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A Small Country about to Vanish
Alternate cover for ASIN: B00YFCRVF6
"A most remarkable homage to things Israeli, things Jewish, things human, and the love and honesty it takes to face down a country gone awry, a people prone to remembering and forgetting, a heart that knows true love and therefore knows its absence.
A Small Country About To Vanish is love's survival story, between the author and her country of Israel, between Shelli and Rona, between a mother and her children, between a husband and wife. In many ways, Israel's story is reflected in Eithan's who finds himself ultimately alone and unloved in a sea of condemnation.
Avilan, speaking directly to her beloved country, is saying, "I love you enough to speak truth as I see it." Avilan writes about Israel with the love and pain stemming from the realization that not all that we love is perfect, but we can't help loving it, or him, or her.
This book almost reads itself, so sure-footed is the pacing, the ease of being drawn in despite some unease about what is written; I admire the way the author does not intrude on her characters (and thus her readers) with the pointed finger of too much message forcibly delivered. A reader's ease and ability to identify with each main character is to have witnessed Avilan's magic literary show.
As a reader, one leans into this character or that one, or all of them, as readily as one turns the pages. One of the hallmarks of a well-designed and well-written story, for me, is whether the characters stay with me long after the book is done. Do they ever! Read this book at your own peril and your own pleasure because it will make you feel. And you will remember the people from A Small Country About to Vanish."
By Historical Romance author T. T. Thomas.
"A most remarkable homage to things Israeli, things Jewish, things human, and the love and honesty it takes to face down a country gone awry, a people prone to remembering and forgetting, a heart that knows true love and therefore knows its absence.
A Small Country About To Vanish is love's survival story, between the author and her country of Israel, between Shelli and Rona, between a mother and her children, between a husband and wife. In many ways, Israel's story is reflected in Eithan's who finds himself ultimately alone and unloved in a sea of condemnation.
Avilan, speaking directly to her beloved country, is saying, "I love you enough to speak truth as I see it." Avilan writes about Israel with the love and pain stemming from the realization that not all that we love is perfect, but we can't help loving it, or him, or her.
This book almost reads itself, so sure-footed is the pacing, the ease of being drawn in despite some unease about what is written; I admire the way the author does not intrude on her characters (and thus her readers) with the pointed finger of too much message forcibly delivered. A reader's ease and ability to identify with each main character is to have witnessed Avilan's magic literary show.
As a reader, one leans into this character or that one, or all of them, as readily as one turns the pages. One of the hallmarks of a well-designed and well-written story, for me, is whether the characters stay with me long after the book is done. Do they ever! Read this book at your own peril and your own pleasure because it will make you feel. And you will remember the people from A Small Country About to Vanish."
By Historical Romance author T. T. Thomas.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2015
99 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Avilan
8 books29 followersAward winning author Victoria Avilan was born in Israel, where she learned art from her mother, and cared for sick NICU babies as a military nurse. She studied creative writing at UCLA with Australian author Claire McNab. She lives in Southern California with her wife and their Cocker Spaniels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
June 22, 2015
Love in the Time of Passions and Paradox
“The Moonlight Sonata” envelops me again, and my mind follows its slow progression, returning me to a land so small and hungry, it devours its inhabitants, first sheltering them, then soaking in their blood. Devouring, yet growing ever smaller.”
Thus begins a most remarkable homage to things Israeli, things Jewish, things human…and the love and honesty it takes to face down a country gone awry, a people prone to remembering and forgetting, a heart that knows true love and therefore knows its absence.
A Small Country About To Vanish is love’s survival story, between the author and her country of Israel, between Shelli and Rona, between a mother and her children, between a husband and wife. In many ways, Israel’s story is reflected in Eithan's who finds himself ultimately alone and unloved in a sea of condemnation.
The daily painful reminders of how family can disintegrate faster than any country on the planet, and how family is the everyman’s crowning achievement, is an Avilan triumph of both subtle and conspicuous literary point/counterpoint. The characters must make choices that tear and pull at the fabric that holds their identity together.
Each character finds the thrill of first love. As both Eithan and Shelli touch fingers when they simultaneously reach for the abundant bounty inside Rona’s unsnapped bra, each descends into the illusion of control, loss and survival.
Rona plays classical piano, and Shelli follows her keystroke fingering with avid attention. She builds a fantasy around Rona’s talent, leadership and outgoing personality in much the same way Rona builds one around Shelli’s quietly passionate inquiries and interests. A reader’s can’t-look-away horror grows as one senses that what, or who, pushes the two young women apart is matched only by the gleeful horror of witnessing Eithan’s later undoing. They all come undone in different ways, and this novel is a page-turner of anticipation.
For Rona, Eithan acts as a safety net against all things frightening, a metaphor for the state of Israel as a safe haven for the persecuted Jews. Alas, his very presence threatens Shelli’s life.
Early in the story, we see the intersection between Shelli’s fascination with the author known as Ka-Tsetnik 135633, an Auschwitz survivor who gained huge post-Holocaust fame by writing what many consider a litany of pulp-like fiction featuring the grotesque torture, sexual deviancy and inhuman treatment of Jews and other minorities in the concentration camps.
The ugly truths of poignant scenarios tinged with sexualized memories resonate with Shelli, who finds disloyalty in Rona. For her part, Rona seeks to protect her future by distancing herself from Shelli’s affections and feelings.
This is a tense, taut and shocking study of freedom. Freedom to love, to live, to remember or forget how one obtained and lost those freedoms. The dialog is unerringly realistic, the character development thorough and satisfying. While this is largely a story of love between two women that crosses decades of time, geography and values, it is not solely that kind of story. Eithan is not a bad guy; he just a guy, and a familiar trope Israeli guy at that—supremely confident, secretive, sexual, brilliant and energizing.
And in the personage of Eithan, Avilan, like Ka-Tsetnik before her, delivers a masterful display of paradox. As with Israel, Eithan’s very qualities portend his undoing. As with Israel, Rona’s magnificent and sensitive musical talent informs her public bravura turned bravado by a certain flippant disregard for consequences and perceptions. And, as with Israel, Shelli’s compulsive need to read everything she can about the Shoah is reflected in her destiny.
Avilan, speaking directly to her beloved country, is saying, “I love you enough to speak truth as I see it.” Avilan writes about Israel with the love and pain stemming from the realization that not all that we love is perfect, but we can’t help loving it, or him, or her.
This book almost reads itself, so sure-footed is the pacing, the ease of being drawn in despite some unease about what is written; I admire the way the author does not intrude on her characters (and thus her readers) with the pointed finger of too much message forcibly delivered. A reader’s ease and ability to identify with each main character is to have witnessed Avilan’s magic literary show.
As a reader, one leans into this character or that one, or all of them, as readily as one turns the pages. One of the hallmarks of a well-designed and well-written story, for me, is whether the characters stay with me long after the book is done. Do they ever! Read this book at your own peril and your own pleasure because it will make you feel. And you will remember the people from A Small Country About to Vanish.
“The Moonlight Sonata” envelops me again, and my mind follows its slow progression, returning me to a land so small and hungry, it devours its inhabitants, first sheltering them, then soaking in their blood. Devouring, yet growing ever smaller.”
Thus begins a most remarkable homage to things Israeli, things Jewish, things human…and the love and honesty it takes to face down a country gone awry, a people prone to remembering and forgetting, a heart that knows true love and therefore knows its absence.
A Small Country About To Vanish is love’s survival story, between the author and her country of Israel, between Shelli and Rona, between a mother and her children, between a husband and wife. In many ways, Israel’s story is reflected in Eithan's who finds himself ultimately alone and unloved in a sea of condemnation.
The daily painful reminders of how family can disintegrate faster than any country on the planet, and how family is the everyman’s crowning achievement, is an Avilan triumph of both subtle and conspicuous literary point/counterpoint. The characters must make choices that tear and pull at the fabric that holds their identity together.
Each character finds the thrill of first love. As both Eithan and Shelli touch fingers when they simultaneously reach for the abundant bounty inside Rona’s unsnapped bra, each descends into the illusion of control, loss and survival.
Rona plays classical piano, and Shelli follows her keystroke fingering with avid attention. She builds a fantasy around Rona’s talent, leadership and outgoing personality in much the same way Rona builds one around Shelli’s quietly passionate inquiries and interests. A reader’s can’t-look-away horror grows as one senses that what, or who, pushes the two young women apart is matched only by the gleeful horror of witnessing Eithan’s later undoing. They all come undone in different ways, and this novel is a page-turner of anticipation.
For Rona, Eithan acts as a safety net against all things frightening, a metaphor for the state of Israel as a safe haven for the persecuted Jews. Alas, his very presence threatens Shelli’s life.
Early in the story, we see the intersection between Shelli’s fascination with the author known as Ka-Tsetnik 135633, an Auschwitz survivor who gained huge post-Holocaust fame by writing what many consider a litany of pulp-like fiction featuring the grotesque torture, sexual deviancy and inhuman treatment of Jews and other minorities in the concentration camps.
The ugly truths of poignant scenarios tinged with sexualized memories resonate with Shelli, who finds disloyalty in Rona. For her part, Rona seeks to protect her future by distancing herself from Shelli’s affections and feelings.
This is a tense, taut and shocking study of freedom. Freedom to love, to live, to remember or forget how one obtained and lost those freedoms. The dialog is unerringly realistic, the character development thorough and satisfying. While this is largely a story of love between two women that crosses decades of time, geography and values, it is not solely that kind of story. Eithan is not a bad guy; he just a guy, and a familiar trope Israeli guy at that—supremely confident, secretive, sexual, brilliant and energizing.
And in the personage of Eithan, Avilan, like Ka-Tsetnik before her, delivers a masterful display of paradox. As with Israel, Eithan’s very qualities portend his undoing. As with Israel, Rona’s magnificent and sensitive musical talent informs her public bravura turned bravado by a certain flippant disregard for consequences and perceptions. And, as with Israel, Shelli’s compulsive need to read everything she can about the Shoah is reflected in her destiny.
Avilan, speaking directly to her beloved country, is saying, “I love you enough to speak truth as I see it.” Avilan writes about Israel with the love and pain stemming from the realization that not all that we love is perfect, but we can’t help loving it, or him, or her.
This book almost reads itself, so sure-footed is the pacing, the ease of being drawn in despite some unease about what is written; I admire the way the author does not intrude on her characters (and thus her readers) with the pointed finger of too much message forcibly delivered. A reader’s ease and ability to identify with each main character is to have witnessed Avilan’s magic literary show.
As a reader, one leans into this character or that one, or all of them, as readily as one turns the pages. One of the hallmarks of a well-designed and well-written story, for me, is whether the characters stay with me long after the book is done. Do they ever! Read this book at your own peril and your own pleasure because it will make you feel. And you will remember the people from A Small Country About to Vanish.
June 25, 2015
Impressive
I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book based on the cover and what I had heard about it. I figured it would be deep and dark. HOWEVER, I know and am impressed by Ms Avilan and her book ‘The Art of Peeling an Orange’ was extraordinary so knew this would be a quality read.
I was very, very pleased. There was some dark an d heavy parts but they truly belonged in the story. They helped to make this novel even more fantastic. This tale was thoughtful, emotional, frightening and the ending a surprising and really a new beginning in many ways.
The story started with Shelli's POV but after a bitter betrayal it then focused mostly on Rona's life. Both characters were well written and very easy to sympathize and identify with. I would have liked to know more of Shelli went through in the years after after Rona broke her heart, but there were a few hints. I do get the pleasure of imagining her story in my head.
This story was incredibly well written, it was...like a hearty stew on a bitter cold winters night. It fed my heart and mind. And like the water of a clear, babbling stream on a summers day it soothed my soul as things that could cause pain and horror were handled with kid gloves. This saga really opened my eyes about so many things I never gave much thought to but it was good to have this knowledge.
I suggest you set aside a few hours to read this novel. I inhaled every word and could not bear to set it down even long enough to feed my creatures. My partner had to scrounge for her supper because I was so immersed, I totally forgot about food and almost everything else.
I was blown away. Poor choice of words as you will see, perhaps I should have said dazzled by both of Ms Avilan's books and am waiting with baited breath for the next one.
*DISCLAIMER: There is some sex in the book but it is a VERY small part of the book. While Ms. Avilan is a lesbian, this book has a a male/female sex scene and hints at lesbianism.
I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book based on the cover and what I had heard about it. I figured it would be deep and dark. HOWEVER, I know and am impressed by Ms Avilan and her book ‘The Art of Peeling an Orange’ was extraordinary so knew this would be a quality read.
I was very, very pleased. There was some dark an d heavy parts but they truly belonged in the story. They helped to make this novel even more fantastic. This tale was thoughtful, emotional, frightening and the ending a surprising and really a new beginning in many ways.
The story started with Shelli's POV but after a bitter betrayal it then focused mostly on Rona's life. Both characters were well written and very easy to sympathize and identify with. I would have liked to know more of Shelli went through in the years after after Rona broke her heart, but there were a few hints. I do get the pleasure of imagining her story in my head.
This story was incredibly well written, it was...like a hearty stew on a bitter cold winters night. It fed my heart and mind. And like the water of a clear, babbling stream on a summers day it soothed my soul as things that could cause pain and horror were handled with kid gloves. This saga really opened my eyes about so many things I never gave much thought to but it was good to have this knowledge.
I suggest you set aside a few hours to read this novel. I inhaled every word and could not bear to set it down even long enough to feed my creatures. My partner had to scrounge for her supper because I was so immersed, I totally forgot about food and almost everything else.
I was blown away. Poor choice of words as you will see, perhaps I should have said dazzled by both of Ms Avilan's books and am waiting with baited breath for the next one.
*DISCLAIMER: There is some sex in the book but it is a VERY small part of the book. While Ms. Avilan is a lesbian, this book has a a male/female sex scene and hints at lesbianism.
October 25, 2016
The writing style I can best sum up by calling it delicious. The descriptors of the Israeli Jew, Israel, politics, love, loss are absolutely gorgeous, even when tragic. For all the beauty of the book, I had a bit of a problem with all of the convenient coincidences that help drive the story forward. It takes away from the realism and turns it almost to a fairy tale. The ending could have been quite a bit stronger as well, but overall an enjoyable read.
February 26, 2016
I want more!
I actually want more of Rona and Shelli, when they were younger, and as adults. I love their voices, and how different they are from one another.
It was really interesting to read about Israel in the two different times. Especially because I'm born and raised, a California kid. I want more now.
I actually want more of Rona and Shelli, when they were younger, and as adults. I love their voices, and how different they are from one another.
It was really interesting to read about Israel in the two different times. Especially because I'm born and raised, a California kid. I want more now.
December 31, 2016
It's an amazing book. There's so much about modern Israel I know nothing about. I only know about the other side, Jews in Europe, growing antisemitism in Eastern Europe, hiding your Jewish roots in some of the Eastern European countries because of fear.... Thank you for this book. I won't forget it anytime soon.
February 5, 2021
4.5 stars.
This book describes beautifully the conflicts, fears and mentality in israel. The writing is captivating and emotional. I loved Shelly, understood Rona's struggles, appreciated all of the other characters' POV's.
This is a re-read for me.
This book describes beautifully the conflicts, fears and mentality in israel. The writing is captivating and emotional. I loved Shelly, understood Rona's struggles, appreciated all of the other characters' POV's.
This is a re-read for me.
June 27, 2015
'A Small Country about to Vanish' by Victoria Avilan is another success! It's a beautiful, very well-written story by a talented author that deserves a place at the top. I already enjoyed her debut novel so I knew this one too would be well worth my time.
I loved it and found myself engrossed in it! I also grown more insightful in the background and politics of Israel and its people.
It's mainly a story of obsession, longing, emotion, rebellion and ofcourse love in all its aspects: love between men and women and the roles they play, two women who grow up together and lose touch, love for a country (past and future and all it's troubles and complexities),and love for piano music and opera (Moonlight Serenade and Tristan and Isolde!)
The love and destiny between Rona and Shelli was described delicately and I could feel the pining of Shelli for Rona. In fact the characters are described so vividly it's easy to feel for all of them and picture oneself in Israel and Los Angeles where the novel is featured.
Rona was portrayed really well and it's mainly we get to see through her eyes when she is older and the life she finds herself in.
I would highly recommend this incredible page-turner!
I loved it and found myself engrossed in it! I also grown more insightful in the background and politics of Israel and its people.
It's mainly a story of obsession, longing, emotion, rebellion and ofcourse love in all its aspects: love between men and women and the roles they play, two women who grow up together and lose touch, love for a country (past and future and all it's troubles and complexities),and love for piano music and opera (Moonlight Serenade and Tristan and Isolde!)
The love and destiny between Rona and Shelli was described delicately and I could feel the pining of Shelli for Rona. In fact the characters are described so vividly it's easy to feel for all of them and picture oneself in Israel and Los Angeles where the novel is featured.
Rona was portrayed really well and it's mainly we get to see through her eyes when she is older and the life she finds herself in.
I would highly recommend this incredible page-turner!
February 11, 2018
I love the beginning, those first chapters that manage to seeming effortlessly oscillate between drab realism and romance. I wasn't terribly taken with the middle part and the pornographic detail in which the author recounts to us Eithan's acts of adultery. I fail to see a point there, and it marred the otherwise lovely storytelling needless, strictly in my opinion. Luckyly the story picks up again afterwards, even if we have to allow for some major coincidents to happen.
It's hard for me to see why Rona feels she is is in love with Eithan in the first place, to be honest, as most of the time we see him acting like a self-absorbed asshole against her.
It's him and his needs, and never a word or thought of what Rona might want or need.
What threw me towards the end of the book, is Shelli using a purely Christian exclamation "She found Jesus?", when Rona tells her how her first daughter caught Religion. Even allowing for it to be a very typical American expression, it just doesn't sound to me like something a Jew would use. To my understanding of their Religion, same as with Muslims, Jesus doesn't play an important role to them.
It's hard for me to see why Rona feels she is is in love with Eithan in the first place, to be honest, as most of the time we see him acting like a self-absorbed asshole against her.
It's him and his needs, and never a word or thought of what Rona might want or need.
What threw me towards the end of the book, is Shelli using a purely Christian exclamation "She found Jesus?", when Rona tells her how her first daughter caught Religion. Even allowing for it to be a very typical American expression, it just doesn't sound to me like something a Jew would use. To my understanding of their Religion, same as with Muslims, Jesus doesn't play an important role to them.
December 27, 2017
Read this book for Sapphicathon after hearing it centered around an f/f relationship, which was not entirely accurate. Mostly it's the story of a small group of people and their relationships with each other and with their country, Israel. I was not deceived, though. Two of the leads--Shelli and Rona--have a connection spanning back years, from experimentation back when they were girls to the modern day, where they are estranged but still think of each other and how they largely shaped each other's lives and viewpoints.
I love both the women. The third major character, Eithan, is Rona's husband, and I loved him a bit less. But I do think all three of their viewpoints are necessary to show a complex view of Israel and the Jewish people, which is the heart of this book. And through these three characters and their children we see how people love each other and hurt each other, how the country they live in is shaped by the past, and how history repeats itself on a scale both world-wide and intimate.
This is a book I may have to reread.
I love both the women. The third major character, Eithan, is Rona's husband, and I loved him a bit less. But I do think all three of their viewpoints are necessary to show a complex view of Israel and the Jewish people, which is the heart of this book. And through these three characters and their children we see how people love each other and hurt each other, how the country they live in is shaped by the past, and how history repeats itself on a scale both world-wide and intimate.
This is a book I may have to reread.
October 5, 2016
Hard to choose between four and five stars for this one. The characters and plot were very well done, neatly folding in the themes of history repeating itself in one of the main characters' daughters. However, there was just something about the writing style that took away from the story for me. Sometimes it was difficult to tell which POV was speaking, and I felt the pacing was a little skewed, more time spent on describing settings than on meaningful conversations. Otherwise, this was an amazing book and I look forward to reading more by the author.
February 14, 2016
For me this was just the ultimate romance story. It had everything a perfect romance should have but without the clichés and with lesbian leads.
It was sincere, beautiful, almost poetic, maybe to some it could seem a little bit one-sided politically but any honest story would be. I felt like I got a snapshot into these lives in a country I knew nothing about, so, I didn't have any expectations. I loved it and will probably read it again someday.
It was sincere, beautiful, almost poetic, maybe to some it could seem a little bit one-sided politically but any honest story would be. I felt like I got a snapshot into these lives in a country I knew nothing about, so, I didn't have any expectations. I loved it and will probably read it again someday.
April 18, 2016
A truly moving novel of lost love set against the turmoil of Israeli politics. Complex characterizations and intriguing premise that was a pleasure to read. Some issues with the ending, could have been better fleshed out but the writing was top notch!
Full review can be found at Curve Magazine
Full review can be found at Curve Magazine
December 3, 2019
This story is about the lives of two women, Shelli Kahana and Rona Lubliner, childhood friends, who grew up in Israel. It covers a long span of time and will sometimes go back and forth. It is told from one point of view in the first person for one of the protagonists and in the third for the other. An incident happens that affects both women deeply. It takes place in Israel and California.
Shelli is independent and does her own thing, not caring what others think. She has a love/hate relationship with her best friend, Rona, and often envies her. Shelli also has an attraction to Rona's mother, Eva. Eva represented a facet of motherhood that her own mother didn't have. Shelli spends her time reading books on the holocaust, searching for answers as to why people didn't escape when the first signs were released. However, I feel the story lacks a bit of Shelli's development. I would have liked to know more about her.
Rona loves to argue Israeli politics with her friends. She married young to her high school sweetheart and now lives a lavish life. At the same time, she is frugal when buying certain things. She often thinks of Shelli, sometimes with regret. She uses food as a comfort. In her youth, she studied piano and still plays to this day. Her social network consists of a group of her childhood friends.
There are several other pov's which I found to be a distraction in the story. These are supporting characters.
There are graphic scenes in the book because there is a war going on in Israel. This is a bit frightening. The reader is informed about the reality of what is going on over in the middle east, the fear the people hold on a daily basis, not knowing whether they or a loved one will get killed in a bombing. I found myself shivering in one scene.
There is plenty of sex in the book. Beware, there is a reference to straight sex in the book and a few choice words are used.
This book is moderately paced with good descriptions. The story is medium length and will take you a few hours to read. Enjoy.
Shelli is independent and does her own thing, not caring what others think. She has a love/hate relationship with her best friend, Rona, and often envies her. Shelli also has an attraction to Rona's mother, Eva. Eva represented a facet of motherhood that her own mother didn't have. Shelli spends her time reading books on the holocaust, searching for answers as to why people didn't escape when the first signs were released. However, I feel the story lacks a bit of Shelli's development. I would have liked to know more about her.
Rona loves to argue Israeli politics with her friends. She married young to her high school sweetheart and now lives a lavish life. At the same time, she is frugal when buying certain things. She often thinks of Shelli, sometimes with regret. She uses food as a comfort. In her youth, she studied piano and still plays to this day. Her social network consists of a group of her childhood friends.
There are several other pov's which I found to be a distraction in the story. These are supporting characters.
There are graphic scenes in the book because there is a war going on in Israel. This is a bit frightening. The reader is informed about the reality of what is going on over in the middle east, the fear the people hold on a daily basis, not knowing whether they or a loved one will get killed in a bombing. I found myself shivering in one scene.
There is plenty of sex in the book. Beware, there is a reference to straight sex in the book and a few choice words are used.
This book is moderately paced with good descriptions. The story is medium length and will take you a few hours to read. Enjoy.
March 4, 2025
It amazes me how a fictional story can become even more relevant after years since it was published.
I felt seen, the complicated feelings Rona have because her political opinion doesn't fit with the opinions of the ones surrounding her.
The story describes very well the daily life in Israel, and I loved it.
I felt seen, the complicated feelings Rona have because her political opinion doesn't fit with the opinions of the ones surrounding her.
The story describes very well the daily life in Israel, and I loved it.
October 10, 2017
I had never read a book set in Israel and thought it was interesting to read about a country that I will probably never get to visit. I think I would have liked this book more if it was a little longer and we could have seen more of Rona and Shelli when they were younger. Good book.
December 6, 2018
This one was unexpected. I enjoyed the story of Shelli and Rona, although it focused far more on Rona than Shelli. Israel, the plight of the Jews, the holocaust are not topics that I normally read about so it was interesting to read about children of holocaust survivors and the political struggles of Israel. Of course I hear in the news about suicide bombers but the book did an excellent job of showing what it is like to live in such an environment.
July 9, 2018
Beautifully written tale with vivid, rich characters. Loved it.
May 29, 2017
I'm gonna give this five stars although honestly, it was pretty weird.
December 29, 2016
I read the book at a time when our greatest mistake in politics interfered with the current Presidents foreign policy with Israel.
The book is a story of life and coming of age for two young girls. It then moves on to tell of the two in adulthood. The storyline showed the impact of growing up with quilt and the feeling of loss. I enjoyed the minimally invasive political views which I believe may be the authors true opinion of the Jewish State..
The book is a story of life and coming of age for two young girls. It then moves on to tell of the two in adulthood. The storyline showed the impact of growing up with quilt and the feeling of loss. I enjoyed the minimally invasive political views which I believe may be the authors true opinion of the Jewish State..
July 15, 2019
A Small Country About to Vanish [Kindle Unlimited] -- Victoria Avilan (30 chapters) June 17-19, 2019
When I started to read this book, it was after having read a series of kid’s fix and I wasn’t sure I was ready to read something more literary. But I kept on reading and found myself really getting hooked into the story.
This is about a friendship that seems onside that gets badly off the rails and ends up being right as rain. Yes, there is a figurative rainbow at the end and it made me glad I kept reading.
The story its set in the 60’s and 70’s Israel. It concerns a popular girl, her stuttering boyfriend, and a book-loving nerd that likes her—a lot. The story alternates between the two girls and goes back in forth in time.
I have read some very good books this year, and this one is different than the others, but just as good. I really make a connection with the protagonists and the author writes so I am fully emerged in their voices, right down to the Hebrew words and unspoken language between all characters.
Some small very non intrusive grammar errors, but really nothing major.
Four stars.
When I started to read this book, it was after having read a series of kid’s fix and I wasn’t sure I was ready to read something more literary. But I kept on reading and found myself really getting hooked into the story.
This is about a friendship that seems onside that gets badly off the rails and ends up being right as rain. Yes, there is a figurative rainbow at the end and it made me glad I kept reading.
The story its set in the 60’s and 70’s Israel. It concerns a popular girl, her stuttering boyfriend, and a book-loving nerd that likes her—a lot. The story alternates between the two girls and goes back in forth in time.
I have read some very good books this year, and this one is different than the others, but just as good. I really make a connection with the protagonists and the author writes so I am fully emerged in their voices, right down to the Hebrew words and unspoken language between all characters.
Some small very non intrusive grammar errors, but really nothing major.
Four stars.
February 3, 2016
An amazing book. It's about friendship, love, bonds and many more things.Friendship that transcends beyond time, country and memory. Love that you know about and love that you have forgotten but which still lies somewhere inside you. Bonds that bind you to your past, your legacy, your heritage, your country, your place in society. Also bonds that do not allow you to be yourself, don't allow you always to stand for truth, for things you believe in. Bonds that always makes you to strive to be what you are expected to be, don't allow you to live on your own terms. It's a story of many of us, if not the same but with shades of it. It's made more poignant since it's based in Israel....a country with people who have suffered, a country where some want to hold on to what happened and some want to break free.
Loved reading it.
Loved reading it.
June 29, 2016
This book was a joy to read. The style captured me even before the characters, and subsequently I found all the characters so individualized that I wanted to read more about even those who were peripheral to the story. In particular, the mother of one of the central characters is minor and yet her love of music shapes much of the emotional tone of the plot. Ms. Avilan's presentation of place rings true whether she is writing about Los Angeles or Tel Aviv, and although history is always part of the story, this is about the lives and concerns of those people who live in history. While I loved the story, I am also grateful for the insights I gained into the Israeli experience. Seriously, I cannot recommend it more highly.
October 14, 2015
I loved this beautifully well-written love story. It had me turning the pages with its thrilling plot, wonderful complex characters (whom you won't soon forget), an amazing love triangle, and some rather sizzling sex scenes. Set in the Middle East…Israel, a young girl discovers the emotions of love, betrayal, and loss. Rona and Shelli become…well, I'm not one to give out spoilers as other have fleshed it out quite well, but you certainly will not want to put this book down until you find out what happens! A 'Small Country About To Vanish' is the second book I've read by this author and it won't be my last. High marks to author Victoria Avilan.
August 4, 2016
A timely story in today's world
What a beautifully told story. The characters were so real and alive and filled with emotion. There was such a truth to it I felt as though I was reading history instead of fiction. The concept of history repeating itself gave me chills in light of the current American politics. I read in fear through much of the book wishing my misguided family would read and understand the danger. Thank you so much for telling this story. I know I will read it again and again.
What a beautifully told story. The characters were so real and alive and filled with emotion. There was such a truth to it I felt as though I was reading history instead of fiction. The concept of history repeating itself gave me chills in light of the current American politics. I read in fear through much of the book wishing my misguided family would read and understand the danger. Thank you so much for telling this story. I know I will read it again and again.
January 7, 2016
For me this was mixed. The ending left loose ends I didn't like, and the recurring theme of homosexuality didn't offend me but didn't interest me either. On the other hand, the characters and relationships were complex and interesting, in part because they were the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors living in Israel, something I hadn't been exposed to before. I thought the author explored some difficult feelings and ideas with sensitivity.
October 16, 2016
Fascinating!
I find it hard to write a good review for this book and it absolutely deserves a good review so, for me, it is best to keep it short. This is a gripping and multilayered novel. A fascinating read that will catch you from page one and linger long after. This book takes you on a journey like non before. You will cry, cheer and think, really think. A real winner and I recommend it highly.
I find it hard to write a good review for this book and it absolutely deserves a good review so, for me, it is best to keep it short. This is a gripping and multilayered novel. A fascinating read that will catch you from page one and linger long after. This book takes you on a journey like non before. You will cry, cheer and think, really think. A real winner and I recommend it highly.
October 21, 2016
Realising that I'd never actually read a novel set (mostly) in Israel, I thought maybe I should give this a go. Especially as there is a lesbian plot drizzled through it.
I'm glad I did as this does give a flavour of life in Israel, it's struggle to find the right relationship with the Holocaust and the politics of the place. Meanwhile, the lesbian plot does not dominate - it simmers in the background, not overpowering the main narrative. A good choice to recommend to straight friends.
I'm glad I did as this does give a flavour of life in Israel, it's struggle to find the right relationship with the Holocaust and the politics of the place. Meanwhile, the lesbian plot does not dominate - it simmers in the background, not overpowering the main narrative. A good choice to recommend to straight friends.
May 8, 2018
Heartbreak and history with beautiful prose
There is some wonderful imagery, strong characters, and haunting relationships in this story. I'm not familiar enough with the history and struggles of Israel, but feel I've been given a good primer on the topic here. These are real women and their challenges are universal while the story is uniquely theirs. I was immersed in the story and the language.
There is some wonderful imagery, strong characters, and haunting relationships in this story. I'm not familiar enough with the history and struggles of Israel, but feel I've been given a good primer on the topic here. These are real women and their challenges are universal while the story is uniquely theirs. I was immersed in the story and the language.
December 25, 2015
New perspective
I'm glad I read this. Usually I avoid stories about the mid east because of all the constant, never-ending political drama. I walk away with a genuine open mind. I too came of age in the early 70's with many of the same life experiences. I'm pretty sure I'll be reading more of her creations.
I'm glad I read this. Usually I avoid stories about the mid east because of all the constant, never-ending political drama. I walk away with a genuine open mind. I too came of age in the early 70's with many of the same life experiences. I'm pretty sure I'll be reading more of her creations.
December 22, 2015
Protagonists Worthy of Empathy
These inhabitants of Israel live lives that speak deeply to the reader as they mature into middle age and perform the parental role of raising their children to the age they themselves were at the beginning of this tale of heartfelt empathy.
These inhabitants of Israel live lives that speak deeply to the reader as they mature into middle age and perform the parental role of raising their children to the age they themselves were at the beginning of this tale of heartfelt empathy.
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