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The Yugoslavian: In Search of Mara Jovanovic
The Siege of Sarajevo provides the backdrop for a gripping tale of adventure and intrigue bringing Ivan-a man with a deadly secret, and Tess-a mysterious philanthropist, with a secret of her own, together from opposite sides of the world. With the common goal of searching for the same missing war orphan, together they head into this deadly conflict to find her. Through lies and deceptions, and surrounded by threats and hostilities, the truth is revealed and Ivan is torn between what he must do to protect himself and what he must do to protect Tess in The Yugoslavian, In Search of Mara Jovanovic by The Black Rose.
453 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 7, 2014
There are a lot of words you can use to describe a book you truly enjoyed. Wonderful, fun, unable to put down - and I think, singular to this book, a romp through war time Sarajevo. What is a true testament to a good book is not just saying nice words about it, but missing one's train stop while reading it. Three times.
Tess is a fascinating and complex character. I really liked that she was a writer. The Black Rebel is romantic and mysterious and a total bad ass. He's like the Robin Hood of Yugoslavia.
I was really impressed with the authors ability to regularly change the stories point of view seamlessly. It wasn't hard to keep up.
Overall this was a fantastic read that made me miss my stop and gave me a total disregard for the following morning. I would definitely recommend it to others.
Tess is a fascinating and complex character. I really liked that she was a writer. The Black Rebel is romantic and mysterious and a total bad ass. He's like the Robin Hood of Yugoslavia.
I was really impressed with the authors ability to regularly change the stories point of view seamlessly. It wasn't hard to keep up.
Overall this was a fantastic read that made me miss my stop and gave me a total disregard for the following morning. I would definitely recommend it to others.
April 19, 2015
The Black Rose blossoms in this genre!
It is no mean feat to write a book that is so heavily reliant on extensive and thorough research in order to provide a realistic and believable backdrop for a story of intrigue, suspense and adventure. The Black Rose has achieved this seemingly effortlessly in The Yugoslavian. The reward for the precise attention to detail is that the reader becomes totally immersed in the human emotions and tragedy of a war-torn country. The precision applied to the development of the main characters, Ivan and Tess, complements the pace at which the plot is revealed. The appropriate and ingenious use of vocabulary throughout is flawlessly executed and this enhances the reading experience. A story that manages to encompass the true depth of not only love but war made a refreshing change. I would highly recommend this book and with one of the best closing lines I have read in a very long time, I am looking forward to reading more from The Black Rose.
It is no mean feat to write a book that is so heavily reliant on extensive and thorough research in order to provide a realistic and believable backdrop for a story of intrigue, suspense and adventure. The Black Rose has achieved this seemingly effortlessly in The Yugoslavian. The reward for the precise attention to detail is that the reader becomes totally immersed in the human emotions and tragedy of a war-torn country. The precision applied to the development of the main characters, Ivan and Tess, complements the pace at which the plot is revealed. The appropriate and ingenious use of vocabulary throughout is flawlessly executed and this enhances the reading experience. A story that manages to encompass the true depth of not only love but war made a refreshing change. I would highly recommend this book and with one of the best closing lines I have read in a very long time, I am looking forward to reading more from The Black Rose.
December 17, 2015
The breakup of Yugoslavia provides the backdrop for this tale born of war, but driven toward redemption, mainly for the two principal characters; the roguishly handsome rebel leader named Ivan Đurić and the head of an American-based Children’s Writing Foundation, celebrated novelist, Tess Fordel.
In the process of reviewing submissions for a writing contest, Tess comes across a lengthy, but poignant story penned by a 7-year-old Croatian girl caught in the middle of the conflict. Since the little girl, Mara Jovanović writes no English, the story is translated and submitted—along with a cover letter—by the girl’s protector, a man called Iđy. Touched by Mara’s story, Tess decides Mara is not only the winner, but that she must present the prize to Mara in person. Against the advice of her publisher, she ventures to Belgrade to find Mara before the deadline. That’s her bit.
Ivan Đurić, on the other hand, is introduced as the non-Nationalist resistance fighter with a demonstrated ability to dispatch his enemies, if needs must, without a second thought. Ivan hates war and hates killing, but his leadership and God-fearing conscience guides his compassion as he prosecutes the war against the Nationalists and, by proxy, the outside influences of other nations. (On only one occasion, he executes a prostrated prisoner, but for a very specific reason.)
Before Tess’ arrival to Belgrade, Ivan is informed that a very beautiful American woman—a spy—is coming to try to locate and identify The Black Rebel (a.k.a. Ivan, a.k.a. Iđy). Ivan decides to intercept this woman, and if necessary, do what is required to ensure the safety of himself, his men and his Cause. This woman says she’s only here to inform Mara she won the writing competition and to present the little girl with her prize. In offering to help Tess find Mara, Ivan does his best to prevent that meeting from happening until he can determine if Tess is either the spy he was warned about or she is what she says she is. He never thought meeting Tess would awaken feelings he thought long dormant within his heart. That’s his bit.
From their initial meeting, Tess and Ivan gravitate towards each other, not fully knowing each other’s motives. The author’s use of omniscient third person helps the reader understand each character’s motivation, yet at times, the actions of the two main characters are in direct conflict with their respective trains of thought. This especially occurs each time Ivan and Tess commence an argument. As Ivan and Tess’ relationship grows, the overuse of this technique tends to get a bit maudlin and unnatural. Of course, it would be, if their budding relationship didn’t occur smack dab in the middle of a shooting war. When each character’s respective back story comes into focus, we can better appreciate their reticence to fully commit to feelings they can no longer deny.
There were times, when each got angry with the other for what appeared to be no logical reason, I wanted to climb into the pages and box their ears, myself. Upon reflection, it’s a true testament to the author’s ability to engender strong feelings within the reader for—or against—a character.
In the process of reviewing submissions for a writing contest, Tess comes across a lengthy, but poignant story penned by a 7-year-old Croatian girl caught in the middle of the conflict. Since the little girl, Mara Jovanović writes no English, the story is translated and submitted—along with a cover letter—by the girl’s protector, a man called Iđy. Touched by Mara’s story, Tess decides Mara is not only the winner, but that she must present the prize to Mara in person. Against the advice of her publisher, she ventures to Belgrade to find Mara before the deadline. That’s her bit.
Ivan Đurić, on the other hand, is introduced as the non-Nationalist resistance fighter with a demonstrated ability to dispatch his enemies, if needs must, without a second thought. Ivan hates war and hates killing, but his leadership and God-fearing conscience guides his compassion as he prosecutes the war against the Nationalists and, by proxy, the outside influences of other nations. (On only one occasion, he executes a prostrated prisoner, but for a very specific reason.)
Before Tess’ arrival to Belgrade, Ivan is informed that a very beautiful American woman—a spy—is coming to try to locate and identify The Black Rebel (a.k.a. Ivan, a.k.a. Iđy). Ivan decides to intercept this woman, and if necessary, do what is required to ensure the safety of himself, his men and his Cause. This woman says she’s only here to inform Mara she won the writing competition and to present the little girl with her prize. In offering to help Tess find Mara, Ivan does his best to prevent that meeting from happening until he can determine if Tess is either the spy he was warned about or she is what she says she is. He never thought meeting Tess would awaken feelings he thought long dormant within his heart. That’s his bit.
From their initial meeting, Tess and Ivan gravitate towards each other, not fully knowing each other’s motives. The author’s use of omniscient third person helps the reader understand each character’s motivation, yet at times, the actions of the two main characters are in direct conflict with their respective trains of thought. This especially occurs each time Ivan and Tess commence an argument. As Ivan and Tess’ relationship grows, the overuse of this technique tends to get a bit maudlin and unnatural. Of course, it would be, if their budding relationship didn’t occur smack dab in the middle of a shooting war. When each character’s respective back story comes into focus, we can better appreciate their reticence to fully commit to feelings they can no longer deny.
There were times, when each got angry with the other for what appeared to be no logical reason, I wanted to climb into the pages and box their ears, myself. Upon reflection, it’s a true testament to the author’s ability to engender strong feelings within the reader for—or against—a character.
April 19, 2015
It is no mean feat to write a book that is so heavily reliant on extensive and thorough research in order to provide a realistic and believable backdrop for a story of intrigue, suspense and adventure. The Black Rose has achieved this seemingly effortlessly in The Yugoslavian. The reward for the precise attention to detail is that the reader becomes totally immersed in the human emotions and tragedy of a war-torn country. The precision applied to the development of the main characters, Ivan and Tess, complements the pace at which the plot is revealed. The appropriate and ingenious use of vocabulary throughout is flawlessly executed and this enhances the reading experience. A story that manages to encompass the true depth of not only love but war made a refreshing change. I would highly recommend this book and with one of the best closing lines I have read in a very long time, I am looking forward to reading more from The Black Rose.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews