly, I am glad that they did. Because it is the eyewitness accounts of women who were mothers, daughters, artists, etc, that we need to remember. As is mentioned in the book, "Why do we say more the names of the perpetrators than the people they have terrorized? " These heroines include Evgenia, a prominent lawyer turned soldier, Oleksandra, who documented tens of thousands of war crimes and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, and Yulia, a librarian who helped uncover the abduction and murder of a children’s book author.
About the Author
On the evening of June 27th, 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries and lost consciousness. She died on July 1st. She was thirty-seven.
Expected Publication Date 18/02/25
Goodreads Review Date 16/02/25
August 23, 2025
Finished Reading
Pre-Read notes
I was attracted to the title of this one. After reading some of the front material, I'm looking forward to the untraditional form and the translation challenge this manuscript represents. I have very mixed feelings about posthumous publishing. On one hand, it makes sense to honor the incomplete work of a writer's oeuvre at the time of their death. At the same time, plumbing an author's rejects for publishing opportunities gets morally murky. Since this is the first of these, I expect to enjoy it quite a lot.
Final Review
“Guys, you’re packed as if . . . as if you were going to war!” I am not sure whether her laugh was hysterical or ironic. Perhaps it was both. I laughed too. p54
Review summary and recommendations
Victoria Amelina died while reporting on the war in Ukraine. Stories told while the writer dies often carry significant social and political weight. In a just world, this book would be perceived as too heavy to carry, but we'd carry it anyway. I hope it gets the attention it deserves. Needs, even.
I recommend listening to this one for readers who have trouble with violent material but want to read this courageous journalist's final words about war. It gives just a bit of cushion between reader and material.
I also recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading about politics and policies, survival stories, or those who would find value in the bleak look at life during wartime.
I needed some time to understand how I felt. There was no time for that. p161
Reading Notes
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. Many religions have a figure that we may call the Recording Angel— the spirit whose job it is to write down the good and bad deeds of humans. These records are then used by a deity to achieve redress— to balance the scales that the goddess Justice is so often shown as carrying. War crimes are by definition bad deeds. p4 I think Margaret Atwood's forward reveals a lot about the origins of this manuscript. It also addresses the necessity of completing Amelina's final project.
2. A powerful opening to an essential book: I have just bought my first gun in downtown Lviv. I’ve heard that everyone is capable of killing, and those who say they aren’t just haven’t met the right person yet. An armed stranger entering my country might just be the “right person.”
3. This narrative is naturally tense and riveting. Amelina's narrative voice is fraught with anxiety. I went through the first 40 pages without breathing.
4.“He said, choose me or the dress,” she laughs, remembering. Vira chose her freedom and the dress. She loves her dresses, but she couldn’t evacuate them in March either. She became the girl in jeans and a red sweater, trying to survive, no Kapuściński. p154 The author writes so intuitively about a truly uncanny experience-- shedding one's identity in layers while running from war.
5. It is through elegant imagery that Amelina shows the reader the absolute destruction that is war. And wouldn’t that be wonderful, to meet in Paris and not talk to her about the thirty-seven wars and three genocides she has seen, but only talk about art and beauty? I try to imagine this happy time while walking the Paris streets with Oleksandra. p238
6. Amelina writes extensively about how war destroys personal identity and local culture. For some reason, this makes me most sad. That even the survivors of war die on the inside.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. The story Amelina tells about why she doesn't panic when she hears explosions in a war zone is completely wild!
2. This is a harrowing account. TW war, war crimes, SA, torture. “He has no major visible injuries, so he can be sent back into battle,” she cries on the phone. “His fingers are broken, so how will he shoot? How will he dig quickly enough?” I know what she means. Everyone who has been to the front line or has friends there knows the main rule for survival: if you want to live, dig. p254 The last 20-30 pages before the epilogue are especially intense.
3. The Russian war has created a minefield of 250,000 square kilometers in Ukraine; demining could take decades. p270 This just blows my mind.
Rating: 🛡🛡🛡🛡🛡 /5 dangers of war
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Feb 14 '25
Format: digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🪦 posthumous publications
👨💻 journalism
👨🔬 activism
📓 nonfiction
🩸 wartime stories
Thank you to the author Victoria Amelina, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible advance digital copy of LOOKING AT WOMEN LOOKING AT WAR. All views are mine.
---------------
Pre-Read notes
I was attracted to the title of this one. After reading some of the front material, I'm looking forward to the untraditional form and the translation challenge this manuscript represents. I have very mixed feelings about posthumous publishing. On one hand, it makes sense to honor the incomplete work of a writer's oeuvre at the time of their death. At the same time, plumbing an author's rejects for publishing opportunities gets morally murky. Since this is the first of these, I expect to enjoy it quite a lot.
Final Review
“Guys, you’re packed as if . . . as if you were going to war!” I am not sure whether her laugh was hysterical or ironic. Perhaps it was both. I laughed too. p54
Review summary and recommendations
Victoria Amelina died while reporting on the war in Ukraine. Stories told while the writer dies often carry significant social and political weight. In a just world, this book would be perceived as too heavy to carry, but we'd carry it anyway. I hope it gets the attention it deserves. Needs, even.
I recommend listening to this one for readers who have trouble with violent material but want to read this courageous journalist's final words about war. It gives just a bit of cushion between reader and material.
I also recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading about politics and policies, survival stories, or those who would find value in the bleak look at life during wartime.
I needed some time to understand how I felt. There was no time for that. p161
Reading Notes
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. Many religions have a figure that we may call the Recording Angel— the spirit whose job it is to write down the good and bad deeds of humans. These records are then used by a deity to achieve redress— to balance the scales that the goddess Justice is so often shown as carrying. War crimes are by definition bad deeds. p4 I think Margaret Atwood's forward reveals a lot about the origins of this manuscript. It also addresses the necessity of completing Amelina's final project.
2. A powerful opening to an essential book: I have just bought my first gun in downtown Lviv. I’ve heard that everyone is capable of killing, and those who say they aren’t just haven’t met the right person yet. An armed stranger entering my country might just be the “right person.”
3. This narrative is naturally tense and riveting. Amelina's narrative voice is fraught with anxiety. I went through the first 40 pages without breathing.
4.“He said, choose me or the dress,” she laughs, remembering. Vira chose her freedom and the dress. She loves her dresses, but she couldn’t evacuate them in March either. She became the girl in jeans and a red sweater, trying to survive, no Kapuściński. p154 The author writes so intuitively about a truly uncanny experience-- shedding one's identity in layers while running from war.
5. It is through elegant imagery that Amelina shows the reader the absolute destruction that is war. And wouldn’t that be wonderful, to meet in Paris and not talk to her about the thirty-seven wars and three genocides she has seen, but only talk about art and beauty? I try to imagine this happy time while walking the Paris streets with Oleksandra. p238
6. Amelina writes extensively about how war destroys personal identity and local culture. For some reason, this makes me most sad. That even the survivors of war die on the inside.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. The story Amelina tells about why she doesn't panic when she hears explosions in a war zone is completely wild!
2. This is a harrowing account. TW war, war crimes, SA, torture. “He has no major visible injuries, so he can be sent back into battle,” she cries on the phone. “His fingers are broken, so how will he shoot? How will he dig quickly enough?” I know what she means. Everyone who has been to the front line or has friends there knows the main rule for survival: if you want to live, dig. p254 The last 20-30 pages before the epilogue are especially intense.
3. The Russian war has created a minefield of 250,000 square kilometers in Ukraine; demining could take decades. p270 This just blows my mind.
Rating: 🛡🛡🛡🛡🛡 /5 dangers of war
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Feb 14 '25
Format: digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🪦 posthumous publications
👨💻 journalism
👨🔬 activism
📓 nonfiction
🩸 wartime stories
Thank you to the author Victoria Amelina, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible advance digital copy of LOOKING AT WOMEN LOOKING AT WAR. All views are mine.
---------------
November 24, 2024
Victoria was living rhe dream until her country was being attacked. She decided to document the woman she saw during the war. This was an emotional read.
August 3, 2025
Simply the most powerful and insightful reporting on russian imperial war against Ukraine I’ve read so far.
What Victoria Amelina accomplishes in this book is remarkable: she connects the personal stories of Ukrainian (mostly) women to the centuries-long resistance of the Ukrainian people against russian imperialism. She reminds the reader, with clear and devastating force, that this war didn’t begin in 2022, or even in 2014. It is the latest chapter in a long, painful history of russian violence and colonial oppression.
Amelina was a writer who became, unwillingly, a war crimes researcher. Through her work, she ensured that memory would survive. Her commitment to documenting immediate and historical truth makes this book essential reading. She was taken from us far too early by the very violence she was exposing.
To honor her life and her work, and to ensure we never forget what russia is doing to Ukraine: Read this book. Share it. Give it away. Pass it on. Let her voice, and the voices she carried, continue to be heard.
What Victoria Amelina accomplishes in this book is remarkable: she connects the personal stories of Ukrainian (mostly) women to the centuries-long resistance of the Ukrainian people against russian imperialism. She reminds the reader, with clear and devastating force, that this war didn’t begin in 2022, or even in 2014. It is the latest chapter in a long, painful history of russian violence and colonial oppression.
Amelina was a writer who became, unwillingly, a war crimes researcher. Through her work, she ensured that memory would survive. Her commitment to documenting immediate and historical truth makes this book essential reading. She was taken from us far too early by the very violence she was exposing.
To honor her life and her work, and to ensure we never forget what russia is doing to Ukraine: Read this book. Share it. Give it away. Pass it on. Let her voice, and the voices she carried, continue to be heard.
March 2, 2025
Looking at Women Looking At War is written by a Ukrainian novelist, Victoria Amelina, who, after the Russian full-scale invasion, joined the war crime research team to document war crimes committed by Russian forces. Victoria and her team traveled throughout Ukraine to the frontline and newly liberated towns and villages to collect testimonies about torture, rape, kidnappings, executions, bombings of civilian infrastructure, and destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage, all committed by Russians.
Victoria Amelina chose to structure the book around the stories of women and the new roles many were forced to take on during the war: a lawyer who enlists in the army, a writer who becomes a war crime researcher, ordinary women, who come together to organize supplies for Ukrainian soldiers or help evacuate refugees from occupied territories. Victoria was not able to finish her book because she, herself, became a victim of a war crime. She was gravely injured and passed away as a result, following the Russian bombing of a cafe in the city of Kramatorsk.
Victoria was murdered by Russians, but her voice was not silenced and her book was published posthumously. Some chapters are finished and some only have fragments, ideas, and unfinished sentences that Victoria didn't have a chance to develop. When you read the book and come across unfinished sentences, it really hits you that the reason they are unfinished is because the author was killed. Looking at Women Looking at War is not an easy read, because of the horrors described in the book and the unfinished structure, but it is such an important read! I am very grateful that her US publisher, St. Martin's Press, proceeded with the publication. Looking at Women Looking at War is a powerful, moving war-time diary and a must-read.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Victoria Amelina chose to structure the book around the stories of women and the new roles many were forced to take on during the war: a lawyer who enlists in the army, a writer who becomes a war crime researcher, ordinary women, who come together to organize supplies for Ukrainian soldiers or help evacuate refugees from occupied territories. Victoria was not able to finish her book because she, herself, became a victim of a war crime. She was gravely injured and passed away as a result, following the Russian bombing of a cafe in the city of Kramatorsk.
Victoria was murdered by Russians, but her voice was not silenced and her book was published posthumously. Some chapters are finished and some only have fragments, ideas, and unfinished sentences that Victoria didn't have a chance to develop. When you read the book and come across unfinished sentences, it really hits you that the reason they are unfinished is because the author was killed. Looking at Women Looking at War is not an easy read, because of the horrors described in the book and the unfinished structure, but it is such an important read! I am very grateful that her US publisher, St. Martin's Press, proceeded with the publication. Looking at Women Looking at War is a powerful, moving war-time diary and a must-read.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
February 17, 2025
Perhaps the most important book you will read all year.
Slated to be released on February 18, a mere six days before the three-year anniversary of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and in the middle of peace talks that Ukraine is not part of, „Looking at Women Looking at War“ is one woman’s timely and urgent yet incredibly poetic legacy, a collection of stories of Ukrainian women documenting war crimes.
The author, Ukrainian novelist, poet, and literary festival founder turned war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina (1986-2023), was killed by a Russian missile strike against a civilian target, eventually succumbing to her injuries on July 1, 2023. At the time of her death, only 60 percent of this book - her only work of non-fiction, written in English to reach the widest possible audience - was finished. A team of editors did a marvelous job of compiling different drafts of Victoria‘s manuscript into one harrowing account of war while not shying away from leaving numerous of its later chapters empty, sentences and whole accounts unfinished, thoughts not verbalized - some of the book only a fragment, unfinished, much like the life of its author.
What remains is a unique and harrowing collection of diary entries, stories derived from countless interviews and Victoria Amelina‘s own investigations and experiences, research reports, interviews, poetry, and, above all, the author‘s poetic prose that has the reader looking at the these women up close and through them gaining an intimate view of the war while always being keenly aware of the tragic loss of this incredibly talented author.
„Looking at Women Looking at War“ is unflinching in its honesty of the brutalities of war, yet never without hope or determination. Perhaps one of the most important books you will read this year.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin‘s Press for the honor of reading Victoria Amelina‘s war and justice diary before its release on February 18, 2025. All opinions are my own.
Slated to be released on February 18, a mere six days before the three-year anniversary of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and in the middle of peace talks that Ukraine is not part of, „Looking at Women Looking at War“ is one woman’s timely and urgent yet incredibly poetic legacy, a collection of stories of Ukrainian women documenting war crimes.
The author, Ukrainian novelist, poet, and literary festival founder turned war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina (1986-2023), was killed by a Russian missile strike against a civilian target, eventually succumbing to her injuries on July 1, 2023. At the time of her death, only 60 percent of this book - her only work of non-fiction, written in English to reach the widest possible audience - was finished. A team of editors did a marvelous job of compiling different drafts of Victoria‘s manuscript into one harrowing account of war while not shying away from leaving numerous of its later chapters empty, sentences and whole accounts unfinished, thoughts not verbalized - some of the book only a fragment, unfinished, much like the life of its author.
What remains is a unique and harrowing collection of diary entries, stories derived from countless interviews and Victoria Amelina‘s own investigations and experiences, research reports, interviews, poetry, and, above all, the author‘s poetic prose that has the reader looking at the these women up close and through them gaining an intimate view of the war while always being keenly aware of the tragic loss of this incredibly talented author.
„Looking at Women Looking at War“ is unflinching in its honesty of the brutalities of war, yet never without hope or determination. Perhaps one of the most important books you will read this year.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin‘s Press for the honor of reading Victoria Amelina‘s war and justice diary before its release on February 18, 2025. All opinions are my own.
January 13, 2025
Victoria Amelina's "Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary" is a profound testament to the resilience and courage of Ukrainian women amid the harrowing backdrop of the 2022 Russian invasion. This book follows the author's personal transformation since the start of the war through the compelling narratives of women who transitioned from civilian roles to frontline defenders and justice seekers.
Her diary introduces readers to figures like Evgenia and Evhenia; both lawyers turned soldiers - told to "Aim at everything that shines," and Oleksandra, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who meticulously documented war crimes. She lists names, dates, and detailed accounts of the unlawful detention and imprisonment of civilians and those who experienced inhuman detention conditions, torture, and even murder by Russian soldiers.
Amelina's authentic writing captures these women's emotional and psychological landscapes, offering an intimate portrayal of their strength, bravery, and vulnerability. It can be very difficult to read at times. Still, I found certain aspects of this book fascinating, such as her detailed notes on the extensive training Victoria went through in researching and interviewing victims of torture (without causing more torture and pain), war crimes, victims of war crimes, and more.
The author's own journey—from a writer and mother to a war crimes researcher and investigator—is poignantly detailed, reflecting the broader metamorphosis experienced by many Ukrainians during the conflict who became soldiers overnight. Her commitment to documenting atrocities and preserving cultural heritage, even at great personal risk, underscores the diary's authenticity and urgency.
Victoria shares her personal stories of growing up in an environment that is familiar with the sounds of bombing, but it's different when you're now trying to save lives and keep her own son safe. Upon returning to the apartment she shares with her son and dog to take what they need to evacuate, she's afraid to go inside, thinking, "During the following months of this war, could I tell the displaced children to please not touch his Lego creations? They can take anything they need, play with his toys, read his books, and sleep on his bed, but they can't touch his constructions; they took so much time to build."
The distance of this war can make it hard to imagine until you're reading her words, and the connections make it feel so real. Amelina also shares stories of her brother-in-law being deployed to the front lines and the emotions involved in evacuating his family and her parents. She's also a part of numerous other searches and evacuations. In each search, Victoria collects diaries and any documentation that will continue someone's legacy or provide proof of the atrocities she has seen. As she transitions more into a non-fiction writer, Victoria shares in her diary how she would like to write a book based on the stories of those who are documenting war crimes with the intent of holding criminals accountable.
I wasn't quite prepared for this up close and personal look at the disturbing reality of this war while also experiencing the extraordinary strength of not only the women she's writing about but just the mere fact that this is Amelina's "unfinished" diary - as her life cut short in a missal attack in June 2023. I kept asking myself, could I be as strong as the women in this book? I want to think so.
I hope her family finds strength that her legacy endures through this vital historical record and tribute to the women who confront oppression with unwavering resolve. Their enduring bravery and power of resistance were so incredibly inspiring.
I love that they left her diary intact and did not try to fill in the blanks, embellish it, or assume what Victoria was trying to share.
Many of her diary entries stood out to me, but this one really lingered: "I imagined that one day I would join the army too. But it appears it is so hard to dig, and how would I dig a trench then? Everyone knows that digging, not shooting or anything else that is romantic, is, in fact, the most crucial skill to survive. If you want to live, dig, they say on the frontline."
Maybe her way of joining the army was to document, research, interview, and evacuate others. And she did it well.
It is scheduled for publication on February 18, 2025
Thank you, #NetGalley, #VictoriaAmelina, and #StMartinsPress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of #LookingatWomenLookingatWar.
Her diary introduces readers to figures like Evgenia and Evhenia; both lawyers turned soldiers - told to "Aim at everything that shines," and Oleksandra, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who meticulously documented war crimes. She lists names, dates, and detailed accounts of the unlawful detention and imprisonment of civilians and those who experienced inhuman detention conditions, torture, and even murder by Russian soldiers.
Amelina's authentic writing captures these women's emotional and psychological landscapes, offering an intimate portrayal of their strength, bravery, and vulnerability. It can be very difficult to read at times. Still, I found certain aspects of this book fascinating, such as her detailed notes on the extensive training Victoria went through in researching and interviewing victims of torture (without causing more torture and pain), war crimes, victims of war crimes, and more.
The author's own journey—from a writer and mother to a war crimes researcher and investigator—is poignantly detailed, reflecting the broader metamorphosis experienced by many Ukrainians during the conflict who became soldiers overnight. Her commitment to documenting atrocities and preserving cultural heritage, even at great personal risk, underscores the diary's authenticity and urgency.
Victoria shares her personal stories of growing up in an environment that is familiar with the sounds of bombing, but it's different when you're now trying to save lives and keep her own son safe. Upon returning to the apartment she shares with her son and dog to take what they need to evacuate, she's afraid to go inside, thinking, "During the following months of this war, could I tell the displaced children to please not touch his Lego creations? They can take anything they need, play with his toys, read his books, and sleep on his bed, but they can't touch his constructions; they took so much time to build."
The distance of this war can make it hard to imagine until you're reading her words, and the connections make it feel so real. Amelina also shares stories of her brother-in-law being deployed to the front lines and the emotions involved in evacuating his family and her parents. She's also a part of numerous other searches and evacuations. In each search, Victoria collects diaries and any documentation that will continue someone's legacy or provide proof of the atrocities she has seen. As she transitions more into a non-fiction writer, Victoria shares in her diary how she would like to write a book based on the stories of those who are documenting war crimes with the intent of holding criminals accountable.
I wasn't quite prepared for this up close and personal look at the disturbing reality of this war while also experiencing the extraordinary strength of not only the women she's writing about but just the mere fact that this is Amelina's "unfinished" diary - as her life cut short in a missal attack in June 2023. I kept asking myself, could I be as strong as the women in this book? I want to think so.
I hope her family finds strength that her legacy endures through this vital historical record and tribute to the women who confront oppression with unwavering resolve. Their enduring bravery and power of resistance were so incredibly inspiring.
I love that they left her diary intact and did not try to fill in the blanks, embellish it, or assume what Victoria was trying to share.
Many of her diary entries stood out to me, but this one really lingered: "I imagined that one day I would join the army too. But it appears it is so hard to dig, and how would I dig a trench then? Everyone knows that digging, not shooting or anything else that is romantic, is, in fact, the most crucial skill to survive. If you want to live, dig, they say on the frontline."
Maybe her way of joining the army was to document, research, interview, and evacuate others. And she did it well.
It is scheduled for publication on February 18, 2025
Thank you, #NetGalley, #VictoriaAmelina, and #StMartinsPress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of #LookingatWomenLookingatWar.
November 18, 2024
This book is timely with Ukraine battling the hostile war against Russia. Victoria Amelina, author of four books, stopped what she was doing to document the struggles of those affected by the severe conditions.
Sadly, on July 1, 2023, her life at 37 ended with a missile that injured 64 people. She died before her war manuscript was completed. However, with some edits, her document is now able to reach a large audience with the harsh truth of what has been happening behind the lines.
This book conveys just how horrible life has been for those scrambling to survive. It reveals how some have evacuated, starved, been captured, beaten and died. It’s a grim picture of what they have endured with fear, pain, hate and torture on their minds and bodies.
In Ukraine, one person said, “My neighbors lost everything but I still have my books.” This puts everything in perspective with what possessions have meaning. They are now in a country with destroyed bridges, museums, libraries, hospitals and a shortage of medical workers.
It’s not an easy book to digest knowing that so many are in the midst of an escapable dire situation. There’s not a phone line where they can ask for help. Ukrainians can stock up on food supplies, water and a generator yet, they know they can still get killed from explosions.
Margaret Atwood’s short introductory gives readers the candid truth of the harsh reality that the Russians have placed on the Ukrainians. It’s an important book and it ends with a meaningful poem. Victoria Amelina said, “Whenever a writer is still being read, it means they are still alive.”
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 18, 2025.
Sadly, on July 1, 2023, her life at 37 ended with a missile that injured 64 people. She died before her war manuscript was completed. However, with some edits, her document is now able to reach a large audience with the harsh truth of what has been happening behind the lines.
This book conveys just how horrible life has been for those scrambling to survive. It reveals how some have evacuated, starved, been captured, beaten and died. It’s a grim picture of what they have endured with fear, pain, hate and torture on their minds and bodies.
In Ukraine, one person said, “My neighbors lost everything but I still have my books.” This puts everything in perspective with what possessions have meaning. They are now in a country with destroyed bridges, museums, libraries, hospitals and a shortage of medical workers.
It’s not an easy book to digest knowing that so many are in the midst of an escapable dire situation. There’s not a phone line where they can ask for help. Ukrainians can stock up on food supplies, water and a generator yet, they know they can still get killed from explosions.
Margaret Atwood’s short introductory gives readers the candid truth of the harsh reality that the Russians have placed on the Ukrainians. It’s an important book and it ends with a meaningful poem. Victoria Amelina said, “Whenever a writer is still being read, it means they are still alive.”
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 18, 2025.
January 7, 2025
An inside look at the Ukraine, Russian war from the perspective of a Ukrainian woman documenting war crimes. She was killed before she got to finish the book so it reads somewhat piece meal. However, it was very informative and a powerful read.
Thank you to St. Martins Press for the complimentary copy.
Thank you to St. Martins Press for the complimentary copy.
December 26, 2025
„Ruşii pretind că sunt «frații» ucrainenilor, însă ucrainenii resping această înrudire. Cine are nevoie de un «frate» care este un psihopat ucigaş ce încearcă să te omoare?” (Margaret Atwood în Cuvânt-înainte, p. 9)
Citesc cartea în noaptea de Crăciun. E liniște. E cald. Deasupra casei mele nu se aud rachete, în apropiere nu se aud explozii. Citesc despre crime, ură, război și nedreptate. Mă cuprinde vinovăția, pentru că știu că ucrainenii nu au norocul meu. Mă cuprinde disperarea pentru că mă simt neputincios. Și pentru că am impresia că nimic din ce voi face eu vreodată nu va fi la fel de important ca ceea ce fac ucrainenii, ca sacrificiile și curajul lor.
Am aflat de acest volum acum ceva timp, când a fost publicat în engleză. Am amânat să-l citesc. Războiul mi se părea încă prea aproape ca să mă pot distanța și să citesc despre el. A fost o greșeală. Pentru că războiul acesta va rămâne mereu aproape, indiferent dacă se încheie mâine sau nu.
La apariția în română l-am luat fără nicio ezitare.
Victoria Amelina era romancieră și poetă înainte de război. Ca mai tuturor, nici ei nu-i venea să creadă că Putin va invada Ucraina. Victoria era în vacanță. În ziua invaziei, ea, împreună cu fiul ei de zece ani, ar fi trebuit să zboare înapoi acasă. Numai că țara sa era deja în război, iar drumul spre casă a durat două zile. Fiul i-a rămas în Polonia. În Lviv, a doua sa casă, Amelina s-a apucat de voluntariat. Ajuta refugiații. În jurul Kievului se dădeau lupte, a reușit să revină abia după mai bine de o lună.
„Lumea se transformă şi, odată cu ea, înțelesurile cuvintelor. Simt asta în incapacitatea mea de a rosti cuvântul «război», în tăcerea fiului meu, în privirea poliţistei cehe de la controlul paşapoartelor. Plâng nu doar pentru că suntem lăsaţi să intrăm, ci şi pentru că simt cum, uitându-se la mine, oamenii nu mă mai văd pe mine, ci văd războiul. Eu sunt războiul. Noi, ucrainenii, am devenit cu toţii războiul. Nimic altceva nu mai contează acum, doar ea – catastrofa care abia începe.” (p. 58)
„Czesław Miłosz, un poet polono-lituanian laureat al Premiului Nobel, a descris ce a simţit în 1939, când Germania nazistă şi URSS au atacat Polonia. «Absurditatea s-a terminat în sfârşit», a scris el. «Împlinirea mult temutului fapt ne eliberase de minciunile cu care ne amăgeam, de iluzii, de subterfugii; ceea ce era opac devenise transparent».” (pp. 47-8)
Ucrainenii s-au schimbat de la începutul invaziei totale. S-a schimbat și Victoria Amelina. Din artistă a căutat să devină altceva sau altcineva. Cineva util. A căutat să investigheze crimele de război. S-a oferit voluntară într-un ONG de profil. Crime erau foarte multe, oamenii care să le documenteze, foarte puțini. Nici procurorii, nici ONG-urile nu făceau față. Aici se nasc multe întrebări pentru Amelina. Întrebări care țin de dreptate, de victime și călăi, de pedeapsă și iertare. Când există atâtea crime știi din start că nu toate vor fi pedepsite, că vor scăpa criminalii. Și ești aproape sigur că cei care au perpetuat ura ani la rând și care au decis începerea acestui război vor trăi fără consecințe. Și atunci cum gestionezi această stare de fapt? Documentezi și spui povești. Pentru că, descoperă Victoria, înregistrarea crimelor, identificarea criminalilor, transmiterea mai departe a poveștilor sunt deja acte de dreptate, foarte importante pentru victime și pentru cei rămași în urmă.
„Nu puteam să scriu. Toate crimele, de la Baturin la Bucea, se învârteau în jurul meu. După-amiază, am îndrăznit să-i trimit un mesaj lipsit de sens mamei lui Roman: «Bună, sunt în Kiev, dacă ai nevoie de mine». Mi-a propus să ne întâlnim sâmbătă, 11 iunie.
Am tras concluzia că nu ştia [că i-a murit fiul] şi am comandat un pahar cu vin. Vinul nu m-a ajutat; de ce să mă fi ajutat? Vinul ajută în cazul unei iubiri neîmpărtăşite, nu în cazul unei nesfârşite tragedii naţionale.” (p. 168)
„Îmi mulţumeşte că nu mă tem să mă întâlnesc cu ea, căci aude adesea că oamenii nu ştiu să vorbească cu o mamă care tocmai şi-a pierdut copilul.
— De ce m-aş teme? mă prefac eu că nu înțeleg, deși înțeleg foarte bine.
Durerea ei este atât de puternică; doar că ea este mai tare decât durerea. Reușește nu doar să trăiască, ci şi să iubească, să dăruiască iubire în ciuda suferinței. Nu toți cei din jurul ei sunt însă la fel de puternici.” (p. 214)
Amelina este preocupată mult de genocid și de crime împotriva umanității. Nu este jurist și încearcă să înțeleagă diferența dintre cele două. Face deseori trimiteri spre trecut, spre lunga listă de crime în masă pe care Imperiul Rus/Sovietic le-a comis împotriva poporului ucrainean, căruia îi neagă dintotdeauna dreptul de a exista.
„Nu mai este doar războiul lui Putin, ci este al tuturor celor care au contribuit la funcţionarea maşinăriei urii şi s-au lăsat purtaţi de ură împotriva ucrainenilor.” (p. 130)
„Discursul instigator la ură din mass-media şi din cărţi seamănă mai mult cu radiaţiile; continuă să ucidă. Şi încă nu am înţeles ce putem face ca Europa să redevină un loc sigur.” (p. 131)
Din munca sa de teren s-a născut schița acestei cărți, care a trecut prin mai multe transformări. A ajuns o carte despre femeile puternice din viața Amelinei sau întâlnite pe teren. Înregistrând mărturii și punându-și în valoare talentul literar, reușește să le spună poveștile. Din păcate, nu a reușit să scrie despre toate. Victoria Amelina a fost ucisă în urma atacului din Kramatorsk din 27 iunie 2023, o altă crimă de război rusă. Era acolo după o călătorie în teren împreună cu niște scriitori străini. Într-un act de premoniție fatidică, și-a trimis manuscrisul unei prietene cu câteva zile înainte, în caz că i se întâmplă ceva. Același Kramatorsk a mai fost victima unei crime de război pe care am văzut-o cu toții la televizor în aprilie 2022.
„Nu există reguli clare pentru a supraviețui războiului. Poți respecta toate recomandările, poți merge în adăpost la timp, poți avea la tine o trusă de prim ajutor, poți încerca să fugi din calea războiului şi totuși să fii ucis. Nu există reguli pentru supraviețuire; există totuși reguli pentru a trăi. Stătea în puterea noastră să salvăm insecte, să traversăm străzile goale pe culoarea verde a semaforului, să fim politicoși, să fim distinși, să fim oameni.” (pp. 158-9)
Cartea, chiar dacă neterminată, este un document foarte valoros. Amelina, pe lângă toate, interoghează cumva rolul artistului în război și oferă numeroase exemple de artiști care au căutat să lupte, într-un fel sau altul.
Din păcate, nimic după război nu va mai fi la fel. Nu mai există un „înainte” la care să revină Ucraina. Societatea este și va fi profund marcată. După miile de drame și tragedii trăite zilnic de ucraineni, nu mai poți reveni la vreun „înainte”. Totul s-a schimbat începând cu 2014, iar începând cu 2022 calea a devenit fără de întoarcere. Nici literatura nu va fi la fel. Se publică multă literatură ucraineană de război. A început să fie și tradusă. Rănile devin accesibile în afara Ucrainei și prin artă. Unii știu să vadă, să audă, să asculte și să înțeleagă, alții, în ciuda tuturor evidențelor, neagă realitatea. Să negi realitatea este o alegere. Care nu poate fi iertată, așa cum nu pot fi iertați nici criminalii.
„Ea vorbește. Eu ascult. A ascultat femei toată cariera ei de avocată; acum, trebuie s-o ascult eu pe ea. Deodată se opreşte, se uită la mine şi întreabă:
— Poți să-ţi imaginezi viitorul? Adică eu văd ziua de azi şi încerc să-mi imaginez cum va fi viaţa noastră peste câţiva ani, dar nu pot. Nici chiar peste o jumătate de an sau o lună. Mi-e greu. Pur şi simplu nu o văd.
— Eu o văd, spun.
Ea aşteaptă să continui.
— Văd viitorul. Da, am putea să fim lovite de rachetele Iskander chiar în momentul ăsta. În acelaşi timp însă, văd cumva Ucraina de după război. Nu ştiu dacă noi facem parte din acel viitor, dar există o Ucraină după război, spun eu şi mă întorc cu spatele.” (p. 124)
January 25, 2025
A War and Justice Diary
With a foreword by Margarite Atwood
Victoria Amelia was writing a novel when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 2022. She became a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of women like herself who joined de resistance. The heroines in this book are a prominent lawyer Evgenia, Yulia a librarian and Olexsandra a Nobel Peace prize winner. Amelia was documenting the war, photographed ruins and recorded testimonies….till June 27th when a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant where she had stopped for a bite…she died on July 1st at thirty seven….she left behind her unedited notes.
Written by a poet, this book is also a work of literature but foremost a powerful look at courage of resistance.
The first section of her diary was completed before her death and the second section consist of unfinished notes and paragraphs. The second part is very fragmented and very distracting to a point I skipped some passages. Having said this, it doesn’t remove that Amelia was one of Ukraine’s most celebrated young writers and her dairy is very honest and intimate.
It is a difficult read, poignantly detailed on the experiences by many Ukrainians and the atrocities suffered by the population during the conflict, Ms. Amelina brigs us up close to the reality of war.
Most reviewers loved this book well I am an exception for my part I stand on the fence still trying to evaluate my feelings. Not loving it yet not disliking it.
I received this ARC from St- Martin Press via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it..
With a foreword by Margarite Atwood
Victoria Amelia was writing a novel when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 2022. She became a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of women like herself who joined de resistance. The heroines in this book are a prominent lawyer Evgenia, Yulia a librarian and Olexsandra a Nobel Peace prize winner. Amelia was documenting the war, photographed ruins and recorded testimonies….till June 27th when a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant where she had stopped for a bite…she died on July 1st at thirty seven….she left behind her unedited notes.
Written by a poet, this book is also a work of literature but foremost a powerful look at courage of resistance.
The first section of her diary was completed before her death and the second section consist of unfinished notes and paragraphs. The second part is very fragmented and very distracting to a point I skipped some passages. Having said this, it doesn’t remove that Amelia was one of Ukraine’s most celebrated young writers and her dairy is very honest and intimate.
It is a difficult read, poignantly detailed on the experiences by many Ukrainians and the atrocities suffered by the population during the conflict, Ms. Amelina brigs us up close to the reality of war.
Most reviewers loved this book well I am an exception for my part I stand on the fence still trying to evaluate my feelings. Not loving it yet not disliking it.
I received this ARC from St- Martin Press via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it..
March 8, 2025
Looking at War, Looking at Women is a timely story where the author is writing about the Ukraine war and then tragically is killed before her book is published. It was very difficult and emotional to read about the ugliness of war.
“On the evening of June 27th, 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise middle hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries, and lost consciousness. She died on July 1st. She was thirty-seven. She left behind this incredible account of the ravages of war and the cost of resistance…it will a lasting impact.”
I received a physical copy from publisher St. Martens Press. Thank you for my gifted copy and the opportunity to preview this book!
“On the evening of June 27th, 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise middle hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries, and lost consciousness. She died on July 1st. She was thirty-seven. She left behind this incredible account of the ravages of war and the cost of resistance…it will a lasting impact.”
I received a physical copy from publisher St. Martens Press. Thank you for my gifted copy and the opportunity to preview this book!
December 24, 2024
I need to think about reviewing this remarkable book
July 18, 2025
it’s quite devastating to read a woman’s notes/rough draft that she was never able to finish on her own. her writing style is so candid and honest, it gives you all the facts and experiences without dwelling on the sadness. also, hearing her write how she plans to finally leave Ukraine to go be with her son and just days later she was killed by a russian missile while at a pizzeria.. it’s just awful but i’m glad her book was still able to be published to shed light on the war and what Ukrainian’s were/are going through.
February 25, 2025
Heart-wrenching in the way it forces us to grapple with the fundamental questions of good and evil, the meaning of human suffering, and what we leave behind when we die. Whenever a sentence cuts off mid-thought or an idea remains undeveloped, it creates a sick feeling in the stomach—a stark reminder that Amelina was living this horror. It tore her from the page, and she won’t be here to finish the sentence or the thought.
No, what she leaves behind is imperfect, unfinished, raw—but it is hers. True to what she saw, true to her principles, true to her purpose of documenting the horror around her with clarity and without dramatics. The tiny vignettes of real women, living through a real war, remind us that no one escapes the reach of violence. And yet, there is often a role for everyone to play in the defense of a country, whether on the frontlines or in the evacuation of a literary museum.
Though this book is extremely untraditional— and as such, ought not really be read the way most nonfiction books are typically read— the unorganized and underdeveloped elements are what really illuminate this sense that meaning, narrative and organization are often imbued after the fact, even in a diary-style piece. Violence and occupation are right here, right now.
There is also an extremely intellectually stimulating conversation with Phillipe Sands in the middle that focuses on the practical issues with the ICJ and ICC, as well as a more theoretical discussion about the term ‘genocide.’ I thought Amelina’s idea that genocide is a word that has fallen victim to doublethink was absolutely gripping, and I’m still thinking about it now. Sands point is absolutely true— the word stands apart from the term ‘crime against humanity’ or ‘war crime’ in the non-technical, brutal imagery it forces upon the reader.
No, what she leaves behind is imperfect, unfinished, raw—but it is hers. True to what she saw, true to her principles, true to her purpose of documenting the horror around her with clarity and without dramatics. The tiny vignettes of real women, living through a real war, remind us that no one escapes the reach of violence. And yet, there is often a role for everyone to play in the defense of a country, whether on the frontlines or in the evacuation of a literary museum.
Though this book is extremely untraditional— and as such, ought not really be read the way most nonfiction books are typically read— the unorganized and underdeveloped elements are what really illuminate this sense that meaning, narrative and organization are often imbued after the fact, even in a diary-style piece. Violence and occupation are right here, right now.
There is also an extremely intellectually stimulating conversation with Phillipe Sands in the middle that focuses on the practical issues with the ICJ and ICC, as well as a more theoretical discussion about the term ‘genocide.’ I thought Amelina’s idea that genocide is a word that has fallen victim to doublethink was absolutely gripping, and I’m still thinking about it now. Sands point is absolutely true— the word stands apart from the term ‘crime against humanity’ or ‘war crime’ in the non-technical, brutal imagery it forces upon the reader.
January 15, 2025
Looking at Women Looking at War is a profound record of the strength and resilience of the Ukranian people, captured by a remarkable writer.
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Amelina wanted to use her skills as an author to help in the war effort. She volunteered as a war crimes reporter, and this book records the testimonies of the victims, witnesses and fellow reporters she met across the country in 2022-23, before her reporting was tragically cut short by her death in a missile strike.
Amelina's writing is brave, emotive and honest. To her (and to the reader), recording these testimonies is an act of justice and of love; the truth has a power in its own right. As well as the personal stories, there are some powerful reflections on the threads running between Holodomor, the Sixtiers, the Revolution of Dignity and the present war. I particularly enjoyed the transcript of her conversation with Philippe Sands, a thoughtful and indepth discussion of the meaning of genocide and the search for justice.
Although the text is unfinished, and it's not always an easy read, I admired the editors' decision to present what there is in draft form, true to Amelina's vision. Her personality and passion sings from the page, and I'm grateful that the world gets to share in her gift.
An intelligent and intimate record of war, Looking at Women Looking at War is an important read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Amelina wanted to use her skills as an author to help in the war effort. She volunteered as a war crimes reporter, and this book records the testimonies of the victims, witnesses and fellow reporters she met across the country in 2022-23, before her reporting was tragically cut short by her death in a missile strike.
Amelina's writing is brave, emotive and honest. To her (and to the reader), recording these testimonies is an act of justice and of love; the truth has a power in its own right. As well as the personal stories, there are some powerful reflections on the threads running between Holodomor, the Sixtiers, the Revolution of Dignity and the present war. I particularly enjoyed the transcript of her conversation with Philippe Sands, a thoughtful and indepth discussion of the meaning of genocide and the search for justice.
Although the text is unfinished, and it's not always an easy read, I admired the editors' decision to present what there is in draft form, true to Amelina's vision. Her personality and passion sings from the page, and I'm grateful that the world gets to share in her gift.
An intelligent and intimate record of war, Looking at Women Looking at War is an important read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
July 28, 2025
"Їдучи ескалатором, притримуйте руками поли довгого одягу", — ніколи не розуміла, для якого вельможі в метро це оголошення, поки не поїхала з Вікою. Ступаючи на сходи, вона притримувала поли своєї довгої чорної сукні. Це був 2022 чи 2023 (хронологія плутається в мене ще з 2013-го), і натоді я знала Віку вже років 5 і стільки ж — її довгі чорні спідниці, в одній із таких вона була на презентації свого роману, який я модерувала у Луцьку. Опісля того ми пішли гуляти до замку. У старому місті бродила зграйка безпритульних псів, один із них намагався вкусити Віку, і вона переживала, аж поки зрештою не виявилося, що пес залишив тільки дірку на довгому чорному подолі. Потім ми піджартовували, бо роман зветься Дім для Дома, і його оповідником є пес.
З метро ми домовилися піти на просекко, Віка пропонувала поїхати кудись разом, бути героїнею її книги (цієї), а я не знала, як сприймати цю ідею, чи готова я, тому сказала, що можемо поїхати, без дат і уточнень куди. Про що ми домовилися точно: ще раз піти на просекко. Цього так ніколи й не сталося, бо наступного разу ми зустрілися на її похороні. Віку вбила російська ракета. На її велелюдному похороні з-поміж інших емоцій і думок мене зненацька пронизала така невчасна чи то ревність, чи заздрість: я б і собі хотіла такий велелюдний похорон. Я знаю, Віко, що ти б посміялася з цього, що оцінила б мою чесність, за це я тебе і люблю.
Дивно читати книгу подруги, яку вбила Росія, але талант Віки ще й у тому, щоб подолати смерть, бо виходять її книги, і книги за її ідеями, як насінини, що пробилися з небуття
З метро ми домовилися піти на просекко, Віка пропонувала поїхати кудись разом, бути героїнею її книги (цієї), а я не знала, як сприймати цю ідею, чи готова я, тому сказала, що можемо поїхати, без дат і уточнень куди. Про що ми домовилися точно: ще раз піти на просекко. Цього так ніколи й не сталося, бо наступного разу ми зустрілися на її похороні. Віку вбила російська ракета. На її велелюдному похороні з-поміж інших емоцій і думок мене зненацька пронизала така невчасна чи то ревність, чи заздрість: я б і собі хотіла такий велелюдний похорон. Я знаю, Віко, що ти б посміялася з цього, що оцінила б мою чесність, за це я тебе і люблю.
Дивно читати книгу подруги, яку вбила Росія, але талант Віки ще й у тому, щоб подолати смерть, бо виходять її книги, і книги за її ідеями, як насінини, що пробилися з небуття
January 18, 2025
I won a prepublication copy of this book through Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press and am thankful for the opportunity to have read it. The author, Victoria Amelina, was documenting the war crimes by Russia in Ukraine when she was killed by a missile in July 2023 before completing this book. As a result, and as other reviewers have commented, the book is rather piecemeal and includes notes and even unfinished written thoughts.
I found it an interesting yet challenging read as I did not expect to be so deeply moved by the book. Having said this, I would highly recommend “Looking at Women Looking at War”. Victoria Amelina provided some history of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine prior to the February 2022 invasion which gave context to the need for Ukraine to fight for their people and culture. The bravery, determination and sacrifices of the women highlighted in the book is truly remarkable.
I found it an interesting yet challenging read as I did not expect to be so deeply moved by the book. Having said this, I would highly recommend “Looking at Women Looking at War”. Victoria Amelina provided some history of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine prior to the February 2022 invasion which gave context to the need for Ukraine to fight for their people and culture. The bravery, determination and sacrifices of the women highlighted in the book is truly remarkable.
May 27, 2025
Don't get me wrong. It's an important book and the premature death of the author is heartbreaking. But for a Ukrainian who follows the news daily there is nothing new here to learn. The main appeal of the book is of course its fragmented structure which is difficult to read sometimes but it's a powerful reflection of the erratic nature of war.
December 14, 2025
OOF. That was heavy. Not a quick or light read. I could only take so much in a sitting, spoiled as I am by my peaceful American existence. Victoria's observations of the realities on the ground in Ukraine really bring the conflict into focus.
READ IT. When I vacationed in Slovenia this summer, a local I met observed that most Americans have never lived through a way, or a dictatorship, or watched their democracy being stolen. So they hide behind their phones & assume everything will be OK in their world. They don't see the connections between world events & their lives, or care enough about how they impact lives across the world to be distracted from the nonsense in the daily news.
As I write this, our so-called "leaders" are in the process of trying to find a "solution" to this war. The most recent versions of their so-called peace plan have looked like Russian wish lists. I don't think anyone reading this book will think we should be convincing Ukraine to give up any land to Russia. This isn't about getting 2 guys in a bar fight to apologize & promise to behave. This is more like an adult thug mentally & physically bullying a much smaller person while robbing them & expecting to walk away with their property.
Amelina does such an amazing job bringing these characters to life. The people you'll meet on these pages will make you think about what you should be doing to help them out & to save our own democracy.
Victoria Amelina deserves to be read, for all that she gave up to tell the truth. As she put it herself, "Whenever a writer is still being read, it means that they are still alive."
READ IT. When I vacationed in Slovenia this summer, a local I met observed that most Americans have never lived through a way, or a dictatorship, or watched their democracy being stolen. So they hide behind their phones & assume everything will be OK in their world. They don't see the connections between world events & their lives, or care enough about how they impact lives across the world to be distracted from the nonsense in the daily news.
As I write this, our so-called "leaders" are in the process of trying to find a "solution" to this war. The most recent versions of their so-called peace plan have looked like Russian wish lists. I don't think anyone reading this book will think we should be convincing Ukraine to give up any land to Russia. This isn't about getting 2 guys in a bar fight to apologize & promise to behave. This is more like an adult thug mentally & physically bullying a much smaller person while robbing them & expecting to walk away with their property.
Amelina does such an amazing job bringing these characters to life. The people you'll meet on these pages will make you think about what you should be doing to help them out & to save our own democracy.
Victoria Amelina deserves to be read, for all that she gave up to tell the truth. As she put it herself, "Whenever a writer is still being read, it means that they are still alive."
December 3, 2025
"Whenever a writer is still being read, it means that they are still alive."
this book should never have been written in the first place, and most definitely it should not have been left unfinished.
this book should never have been written in the first place, and most definitely it should not have been left unfinished.
June 20, 2025
This was impactful. I would recommend to anyone.
I would like to thank St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.
The Story
The journey takes place in Ukraine, with specific locations of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Bucha, and the Izium region. There are also reflections on Amelina's childhood home near Lviv. Time frame spans from the initial conflict of the Russo-Ukrainian War, with entries following the initial invasion on February 24, 2022 until the author's death in June 2023. She herself was wounded in a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk, located in eastern Ukraine.
It details finished and unfinished journalistic entries of her notes, both personal and professional, in gathering sourcing material and provides insight into the formalities of journalism. From internal questions, stewardship, ethical storytelling, research, and relationships.
Most were event-based, with some relational connectivity here and there. It was interesting to review the unpolished entries and wondering what the final layers would be. Which of course, we will never know.
Brutality in the worst ways of torture. Deep sorrows of war ranging from the loss of culture and identity to death itself.
Includes moments of happiness, fond memories of Greek food, which was in juxtaposition between navigating the fast-paced and demanding nature of the journalistic profession to tell a story of both reality and hope, including the uncertainty and risks of her travels.
The scenes were emotion-evoking. Her apartment full of displaced people as well as times of her being in an apartment alone, without any furniture, kettle, or refrigerator, in extreme temperature changes, living in the minimum, and in areas of enemy target.
The Writing
I appreciated the entries that were intact, as well as the fragments.
There was both a raw and gentle spirit of inner thoughts and plans that came across in the writing.
Strength and resilience through suffering.
The "Poem Instead of an Epilogue" was moving.
Blog post
I would like to thank St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.
The Story
The journey takes place in Ukraine, with specific locations of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Bucha, and the Izium region. There are also reflections on Amelina's childhood home near Lviv. Time frame spans from the initial conflict of the Russo-Ukrainian War, with entries following the initial invasion on February 24, 2022 until the author's death in June 2023. She herself was wounded in a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk, located in eastern Ukraine.
It details finished and unfinished journalistic entries of her notes, both personal and professional, in gathering sourcing material and provides insight into the formalities of journalism. From internal questions, stewardship, ethical storytelling, research, and relationships.
Most were event-based, with some relational connectivity here and there. It was interesting to review the unpolished entries and wondering what the final layers would be. Which of course, we will never know.
Brutality in the worst ways of torture. Deep sorrows of war ranging from the loss of culture and identity to death itself.
Includes moments of happiness, fond memories of Greek food, which was in juxtaposition between navigating the fast-paced and demanding nature of the journalistic profession to tell a story of both reality and hope, including the uncertainty and risks of her travels.
The scenes were emotion-evoking. Her apartment full of displaced people as well as times of her being in an apartment alone, without any furniture, kettle, or refrigerator, in extreme temperature changes, living in the minimum, and in areas of enemy target.
The Writing
I appreciated the entries that were intact, as well as the fragments.
There was both a raw and gentle spirit of inner thoughts and plans that came across in the writing.
Strength and resilience through suffering.
The "Poem Instead of an Epilogue" was moving.
Blog post
October 20, 2024
Looking at Women Looking at War by Victoria Amelina is a book with a fascinating premise. The book is the journal of a Ukrainian writer cover her own experiences of the Russian invasion as well as the experiences of other female writers involved in various types of resistance. The brave women described in this book venture into battle zones to record and document war crimes. I learned a lot about these remarkable women and the horrific realities of life in Ukraine.
The author of the book was killed and this book is incomplete. The first part of the book is fully written. However, as the book continues there are many sections of raw notes. This book is a true example of a primary document which is of great value. The editors of the book do a very nice job pulling together journal entries and placing them into a logical order. Nonetheless, the fragmented second half of the book is challenging to follow due to the very short passages.
I recommend this book as an outstanding example of a primary source but readers should know that it does not read like a complete story due to the tragic death of the author.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The author of the book was killed and this book is incomplete. The first part of the book is fully written. However, as the book continues there are many sections of raw notes. This book is a true example of a primary document which is of great value. The editors of the book do a very nice job pulling together journal entries and placing them into a logical order. Nonetheless, the fragmented second half of the book is challenging to follow due to the very short passages.
I recommend this book as an outstanding example of a primary source but readers should know that it does not read like a complete story due to the tragic death of the author.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 17, 2024
Honest review for the ARC I received. Thank you! This was a really amazing read. She spoke of the things that happened with the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. She shared stories and photos of this horrific event. She really was able to make words flow beautifully and allowed the reader to feel and think of the people she was talking to. The book was never finished because she was killed by a Russian missile.
June 8, 2025
I just finished Looking at Women Looking at War by Victoria Amelina, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s deeply heartbreaking: a powerful testament to the resilience and courage of Ukrainians, especially the women documenting and enduring this war. What makes it even more poignant is knowing that Victoria never got to finish this book herself.
To all my friends seeking to understand this war on a more human level, please read this.
To all my friends seeking to understand this war on a more human level, please read this.
April 19, 2025
“To uncover the truth, ensure the survival of memory, and give justice and lasting peace a change”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews