The Equestrienne

by Uršuľa Kovalyk

It is 1984 and a small town somewhere in the east of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic is in the firm grip of totalitarianism. Unruly teenager Karolína is growing up in an unconventional all-female household including her hot-blooded, knife-wielding grandmother.

Repelled by her Mum’s serial love affairs, Karolína runs away and stumbles upon a riding school on the edge of town. There, she befriends Romana, a girl with one leg shorter than the other and Matilda, a rider and trainer who helps the two girls overcome their physical limitations. Together they found a successful trick riding team and soon it seems that half flags, mills and scales are not the only tricks flashing like blades up her sequinned sleeve as Karolína explores Pink Floyd and smoking, and discovers her knack for seeing deep into others’ souls.

The fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 and the subsequent arrival of capitalism threatens to destroy the riding school. The team has to turn professional. But in a sport of perfect scores is there still room for Romana and Karolína…?

The Equestrienne is a poetic, caustic coming-of-age novel about the desire of one young girl to realise her dreams before and after Velvet Revolution; it is a celebration of friendship between women and also a bitter acknowledgement that greed the desire for power can destroy any relationship.

I lived several lives in the brief instant before my feet touched the ground. The music stopped. I landed on the hard surface like an accomplished equestrienne. The equestrienne bowed. The audience applauded.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, Feminism, Novella, Novels

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Uršuľa Kovalyk is a fiction writer and playwright. She is the co-founder and director of Theatre Without a Home, which works with the homeless and the disabled. She is a leading voice in the contemporary feminist literary discourse in Slovakia. Her work focuses on female characters often living unfulfilled and austere lives under the pressure of a patriarchal society, and more recently, on environmental issues and aging. Her works have been translated into nine languages. She has published several collections of short stories and a novel, The Equestrienne (2013), shortlisted for Slovakia’s most prestigious literary prize, the Anasoft Litera Award, which received the Bibliotéka Prize for 2013. Her most recent collection of short stories, A Pure Animal, appeared in 2018.

Reviews

[Heba · Rating 4 out of 5]

تبدأ الحكاية منذ أن كانت " كارولينا " في رحم والدتها ، ذاك الحصن الدافيء المنيع ، ومن ثم تحن لحظة الخروج إلى العالم ، لتعتني بها جدتها بالرغم من وجود والدتها التي كانت دائمة الإنشغال عنها...
تسرد الجدة الحكايات...وتطبع على وجنتيها القُبلات وتردد على مسامعها " لا تخافي "....
بات العالم بعد فقد جدتها سجناً كئيباً...وهربت من كل ما هو شرير وقبيح إلى نادٍ للفروسية وهناك تعرفت على فتاة تدعى " رومانا " ومن هنا تنطلق برفقتها في رحلة وإن كانت قصيرة إلى تحقيق نجاح باهر في الرقص على الخيل...ومن ثم...لاشيء
لقد كانت " كارولينا " ترى أجساداً مختبئة في الأجساد الحقيقية ، كأن ترى روحاً محاربة مقاتلة في صديقتها ، محظية هندية في والدتها ، كاهن فرعوني في صديقها...ولكنها عجزت على أن ترى ما بداخلها...كما لو كان فارغاً..خاوياً....لم تقبض على شيء هناك...
هل كان وعاءً أجوفاً يمرر الأصوات ..يتردد صداها بداخلها ومن ثم يتبدد في الفراغ....؟
كان جسدها النابض على ظهر الخيل يشعرها بأنها غدت امرأة استثنائية ولكن كان ينقصها الامتلاء...كأن تتشبث بالحلم... أن تكتشف ذاتها ، وأن تتلقى الحب...يتراءى لي بأنه كان مُنقذها...لولا إنها كانت "" فتاة الحظ العاثر "".....
أما عنك ستختطفك نعومة السرد كما لو كنت على ظهر فرس ، ينطلق بك...تربت عليه مُعانقاً إياه..، وتُسلم بمأمن من السقوط....

[Raya راية · Rating 4 out of 5]

"قالت جدتي إن عليّ أن أنظر إلى عيني كل من أخافه. بعدها لن أشعر بالخوف."

صدقاً لم أتوقع عند قرائتي لهذه الرواية الصغيرة أن تكون بهذه الروعة، ظننت أنها ستحكي عن فنون الفروسية وركوب الخيل فقط. لكنها أعمق من ذلك بكثير.

بدايةً، أكثر ما جعلني اقرأها هو أن كاتباتها أورشولا كوفاليك سلوفاكية، وهي بلاد لم اقرأ منها قبلاً أي شيء وهذا ما شجعني على قرائتها أكثر، بالإضافة لتوفر ترجمة عربية لها، مع غلاف جميل.

تدور الرواية حول كارولينا التي تسرد علينا قصة حياتها منذ وجودها في بطن أمها وحتى وفاتها. كارولينا التي تكبر وسط مجتمع نسائي بحت، الأم، الجدة، أخوات الجدة. وكيف تعرفت إلى صديقتها الوحيدة رومانا، وكيف أتقنتا ومارستا معاً ركوب الخيل ومهارات الرقص عليه. أما عنها مكانها، فهي في جمهورية تشيكوسلوفاكيا سابقاً، إحدى جمهوريات الاتحاد السوفييتي. وكيف عاشت كارولينا جزءاً من حياتها - ربما الجزء الأهم - تحت حكم الشيوعية، وكيف كانت الحياة بائسة على جميع الصعد. ونشهد التحوّلات التي طرأت على جمهورية سلوفاكيا بعد انهيار الشيوعية والانفصال عن جمهورية التشيك أيضاً. ونكتشف بأن كلا النظامين؛ الاشتراكية والرأسمالية لا يهمه الارتقاء بالإنسان بقدر ما يهمّه طحن الإنسان في سبيل انتشاره وسيطرته.

أكثر ما أحببته هو وصف مشهد ولادة كارولينا، وعلاقتها بجدتها، فلدي شخصياً ضعف شديد وحنان عظيم للجدات. أحببت علاقة كارولينا بصديقتها رومانا وحبّها للخيل. أحببت السحرية والغرائبية التي ظهرت في امتلاك كارولينا القدرة على رؤية ما بداخل الناس، المرأة الهندية الشبقة التي تسكن والدتها، والمحاربة الشجاعة التي تسكن رومانا، والحكيم الفرعوني الذي يسكن آري.

رواية جميلة ورقيقة وحزينة.

"أنا ابنة الحظ العاثر"

...

[Pakinam Mahmoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

راقصة الخيل رواية للكاتبة السولفاكية أورشولا كوفاليك و هي أول تعارف بيني وبين الأدب السلوفاكي..

الرواية حجمها صغير أقرب إلي نوفيلا ..مكتوبة كلها حتة واحدة غير مقسمة إلي فصول و بتتكلم عن فتاة عاشت مع أمها و جدتها في أسرة تخلو من الرجال وكيف بدات ممارسة رياضة الرقص علي الخيل وبرعت بها..

تلقي الرواية الضوء علي حياة كارولينا في ظل النظام الشيوعي و كيف تغيرت البلد بعد انهيار الإتحاد السوفيتي بس الجزء الاكبر في الرواية هو وصف مشاعر الفتاة سواء في علاقتها بأمها ،جدتها و صديقتها الوحيدة ..
رواية متوسطة المستوي ولكنها تعتبر بداية جيدة مع الأدب السلوفاكي...

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to Parthian Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

The Equestrienne is a short, novella length work by Slovak writer Uršula Kovalyk, and translated by Julia and Peter Sherwood. The novel was the winner of the Bibliotéka Prize in 2013, and part of Parthian’s Parthia Europa Carnivale writing in translation project.

The Equestrienne opens with our narrator, Karolina, who is elderly, waiting for the ‘succour that death will bring’, but death having disappointed her, she takes matters into her own hands, choosing a rather brutal way to end her life, a means the significance of which only begins to make sense much later. As this ruthless scene plays out, Karolina begins to reminisce—going back all the way to her birth, no, in fact, even before, when she was still part of her mother’s body. Karolina is born into an all-woman household; her grandmother who looks after her for much of her early life (and at one point also presents her a small dagger for protection when needed), and her mother who as soon as she is able is happy to return to work as well as a succession of boyfriends. Their only relations mentioned are three old aunts whom they visit from time to time. Karolina and her family are living in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, and communism has taken much of what they had—her grandmother’s tavern and the aunts’ few treasures among them. They have a home to live in and work of course, but what they have lost is for no fault of theirs. After her grandmother’s passing, there is only Karolina and her mother.

Karolina is always uncomfortable when her mother brings her various boyfriends home, but when one encounter gets too close for bearing, she runs, only to find a vast paddock with a fat grey horse, and a girl with him. The girl is Romana, and the horse Sesil, and soon the three become friends. Romana, who has one shorter leg, has an abusive father, and for both girls Sesil and the riding school that he is part of becomes a place of solace, away from the unbearable situations they face at home. While initially not allowed to ride as part of the school, Karolina and Romana’s skills are noticed one day by Matilda, one of the riders/trainers who begins to train them for a trick-riding/vaulting team. Soon, they begin to see success, finding something they’re really good at. Alongside, through a slightly older boy Arpi, whom Karolina befriends, she begins to discover music (Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and Dead Can Dance among them), and cigarettes, and using this music for her training rather than the prescribed or expected classics becomes a sort of rebellion.

But then the Velvet Revolution unfolds; communism has come to an end, and capitalism is back—words like competitiveness and market begin to be common. But the fall of communism does not end up translating as they expect, for the chances Karolina’s mother had thought would transpire don’t. And Karolina finds the riding school that was her one place of comfort, the place where she excelled, is beginning to change as well, and she and Romana may no longer have a place in it.

This turned out to be a bit of a mixed reading experience for me. I liked getting an insight into the Czechoslovak Republic both in and out of communism. It is interesting how each ideology is seen by its respective proponents as being the answer to all the problems plaguing the world (or something along those lines), yet both aren’t really able to resolve anything, or even if they do, neither is without its problems. While communism here may have deprived Karolina’s family unfairly, they are able to keep a roof over their heads, and Karolina and Romana—in their own ways misfits in society—are able to find a space to live out their dreams, explore their talents. When capitalism returns, the expected opportunities or reparations never really come, and for Karolina, what little she had (in a system she was vocal against) starts to slip away.

Karolina I found was an interesting character; she is indeed a rebel and has a voice—in school under the communist regime, she doesn’t shy away from speaking out about what she thinks has been unfair (much to her teacher’s annoyance, fear even); once she discovers the music of Pink Floyd and others through Arpi, that becomes all she listens to, so much so that she uses it to train at the riding school. Karolina also has a bit of the otherworldly about her, discovering the ability to be able to see other’s ‘souls’—their true natures—which seem to take one or the other peculiar from—even if her own seemingly eludes her, at least for a time. But her feelings, the way she experiences things are to an extent very primal.

Besides Karolina, we also have an interesting ensemble of other characters, whether it is Grandma, who is quite free with her swearing, or the three aunts, each with their individual personalities; Karolina’s mother, who might like having her string of boyfriends, but does care for Karolina; Romana, who has her own set of problems because of which the riding school is a solace to her as well, but whose fate after the capitalist system comes in takes her on a rather unexpected path; Matilda at the riding school who recognises the girls’ talent and helps them hone their skills, but whom the changes in the riding school affect very differently as well; or the very strange Arpi with his love of music but also a rather bizarre fetish.

The writing in some ways was an assault on the senses—blood, gore, snot, smoke, fear, disgust, danger, exhilaration—whether it is things that one ‘sees’ or ‘smells’ or feels, all of it is very raw as it comes across through Karolina’s voice. There are some moments of almost peace (like when Karolina comes across the paddock for the first time), and beauty even, like some descriptions of their vaulting performances. But the rawness, the frequent sexualisation of things was a bit much for my liking.

This rather melancholy novel deals with various themes—from ideology (or rather how it really turns out in practice), to friendships and family relationships (many troubled or tested in their own ways); dreams and their realisation, but also dreams crushed; opportunities found and lost—leaving one much to reflect on. An interesting, though tragic coming of age tale, I think I’d have liked this much better had it been approached a little differently.

3.5 stars

[Amina Khalil · Rating 4 out of 5]

"قالت جدتي إن عليّ أن أنظر إلى عيني كل من أخافه. بعدها لن أشعر بالخوف"

تجربة أولى مع الأدب السلوفاكي، وقد كانت تجربة مميزة للغاية بالرغم من صغر حجم الرواية 👏😍

رواية جميلة ورقيقة ولكنها حزينة، أكثر ما يميزها اللغة الشاعرية، وأسلوب الحكي الذي جاء من منظور طفلة عاشت أحداثًا لا تحتمل، وهي الطفلة كارولينا التي تروي علينا قصتها منذ كانت في بطن أمها حتى وفاتها، نشأت كارولينا في أسرة مع أم شابة، وجدة غير نمطية وأخوات الجدة فقط، لأنه لم يكن هناك وجود للرجال في هذه الأسرة..

"لا أعرف شيئًا عن والدي. ربما أمي هي الأخرى لا تعرف من يكون. لم أر جدي. ولم يكن لي شقيق ولا خال. ببساطة لم يكن هناك وجود للرجال في أسرتنا. كانوا مجرد زوار".

تعرضت الأسرة لأزمة حينما أخذ البلاشفة "الأوغاد" من الجدة حانة كانت تملكها بعد الحرب العالمية الثانية، ثم مات الجدة وساءت أحوالهم المعيشية بعد أن: "أخذ سفلة جشعون منا شقتنا. رغم أنها كانت شقة صغيرة لنساء عجائز".

ثم تعرفت كارولينا على صديقتها الوحيدة رومانا التي عرفت على الخيل ثم تعلمتا سويًا ركوب الخيل ومهارات الرقص عليه، حتى خاضا مسابقات وحصلتا على ميداليات.

كارولينا هي فتاة متمردة، خارجة عن المألوف، حيث لديها قدرة ساحرة على رؤية الوجه الحقيقي لكل من تلقاه، يكفي أن تلقي عليه نظرة متخلفة، فترى فيه كائنًا آخر. فمثًلا رأت جدتها "امرأة من الهنود الحمر بعينين ناريتين"، ورأت في مدرسة الفصل "راهبة"، وفي صديقتها الوحيدة رومانا "محاربة شجاعة"، ولكن الوحيد الذي لم تقدر كارولينا على رؤيته هو ذلك الكائن الساكن في نفسها.

أحببت جدًا علاقة كارولينا بجدتها وكذلك صداقتها مع ورومانا وحبهما للخيل 😍

ترصد الرواية أيضًا التغييرات التي حدثت في أوروبا الشرقية ما بين الشيوعية والرأسمالية، وخاصة في جمهورية تشيكوسلوفاكيا سابقاً، إحدى جمهوريات الاتحاد السوفييتي - حيث عاشت كارولينا الجزء الأهم من حياتها - تحت حكم الشيوعية وكانت حياة صعبة للغاية، وكذلك نشهد التحوّلات التي طرأت على جمهورية سلوفاكيا بعد انهيار الشيوعية والانفصال عن التشيك أيضًا ولكن هل والرأسمالية كانت هي الحل الصحيح.

"حققت أهم نجاح في حياتي في ظل النظام الشيوعي نكتة سخيفة شعرت أنني من المتأمرين تعود أجمل ذكرياتي إلى الفترة التي لا تستحق إلا اللعنة"

"أنا ابنة الحظ العاثر"
……….

[Viv JM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this short coming-of-age story, although it did feel slightly rushed at times, like it would have benefited from being twice as long.

The story begins with an old lady committing suicide by provoking a stallion into trampling her (quite an opening!) and she looks back on her life growing up under communist rule in what was the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The main focus of the story is on her teenage years performing tricks on a horse and her friendship with another girl at the riding school - Romana. It is by turns funny, shocking and touching.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the wonderful array of fleshed out female characters and the focus on women's relationships and friendships.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief and quirky novella with a fable-like feel that explores female lives through the fall of communism in what was Czechoslovakia. This has one of the most arresting openings ever, and Karolina has a strong and distinctive narrative voice. A solitary girl, she find friendship, acceptance and passion at a riding school where she becomes part of a trick riding team. - but, ironically, the liberation from communism and the growth of a capitalist market economy has unexpected outcomes. This could productively have been longer than 80 or so pages but the characterisation of girls and women living restricted lives is done well and Karolina's voice is compelling.

Thanks to Parthian Books for an ARC via NetGalley

[Eslam Sami · Rating 3 out of 5]

رواية جديدة و جريئة، سهلة و مشوقة

[Zuzulivres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Som rada, že som nad Kovalyk po poviedkovej knihe, ktorá ma nebavila, nezlomila "hůl." Toto bolo naozaj výborné, svieži originálny jazyk, veľmi čítavé a netuctové. Mrzí ma len, že to malo málo strán!
Jedna malá poznámka na okraj: v elektronickej verzii je veľa preklepov a chýb ako "s pretekov, nervi, s rúk, zvlykala atď..." Na takej malej ploche too much. Možno v tlačenej nie sú...hm?

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karolina lives in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. To escape difficult home life, she spends time in a riding school and eventually becomes an equestrienne, a performer on a back of a horse. Like everything else after the Velvet Revolution, also Karolina’s life changes drastically.

We swapped our barbed wire cage for one made of gold.

Karolina’s coming-of-age story is quite unusual, sometimes even odd, with a touch of magical realism. There are quite a few content warnings: sexually related content, inappropriate teen behavior, and a brutal opening of the story. In short, Equestrienne is a very well-written novella that I enjoyed a lot.

This book will be available in April. Thanks to Parthian Books for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

[Bagus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translated from the Slovak by Julia and Peter Sherwood, this novella tells the story of Karolína coming of age during the last years of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in the 1980s. It brings the landscape of a small town in the easternmost part of Czechoslovakia where Karolína grew up first with a half-Hungarian grandmother who often curses but actually caring, and later with her own mother after the death of her grandmother, during which frequent visits by her mother’s boyfriends led little Karolína to escape her home to finally stumble in a riding school in the town. There, she befriended Romana, a limp girl whose one leg is shorter than the other, and Matilda, a rider and trainer who helped both Karolína and Romana to overcome their physical limitations.

The story is actually short, but it is packed with actions and fast-paced development. Uršuľa Kovalyk actually begins the story with the moment of Karolína being conceived inside her mom’s womb and her reluctance to be born into the world. The scene looks surreal in my imagination, which continues with the same tones as Karolína describes her childhood life. Life inside the totalitarian society of Czechoslovakia as Karolína describes it is full of limitations. She comes to hate school which force-fed opinions into her and objects to anything the teachers forced her to learn. She turned to ride as her solace, finding it fun to dance along with Sesil, her favourite horse in the riding school. There are occasions when Karolína describes her open rebellions to the system such as her playing Pink Floyd’s LPs during the riding session, as opposed to the government-approved music.

The use of mystical elements in this story is strong, such as Karolína’s eye ability to see the hidden spectre inside each person, which in turn shows her the nature of each person she encounters in life. Her mom, for example, is inhabited by an Indian princess who is always horny, and that’s why she has been taking so many different boyfriends home each day and night to the horror of little Karolína. Whereas, Romana is inhabited by a warrior with a spear, which brings ease to Karolína, to be honest with her and finds herself a person who could understand her as much as her grandmother did. I guess it’s also a subtle reference to the notion of identity in a totalitarian society, where people keep many things to themselves, never to expose their whole personalities for fear of persecution. Karolína’s ability and her consciousness since her birth are signifiers of her clairaudient ability, and also a short rebuke to the way the totalitarian society where she lives treats inanimate objects.

The Velvet Revolution in 1989 and the end of the communist rule in Czechoslovakia supposedly bring a fresh start to Karolína and Romana, especially since they are by nature the rebels of the previous system. But post-communist life was not easy for them. Everything becomes quantified. Money becomes important. The riding school which used to compete for the sake of competing now turns itself into a club attracting sponsors to finance the club in exchange for winning in competitions. The spectre inside each person disappears, with Karolína being left alone to cope up to the changing world where she no longer has any place or any saying to it.

Apart from the coming-of-age story, the novella uses rich vocabularies in its translated version, words that I rarely see in fiction. There are also some phrases in Hungarian, reflecting Karolína’s childhood upbringing among partly Hungarian community, something which I reckon might be a challenge in translating this novella as well. There are not many dialogues and the prose that streams continuously directly from Karolína’s mind in a matter-of-fact way is a joy to read (I’d like to say this novella is un-put-down-able, but perhaps that’s too much hyperbole!). I guess everyone with unhappy childhood will be able to enjoy and relate to the story (too close to home?). Many thanks to Parthian Books for keeping publishing underrated European literature in English translation.

[LindaJ^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very short book is probably more appropriately classified as a novella than an novel. In its English translation it is only 80 pages. It is a sweet but sad story.

The book starts and ends with an old woman killing herself. In between are the woman's reflections on her youth. She remembers her birth, her Granny, her mother, and growing up - at least until about age 16. She has a special talent - when she looks at people she can see their soul. Her mother is an Indian (from India) princess; her friend Romana is a warrior. Live is tough in communist Czechoslovakia. Granny and her now-deceased husband had their tavern taken from them in 1948 - they were the bourgeois. Granny and Karolina are close, but Granny dies and Karolina and her mother have to move to a new, smaller, apartment in one of the new communist-built buildings. Karolina is bullied in school and hates the men her mother brings home. She leaves home intending to run away but instead ends up at a riding school where she makes friends with a girl about her age - Romana - who has one leg that is shorter than the other and whose father beats her when drunk. Riding instructor Matilda takes Romana and Karolina under her wing and teaches them acrobatic riding. They succeed beyond their imagining.

But then things change. Czechoslovakia disappears and Slovenia and the Czech Republic become separate countries. Karolina and her mother has great hope for the future. But life is not kind to Karolina and her mother.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read about the bullied daughter of a slutty single mother growing up in Czechoslovakia in the years before the Velvet Revolution and also after. Karolina happens upon a horse, a stable and an equally bullied new friend, Ramona, and her life changes forever. Both girls learn to ride and then learn trick-riding and they compete internationally. Everything changes after the revolution and not in the ways that Karolina had hoped for.

This is a quick and satisfying slice of a time now gone. I enjoyed the book and enjoyed Karolina's voice except for one irritating thing, and it could have been the translation: the short sentences, especially in the beginning, are relentless in their monotony. I nearly stopped reading because it became so tedious but the story details made me persevere. After awhile, I forced myself to ignore the punctuation and just read the words.
#netgalley

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable look at a young girl growing up in the former Czechoslovakia who finds her place in the world performing tricks on horseback. A good example of some of the downsides to many at the end of communism as everyday stability is lost and the nomenklatura just pivots towards capitalism retaining their power and influence anyway. It’s a short book and in the end just felt a little bit too slight for me although for those who have read less about this period and part of the world, maybe that will be less of a problem as it provides an interesting but brief snapshot to whet further interest.

[Fajr · Rating 4 out of 5]

"قالت جدتي إن علي أن أنظر إلى عيني كل من أخافه. بعدها لن أشعر بالخوف".

تجربة أولى مع الأدب السلوفاكي، رواية رقيقة ممتعة، تميز أسلوبها بالسلاسة.
كارولينا فتاة صغيرة معتلة الجسد، لكنها تمتلك قوى خفية، تستطيع إبصار الكائن الحقيقي داخل كل شخص، ترى داخل أحدهم محاربًا وبداخل الآخر أسماكًا ميتة.
تروي قصتها منذ أن كانت في رحم أمها حتى موتها، تعيش مع جدتها وأمها، لا رجال في حياتها فهي لا تعلم أين والدها وقالت إن أمها أيضًا لا تعلم، نرى عدم حبها للدراسة ومحاولتها للتمرد على الحياة الرتيبة مع أمها، تتعرف على رومانا صاحبة الحياة البائسة، تتشاركان حكايتهما وتبدآن في التمرن على ركوب الخيل معًا، تحب الخيل حتى تحترفه، وتتغير حياتها من بعد ذلك إلى الأبد.
تظهر الرواية أ��ضًا الحياة في سلوفاكيا في ظل الحكم الشيوعي وكيف أثر ذلك على كارولينا وعائلتها، وماذا حدث لهم أيضًا بعد سقوطه وتوغل الحياة المادية.

أحببت شخصية الجدة خفيفة الظل، أحببت كارولينا وتعاطفت معها وحزنت لنهايتها، أحببت الخيل سيسل ووصفها لجسده وحركاته ولإحساسها حينما تعتليه. الترجمة كانت أكثر من جيدة، استمتعت بالرحلة.

[Hasnaa Ramadan · Rating 3 out of 5]

كانت الروايه تسير بهدوء وواقعيه، فتاه عاديه تشبهني وتشبه مئات الفتيات اللاتي امتلكن وهج ما ثم انطفئ.
حدث عادي يتكرر كثيرا دون ان تتوقف الحياة او نلتفت لما حدث .
اثناء قراءتي للروايه كانت ملامحي ساكنة رغم ان المعزوفه الخامسه لبرامس كانت تدب بداخلي وتحرقني كما تفعل دائما على مهل وكلما تذكرت الروايه اقسم ان برامس يقلبني علي نار معزوفته مجددا .
الحقيقة انها قصه فتاه بسيطه، بائسه نعرفها ونراها كل يوم.
لقد اصابتني هذه الروايه بالذعر حقا،ماتت كارولينا عند سن الثامنة عشر ومات حبيبها أربي عندما تسول منها المال سكيرا مشردا ثم توارى في الظلام إلي الأبد ولكنها دفنت عجوز، يا إلهي كم تخيفني هذه الفكره..أن تبقى روحا ميته حبيسه جسدا حي حتي يتهالك!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual and surprisingly compelling coming-of-age tale set in a small Czechoslovakian town in the last days of the Soviet Union. In just 80 pages the author packs a lot in, a marvel of an economical and condensed style of writing where very word counts and brevity doesn’t exclude depth. Karolina is a young teenager whose life changes completely when she comes across a riding school on the edge of town and befriends one of the girls who works there. Together they develop an act as trick riders, equestriennes, and go on to fame and glory. But when the Soviet Union collapses in 1989 and capitalism takes over, suddenly the girls’ world collapses along with totalitarian rule. The novel explores what it was like growing up in socialist Czechoslovakia and daily life in all its mundane detail is vividly evoked. The Soviet Union isn’t glorified but the reader is reminded that some people thrived under the repressive regime and that the ground was torn from under their feet when that regime collapsed. Socialism enabled Karolina to achieve her dreams. Capitalism wrecked them. It’s a powerful novella, with fully rounded characters, convincing dialogue, well-paced and with a convincing storyline. Highly recommended.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Around the World: Slovakia

This was an odd little book about a girl during the time of Soviet rule in their country who falls in love with horses and to get away from her love-crazy mother, learns to become a trick rider and vaulter. It starts very sad and ends very sad and overall is a very weird little story.
That said, it wasn't a bad story - I read it over the course of an evening and it kept me engaged and there were parts that were really interesting. It was too short to really get invested in any of the characters [even the MC], but the the time you have with them all is crammed full of all the author could give you. Of all the recent Soviet-era books I have recently read [and disliked], this is by far the best and most readable.

I will say that I am learning I prefer the Russian classics over these newer reads - there is less language and vulgarity [oh my gosh there is so much vulgarity in these newer book, though I will say there is less here than the last one I read] and the writing is much more fluid and gorgeous and
I am drawn into the story much faster. I realize it is just my preference and I am glad to have the opportunity to learn what I really like and what I really do not like.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ursula Kovalyk, Julie and Peter Sherwood [Translators] and Parthain Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the 1980's in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Karolina is a teenager who has been brought up by her Hungarian grandmother and mother in a fairly unconventional manner. When her grandmother dies, she and her mother are forced to move to a new development outside the town where she stumbles on horse riding stables. She befriends Romana, another outcast, but soon the girls become part of a successful trick riding team. But the fall of the Iron Curtain will change not only their country, but also the rising school and their future. I enjoyed the insight into the time period and Karolina is a well-drawn complex character in this coming-of-age novella.

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toto je moj sialok kavy

"Mama si v kupelni cesala vlasy. Sla si trocha pozurovat, lebo ma konecne prestala kojit. Vraj si nasla nejakeho uja. Babca ju napominala, aby si davala bacha, lebo rozvedeni chlapi vedia byt pekne kurvy. Lenze mama ju zahriakla, aby predo mnou tolko nenadavala. Babca vteda vybehla z kuchyne, mavala sitkom na rezance a kricala: 'Dragam, v mojom byte mi nikto nebude rozkazovat!'
V nasej rodine najviac nadavala ona. Mala teoriu, ze slobodne nadavanie je zdrave, a kym to robi doma, je to jej vec. Tvrdila, ze kto si nevie poriadne zanadavat, akoby sa nevedel vysrat. A skor ci neskor umrie na zapchu."

[amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how to word it, but it's a very graphic book, and I feel like that adds nothing to the book. I really wanted to like this, and I did certain bits, but other bits made me feel gross. I only finished it because it was a short book, I couldn't have read 300 pages of this.

[Danah · Rating 1 out of 5]

مضيعة للوقت ..

[Theo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not 100% sure how best to review this, so I'm going to go ahead and give it a solid 3 stars.

This brief story follows the character Karolína as she comes of age in the 80s, in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. From the standpoint of historical fiction, it proved to be a very interesting glimpse into what life was like for our main characters, especially as the regime fell apart and transitioned away from totalitarian rule, and seeing the way that shift impacted the various characters.

However, there was also a side plot of sorts about Karolína being able to see into people's souls and see who they were on the inside, and that bit was very weird. A lot of the "inner people" that Karolína saw felt a lot like caricatures, and I'm not quite sure what the point of it was or what was trying to be said there, or if it just somehow went over my head.

There was also a lot of bizarre and explicit sexual content throughout this story that I didn't expect to be there going into it.

I'd say the biggest content warnings to keep note of are the sexual content, lots of drug/alcohol use and abuse, parental abuse, and sexual assault/harassment.

[LilyRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Equestrienne by Uršula Kovalyk is a vibrant and powerful short novel. In 1984, a small town in the east of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Karolína is growing up in the company of her mother and her many boyfriends and her grandmother. Karolína discovers a riding school on the edge of town and it is here she befriends Romana, a girl who has on leg shorter than the other and possesses a fierce bravery. Matilda is a rider and becomes their trainer helping the girls to become fearless riders and form a small competitive trick riding team. For Karolína she finds her world expand and explode as she reaches new heights and powers astride her horse performing to an audience. This book translated from Slovak is sharp, acidic, humorous, moving and buzzing with energy. It paints the portrait of a girl coming of age against the backdrop of revolution with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 and the arrival of capitalism. Karolína finds friendship and freedom but also discovers greed and the dark side of power. I wish the book had been even more in-depth and felt it ended abruptly, I finished with the feeling there was more of Karolína’s story waiting to be told. This book is perfect for fans of short literary fiction. 3.5 Stars ✨.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 2.5 stars for me.

I don't know if it's the translation or where my head is at but I feel like I struggled to understand this story. To me the description doesn't align with what I read as closely as I expected. Maybe there's things that I missed, but I'd describe this as a story with magical realism, but it also ended so quickly and early it didn't really deliver on what I was expecting. I also understand that this book isn't contemporary and takes place in the 80s, but there's offensive words used to describe people that I wasn't expecting.

The story its self is interesting. It delves into places I wasn't expecting and has some turns to it.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit this book absolutely wrecked me. I was not expecting to be sobbing at a story this morning, but I was. A deceptively simple tale but told with a lot of heart. The writing is superb and nothing is out of place or feels unnecessary. Kudos to the author and editor, as well as the translators. I now want to read everything Ursula Kovalyk has written.

[عبدالعزيز زايد · Rating 3 out of 5]

رواية راقصة الخيل
للروائي: أورشولا كوفاليك

ربما تروق أكثر للنساء، الرواية تسرد حكاية راقصة الخيل منذ طفولتها، تروق للبعض ولا تروق لآخرين، بشكل عام جيدة،
نتطلع لمطالعة كتاب آخر للمؤلف.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child and then young woman living in a poor community in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, an elderly and tired Karolina reflects on her experiences growing up. The roles of women and class on top of understanding a changing female body are wrapped up in a unique experience of being a part of a female trick riding team. Friends and family, love and betrayal are all examined before and after the Iron Curtain falls. Heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. 4 starts

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uršulu Kovalyk oficiálne zaradzujem medzi bohyne súčasnej slovenskej feministickej prózy!

[Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

الوقوع في حب رياضة او استكشاف موهبة في الصغر يجعلك متقدما عن الجميع تقريبا . وخاصة الشغف وهي قصة هذه الرواية
فتنت الفتاة بحب الخيل و أقبلت على الرياضة بنهم و رغبة في الإبداع لدرجة الوصول إلى الكمال
رواية جميلة محزنة قليلا في النهاية لكنها منطقية
قصيرة لكن مليئة بالفواصل المعبرة