What do you think?
Rate this book
De la sărăcie la extaz
De la sărăcie la extaz aduce în prim-plan detalii și intimități ale autoarei, spuse în povești din inima Bărăganului, orașul Lehliu Gară. Deși titlul poate trimite ușor cu gândul la dezvoltare personală, cartea nu merge pe acest făgaș al promisiunilor pentru o viață mai bună. Nu îi explică cititorului cum să reușească în pași predefiniți și nu conține rețete-minune.
Spune, în schimb, lucruri incomode despre rușine, lipsuri, adaptare și supraviețuire.
Povestea urmărește copilăria, plecările, munca, eșecurile și viața trăită departe de casă, acolo unde identitatea se subțiază și trebuie reconstruită din mers. Sunt episoade dure, dar și momente de umor sec, observații tăioase și fragilitate spusă fără menajamente.
Capitolele nu sunt nici pe departe lecții, ci bucăți de viață: situații aparent mărunte care, puse cap la cap, spun ceva mai mare despre ce înseamnă să te ridici fără să te transformi într-un personaj „exemplar”.
Cartea nu idealizează sărăcia și nu romantizează reușita. Arată că extazul nu este o stare permanentă și nici o destinație finală.
Extazul, așa cum îl creionează autoarea, este dansul, este abandonul, este ieșirea din sine.
Spune, în schimb, lucruri incomode despre rușine, lipsuri, adaptare și supraviețuire.
Povestea urmărește copilăria, plecările, munca, eșecurile și viața trăită departe de casă, acolo unde identitatea se subțiază și trebuie reconstruită din mers. Sunt episoade dure, dar și momente de umor sec, observații tăioase și fragilitate spusă fără menajamente.
Capitolele nu sunt nici pe departe lecții, ci bucăți de viață: situații aparent mărunte care, puse cap la cap, spun ceva mai mare despre ce înseamnă să te ridici fără să te transformi într-un personaj „exemplar”.
Cartea nu idealizează sărăcia și nu romantizează reușita. Arată că extazul nu este o stare permanentă și nici o destinație finală.
Extazul, așa cum îl creionează autoarea, este dansul, este abandonul, este ieșirea din sine.
200 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2024
9 people want to read
About the author
Stefania Sarina Oprea
2 books10 followersSarina is a writer, storyteller, and SEO specialist who believes words can build both worlds and bridges. She is the author of From Scraping By to Soaring High, a raw and honest book about resilience, identity, and finding joy in unexpected places.
Her writing blends humor, irony, and heartfelt reflection, often drawing inspiration from everyday life, cultural roots, and her experiences living abroad.
When she’s not writing, she feels guilty, as if her existence depends on it. She lives and works like any other flawed creature burdened with the responsibility of paying bills.
Her writing blends humor, irony, and heartfelt reflection, often drawing inspiration from everyday life, cultural roots, and her experiences living abroad.
When she’s not writing, she feels guilty, as if her existence depends on it. She lives and works like any other flawed creature burdened with the responsibility of paying bills.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 4, 2025
O carte care îți arată că determinarea și curajul pot transforma obstacolele în oportunități.
Mi-a plăcut și o recomand!
Mi-a plăcut și o recomand!
December 29, 2025
I would have easily finished this book in just a few days, as I was completely immersed in it, but life with two young kids made that a little more complicated. I truly enjoyed reading these heartwarming, raw, and emotional excerpts from Stefania’s life. Knowing her personally made the experience even more special—it felt as though she was right there, reading and retelling some of her most precious, and sometimes difficult, moments.
Keep it up, Stefania. I am one very proud friend that you achieved a dream: publishing your own words on paper. 🙂
Keep it up, Stefania. I am one very proud friend that you achieved a dream: publishing your own words on paper. 🙂
January 9, 2026
O carte ce iti trezeste amintiri din copilarie. O carte ce te face sa meditezi la multe lucruri si sa descoperi ce e mai important pentru tine.
October 1, 2025
“From Poverty to Ecstasy” by Oprea Ștefania Sarina is not the kind of book that sugarcoats life. It doesn’t try to be polite or polished – it throws you straight into the raw, messy, often hilarious and sometimes merciless reality of existence.
What I loved most is the authenticity. The author makes no attempt to hide behind perfect grammar or carefully edited memories. She keeps words exactly as they were spoken in conversations, letters, or lived experiences – mistakes and all. That decision makes the book feel intimate, as if you’re sitting at a table with a close friend who finally tells you everything, without filters but with an ironic smile in the corner of her mouth.
The stories flow one into another, without a strict chronology, but with a rhythm that feels entirely natural – just like life itself, which is rarely linear. Childhood memories of muddy roads, cramped apartments, and unfulfilled dreams are placed side by side with portraits of resilience, family sacrifices, grief, and survival. The chapter about her mother, for example, is unforgettable – a portrait full of strength, humor, tragedy, and unconditional love.
Reading this book, I went through a carousel of emotions: I laughed, I grieved, I recognized myself in unexpected details. And I think that’s the gift of Sarina’s writing: it doesn’t give you instructions on how to live, but it reminds you that your scars, your chaos, and your imperfections are part of the beauty of being human.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys inspirational life stories, but also to those who are tired of perfect Instagram lives and want something real. It’s a book about resilience, about turning pain into art, and about finding meaning even when life seems merciless.
What I loved most is the authenticity. The author makes no attempt to hide behind perfect grammar or carefully edited memories. She keeps words exactly as they were spoken in conversations, letters, or lived experiences – mistakes and all. That decision makes the book feel intimate, as if you’re sitting at a table with a close friend who finally tells you everything, without filters but with an ironic smile in the corner of her mouth.
The stories flow one into another, without a strict chronology, but with a rhythm that feels entirely natural – just like life itself, which is rarely linear. Childhood memories of muddy roads, cramped apartments, and unfulfilled dreams are placed side by side with portraits of resilience, family sacrifices, grief, and survival. The chapter about her mother, for example, is unforgettable – a portrait full of strength, humor, tragedy, and unconditional love.
Reading this book, I went through a carousel of emotions: I laughed, I grieved, I recognized myself in unexpected details. And I think that’s the gift of Sarina’s writing: it doesn’t give you instructions on how to live, but it reminds you that your scars, your chaos, and your imperfections are part of the beauty of being human.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys inspirational life stories, but also to those who are tired of perfect Instagram lives and want something real. It’s a book about resilience, about turning pain into art, and about finding meaning even when life seems merciless.
January 8, 2025
I literally laughed and cried side by side with Sarina. The personal and friendly style makes you feel like the author is taking you by the hand and leading you through the fascinating and thrilling reality called life.
An eye-opening book, which shows you that you always have to start over with hope and courage!
An eye-opening book, which shows you that you always have to start over with hope and courage!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2024
You cannot not enjoy this book. It is a tribute of life in its purest sometimes rawest forms. Sarina is a skilled writer. Looking forward new books from her!
January 31, 2026
O carte care spune pe față multe lucruri pe care vrem sau nu sa le auzim. Îmi place mult cartea pentru caprezintă viața și societatea românească pe care am trăit-o și o trăiesc. Felicitări Ștefania!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews