What do you think?
Rate this book
Your Ad Could Go Here: Stories
Oksana Zabuzhko, author of “the most influential Ukrainian book in the fifteen years since independence,” Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex, returns with a gripping short story collection.
Oksana Zabuzhko, Ukraine’s leading public intellectual, is called upon to make sense of the unthinkable reality of our times. In this breathtaking short story collection, she turns the concept of truth over in her hands like a beautifully crafted pair of gloves. From the triumph of the Orange Revolution, which marked the start of the twenty-first century, to domestic victories in matchmaking, sibling rivalry, and even tennis, Zabuzhko manages to shock the reader by juxtaposing things as they are—inarguable, visible to the naked eye—with how things could be, weaving myth and fairy tale into pivotal moments just as we weave a satisfying narrative arc into our own personal mythologies.
At once intimate and worldly, these stories resonate with Zabuzhko’s irreverent and prescient voice, echoing long after reading.
Oksana Zabuzhko, Ukraine’s leading public intellectual, is called upon to make sense of the unthinkable reality of our times. In this breathtaking short story collection, she turns the concept of truth over in her hands like a beautifully crafted pair of gloves. From the triumph of the Orange Revolution, which marked the start of the twenty-first century, to domestic victories in matchmaking, sibling rivalry, and even tennis, Zabuzhko manages to shock the reader by juxtaposing things as they are—inarguable, visible to the naked eye—with how things could be, weaving myth and fairy tale into pivotal moments just as we weave a satisfying narrative arc into our own personal mythologies.
At once intimate and worldly, these stories resonate with Zabuzhko’s irreverent and prescient voice, echoing long after reading.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2014
71 people are currently reading
1788 people want to read
About the author
Oksana Zabuzhko
65 books549 followersOksana Zabuzhko is a contemporary Ukrainian writer, poet and essayist.
Born in Lutsk, Ukraine, Zabuzhko studied philosophy at the Kyiv University, where she also obtained her doctorate in aesthetics in 1987. In 1992 she taught at Penn State University as a visiting writer. Zabuzhko won a Fulbright scholarship in 1994 and taught Ukrainian literature at Harvard and University of Pittsburgh. Currently Zabuzhko works at the Hryhori Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Zabuzhko is known both for her literary works and criticism. Her controversial bestselling novel Field Work in Ukrainian Sex was translated in eight languages. In her writing Zabuzhko draws a lot of attention to the questions of Ukrainian self-identification, post-colonial issues and feminism. Her book Let My People Go won the Korrespondent magazine Best Ukrainian documentary book award in June 2006, and The Museum of Abandoned Secrets, Best Ukrainian Book 2010.
For Ukrainian language profile see Оксана Забужко
Born in Lutsk, Ukraine, Zabuzhko studied philosophy at the Kyiv University, where she also obtained her doctorate in aesthetics in 1987. In 1992 she taught at Penn State University as a visiting writer. Zabuzhko won a Fulbright scholarship in 1994 and taught Ukrainian literature at Harvard and University of Pittsburgh. Currently Zabuzhko works at the Hryhori Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Zabuzhko is known both for her literary works and criticism. Her controversial bestselling novel Field Work in Ukrainian Sex was translated in eight languages. In her writing Zabuzhko draws a lot of attention to the questions of Ukrainian self-identification, post-colonial issues and feminism. Her book Let My People Go won the Korrespondent magazine Best Ukrainian documentary book award in June 2006, and The Museum of Abandoned Secrets, Best Ukrainian Book 2010.
For Ukrainian language profile see Оксана Забужко
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 29, 2023
It took me forever to actually get into this one. You know that feeling when you read something by an author and the next thing you read by them has the audacity to not be the same thing, yeah that's what happened to me with this one, it needed space from Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex to be enjoyed for what it is. That being said, while this one should have been more my speed than the aforementioned book considering that some stories even have a touch of the bizarre, I can't help but feel that these stories would have been better served if they were presented on their own rather than as a collection. Still well worth the read if you're looking for beautiful prose, slightly unnerving stories, and characters with hard edges.
July 20, 2020
Do you like to read short stories? I have definitely starting enjoying them more lately, and I’ve really been enjoying reading out of my usual genre bubble, and exploring different cultures and voices.
YOUR AD COULD GO HERE is a collection of stories unlike anything I’ve ever read. The stories span the gamut, from political and risqué, to mythical and strange - written by Oksana Zabuzhko, who has been called the Ukranian combination of Susan Sontag, Adrienne Rich, and Rachel Maddow.
Each story is captivating in it’s own way and evokes raw and at times provocative subject matter that had me blushing one minute, almost in tears the next, and uncomfortably laughing out loud just seconds later. I did have a bit of trouble in the beginning following such long and lengthy sentences, and a lacking of paragraph breaks, but I quickly got the hang of it, and felt it even added a bit of angst and intensity to the stories.
I definitely enjoyed the creativity and uniqueness of this brilliant and poetic storyteller. Kirkus calls the collection "Evocative stories about the way national issues impact even the most personal aspects of life.”
I think that’s something we all can relate to.
YOUR AD COULD GO HERE is a collection of stories unlike anything I’ve ever read. The stories span the gamut, from political and risqué, to mythical and strange - written by Oksana Zabuzhko, who has been called the Ukranian combination of Susan Sontag, Adrienne Rich, and Rachel Maddow.
Each story is captivating in it’s own way and evokes raw and at times provocative subject matter that had me blushing one minute, almost in tears the next, and uncomfortably laughing out loud just seconds later. I did have a bit of trouble in the beginning following such long and lengthy sentences, and a lacking of paragraph breaks, but I quickly got the hang of it, and felt it even added a bit of angst and intensity to the stories.
I definitely enjoyed the creativity and uniqueness of this brilliant and poetic storyteller. Kirkus calls the collection "Evocative stories about the way national issues impact even the most personal aspects of life.”
I think that’s something we all can relate to.
July 25, 2020
YOUR AD COULD GO HERE: Stories by Oksana Zabuzhko, tr. from the Ukranian by Nina Murray, Halyna Hryn et al, 2017 / 2020.
#ReadtheWorld21 📍Ukraine
"I adore such dapper gentlemen in vests - in my own country they were exterminated as a species fifty years ago, shipped out to Siberia in cattle cars, and their absence from the universe I grew up in was still evident - as visible as silhouettes cut out of group pictures, with the names written underneath. It warms my heart every time I see what became of them in other, less chaotic lands."
From the title story, "Your Ad Could Go Here".
Zabuzhko's stories are clever - deeply internal, often a running monologue of thoughts and tangents. Some of her patterns made me laugh out loud due to the turns of phrase, while others speak to a history of oppression and the long shadow of Russian / Soviet occupation in her native Ukraine, subtlety hinted at on the quote above.
My favorite stories in the collection were the shorter ones - The Tennis Instructor, You Ad Goes Here. The first two stories, "Oh Sister, My Sister" and "Girls" also held my interest. These were compact and tighter in frame. The longer the stories got, the more challenging they were to read for me - sentences spanning for half/whole pages, blocks of text, and confusion of what/if I missed something. One or two of the longer stories I left unfinished as I just lost the thread and could not find (care to find?) it again.
She is a noted public intellectual in Ukraine according to the author biography, and that makes me curious about her essays, which as far as I can tell, are not translated into English yet. I imagine her witty and humorous writing style would be entertaining and educational in nonfiction writing.
#ReadtheWorld21 📍Ukraine
"I adore such dapper gentlemen in vests - in my own country they were exterminated as a species fifty years ago, shipped out to Siberia in cattle cars, and their absence from the universe I grew up in was still evident - as visible as silhouettes cut out of group pictures, with the names written underneath. It warms my heart every time I see what became of them in other, less chaotic lands."
From the title story, "Your Ad Could Go Here".
Zabuzhko's stories are clever - deeply internal, often a running monologue of thoughts and tangents. Some of her patterns made me laugh out loud due to the turns of phrase, while others speak to a history of oppression and the long shadow of Russian / Soviet occupation in her native Ukraine, subtlety hinted at on the quote above.
My favorite stories in the collection were the shorter ones - The Tennis Instructor, You Ad Goes Here. The first two stories, "Oh Sister, My Sister" and "Girls" also held my interest. These were compact and tighter in frame. The longer the stories got, the more challenging they were to read for me - sentences spanning for half/whole pages, blocks of text, and confusion of what/if I missed something. One or two of the longer stories I left unfinished as I just lost the thread and could not find (care to find?) it again.
She is a noted public intellectual in Ukraine according to the author biography, and that makes me curious about her essays, which as far as I can tell, are not translated into English yet. I imagine her witty and humorous writing style would be entertaining and educational in nonfiction writing.
June 18, 2020
3.5 stars. "Your Ad Could Go Here" is a collection of short stories by Ukrainian author, Oksana Zabuzhko. In this book, she explores everything from siblings, to what it means to be a woman, to the political turmoil of her home country. I had a chance to visit Ukraine in 2011 and it holds a special place in my heart so I am always looking for ways to get back to Ukraine, at least through reading if I can't visit. This book was a great taste of Ukrainian life.
The subject matter of these stories explored so many different areas and some of the stories could be quite difficult for sensitive readers to get through. I, on the other hand, really appreciated the rawness of the stories. The author doesn't flinch from the difficult and sometimes runs head first into some dark territory. It did take me a bit to get into some of the stories but there were others that were rather gripping. My favorite of the book was the story that the book is name for - it was very good!
One interesting thing about this book is that each of the stories seemed to have a different translator. It made me wonder about that choice: was it a conscious choice or just a coincidence? Would any of the various translators translate the story differently. This had absolutely no bearing on my feelings about the book but it is interesting to think about!
This would be a great pick for someone who wants to explore parts unknown with an author that forces you to keep your eyes open!
The subject matter of these stories explored so many different areas and some of the stories could be quite difficult for sensitive readers to get through. I, on the other hand, really appreciated the rawness of the stories. The author doesn't flinch from the difficult and sometimes runs head first into some dark territory. It did take me a bit to get into some of the stories but there were others that were rather gripping. My favorite of the book was the story that the book is name for - it was very good!
One interesting thing about this book is that each of the stories seemed to have a different translator. It made me wonder about that choice: was it a conscious choice or just a coincidence? Would any of the various translators translate the story differently. This had absolutely no bearing on my feelings about the book but it is interesting to think about!
This would be a great pick for someone who wants to explore parts unknown with an author that forces you to keep your eyes open!
May 13, 2020
Your Ad Could Go Here is the first book I've read by a Ukrainian author and it was interesting to say the least. This book is a series of short stories that all appear to have moral messages, critiques of society and many of them appear to have almost magical realism elements to them as the line between reality and make-believe becomes very thin. My biggest problem with some of these stories was that I found them a little bit difficult to follow at times, and events in them were unclear. It wasn't until I got further into the stories that things became clearer.
The second short story examined a female friendship which crossed boundaries as the two young girls seemingly had a deeper relationship. However, this changed when one of the girls was found in an unseemly situation. This altered their behaviour towards each other and seemingly changed the trajectory of their lives. It tackled issues of stigmas around gender, sexuality and mental health. I thought this was an interesting short story that I could connect with and was one of the better ones.
The third short story was particularly disturbing as it examined sibling rivalry in a village. It paralleled the story of Cain and Abel with two sisters (although I'm not entirely familiar with the Bible story). This one definitely ventured into magical realism territory as one of the daughters made a wish with a creature that visited her in the night after her sister ruined her life. It was all very twisted and fairly unsettling.
The final short story was probably the one I highlighted the most as this looked at ideas of motherhood, the menopause, rape, stardom, and family relationships. I think the most powerful aspects were when the mother Olah spoke about how mothers have many scars on their body: stretch marks, veins, cuts etc, but they were willing to take that toll in order to have a child and provide for them a better future. This was quite a powerful message and there were lots of other rather quotable sections that stuck out to me.
Overall, this felt like a very mixed bag of short stories. I was hoping to learn more about Ukraine when reading them, but that wasn't really the vibe I got. Ultimately I would say I'm a little disappointed, but glad I took the chance to read these.
The second short story examined a female friendship which crossed boundaries as the two young girls seemingly had a deeper relationship. However, this changed when one of the girls was found in an unseemly situation. This altered their behaviour towards each other and seemingly changed the trajectory of their lives. It tackled issues of stigmas around gender, sexuality and mental health. I thought this was an interesting short story that I could connect with and was one of the better ones.
The third short story was particularly disturbing as it examined sibling rivalry in a village. It paralleled the story of Cain and Abel with two sisters (although I'm not entirely familiar with the Bible story). This one definitely ventured into magical realism territory as one of the daughters made a wish with a creature that visited her in the night after her sister ruined her life. It was all very twisted and fairly unsettling.
The final short story was probably the one I highlighted the most as this looked at ideas of motherhood, the menopause, rape, stardom, and family relationships. I think the most powerful aspects were when the mother Olah spoke about how mothers have many scars on their body: stretch marks, veins, cuts etc, but they were willing to take that toll in order to have a child and provide for them a better future. This was quite a powerful message and there were lots of other rather quotable sections that stuck out to me.
Overall, this felt like a very mixed bag of short stories. I was hoping to learn more about Ukraine when reading them, but that wasn't really the vibe I got. Ultimately I would say I'm a little disappointed, but glad I took the chance to read these.
December 24, 2021
An interesting collection of modern short stories from Ukraine.
April 3, 2022
Galvenais, ka ar savu centu esmu atbalstījusi ukraiņu autori (nav ne jausmas, cik saņem autori par 1 Audible kredītā pirktu grāmatu, ceru, ka vismaz centu).
Jāatzīst, ka ļoti līdzīgus stāstus raksta arī latviešu mūsdienu autores - no cikla "Vai viegli būt sievietei postpadomju valstī" (meiteklis - atbilde vienmēr ir nē).
Šoreiz droši vien par labu nenāca arī tas, ka klausījos tulkojumu anglisku, kas noteikti maitāja manu spēju uztvert stāstu "dvēseli" un bieži apdomāju , kā oriģinālā skanēja varoņu vārdi.
Jāatzīst, ka ļoti līdzīgus stāstus raksta arī latviešu mūsdienu autores - no cikla "Vai viegli būt sievietei postpadomju valstī" (meiteklis - atbilde vienmēr ir nē).
Šoreiz droši vien par labu nenāca arī tas, ka klausījos tulkojumu anglisku, kas noteikti maitāja manu spēju uztvert stāstu "dvēseli" un bieži apdomāju , kā oriģinālā skanēja varoņu vārdi.
March 19, 2020
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“Every fear has its volume and weight…”
The women and girls in this collection of stories face hardships that are common to all women the world over and other tragedies that test their courage beyond boundaries some of us will never know. War is brutal, and sometimes women are a debt to be paid. Women choosing between actualized children and the unborn, suffer through interrogations by the KGB, how a mother’s phantoms can be visited upon the daughter. Reach further back still into the family history of ‘the camps’, the misery still chasing them.
In Girls, a grand and severe passion for another, “Like a dormant gene of an inherited disease”. Darka divulges of her first love, sexual awakening with another student named Effie, a desire that gets swept away in dishonor and maybe something more dangerous, an informer in their midst? A lesson in betrayal, out of jealousy, desire to possess. The scandal that unfolded Darka only finds out much later, and how girls are so easily ‘dishonored by the obscene’. For Darka, Effie always remains a longing for another life, another self, even long after who we were so long ago is no longer remembered clearly. Could the worst sort of ruin be conquered in the future?
One of my favorites is The Tale of the Guelder Rose Flute, about a girl Olenka, born to good fortune. The firstborn is destined to become a princess, a queen, never could she be a common peasant. The second born intent on torturing the first, and so the rivalry begins, and intensifies when little Hannusia blooms herself. Gifted with skills of her own, jealousy to rival Cain and Abel consume the sisters. Is it the parents, the all seeing eyes of the village, the man come to court, or the matchmakers that birth such disharmony? Liberation in sin, ignorance in not heeding advice, women damned.
In I, Milena the surface hides everything, and all is not fine. Milena is a journalist of the finest sort, and she is in competition with herself for her husband’s affections. He is hungry for the Milena that is broadcast on TV, but there is a huge division between the onscreen and offscreen woman. Is she losing her mind?
Grannies who are made of sterner stuff, young men losing limbs, pasts mothers would rather bury, daughters who don’t speak the same language as their experienced, hardened mothers, Russian bullets, barriers, national patriotism, and the rest of the world watching from the sidelines. Despite what happens in a country, the home and family is still it’s own battleground and sanctuary. War presses each of these characters between the pages of a photo-album, even war within themselves.
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
AmazonCrossing
“Every fear has its volume and weight…”
The women and girls in this collection of stories face hardships that are common to all women the world over and other tragedies that test their courage beyond boundaries some of us will never know. War is brutal, and sometimes women are a debt to be paid. Women choosing between actualized children and the unborn, suffer through interrogations by the KGB, how a mother’s phantoms can be visited upon the daughter. Reach further back still into the family history of ‘the camps’, the misery still chasing them.
In Girls, a grand and severe passion for another, “Like a dormant gene of an inherited disease”. Darka divulges of her first love, sexual awakening with another student named Effie, a desire that gets swept away in dishonor and maybe something more dangerous, an informer in their midst? A lesson in betrayal, out of jealousy, desire to possess. The scandal that unfolded Darka only finds out much later, and how girls are so easily ‘dishonored by the obscene’. For Darka, Effie always remains a longing for another life, another self, even long after who we were so long ago is no longer remembered clearly. Could the worst sort of ruin be conquered in the future?
One of my favorites is The Tale of the Guelder Rose Flute, about a girl Olenka, born to good fortune. The firstborn is destined to become a princess, a queen, never could she be a common peasant. The second born intent on torturing the first, and so the rivalry begins, and intensifies when little Hannusia blooms herself. Gifted with skills of her own, jealousy to rival Cain and Abel consume the sisters. Is it the parents, the all seeing eyes of the village, the man come to court, or the matchmakers that birth such disharmony? Liberation in sin, ignorance in not heeding advice, women damned.
In I, Milena the surface hides everything, and all is not fine. Milena is a journalist of the finest sort, and she is in competition with herself for her husband’s affections. He is hungry for the Milena that is broadcast on TV, but there is a huge division between the onscreen and offscreen woman. Is she losing her mind?
Grannies who are made of sterner stuff, young men losing limbs, pasts mothers would rather bury, daughters who don’t speak the same language as their experienced, hardened mothers, Russian bullets, barriers, national patriotism, and the rest of the world watching from the sidelines. Despite what happens in a country, the home and family is still it’s own battleground and sanctuary. War presses each of these characters between the pages of a photo-album, even war within themselves.
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
AmazonCrossing
December 20, 2022
Zabuzhko’s writing is so visceral, clear and confident, lush, touching and often beautiful with long sentences that lead to a kind of breathlessness in the reading. Opening with an abortion story that gives you the perspective of the embryo for a moment while also illustrating the stress of living under the Soviet regime, the tone is set for a collection that is immersed deeply in motherhood and being a woman as well as the Ukrainian experience. Some of the stories are almost novella length and so completely immersive like the fairy tale like, ‘The Tale of the Guelder Rose Flute’ that takes adolescent female relationships and shows how dark they can be as she also does in the far more realistic ‘Girls’. ‘I, Milena’, shows the superficiality of TV and the way it not only intrudes into our lives but can blur the boundaries between reality and screens. An Album for Gustav, my favorite story, is about the Orange revolution or the Maidan protests from the perspective of a male photographer and his female historian wife creating a picture of what happened at the time and how it relates to what came before. Zabukov isn’t writing to educate us about the Ukrainian past – we can do that ourselves – and it is really only An Album for Gustav that looks at history directly, but this turbulent past it is an undercurrent to many of these stories.
The titular story reflects on the things that are being lost in our modern world while The Tennis Instructor has a woman reflecting on pandering to the ego of her husband. Even when these stories seem simply to be about women’s experiences there are references to the oppressive past, the glove maker who is of a type that no longer exists in Ukraine as, ‘they were exterminated as a species fifty years ago, shipped out to Siberia in cattle cars’ for example. ‘No Entry to the Performance Hall After the Third Bell’ which is very much about motherhood and protecting your child from negative experiences has references to the ‘Russians taking Maripoul’ and troops opening fire at the Maidan.
There are numerous translators involved in this collection, sometimes as many as three for one story and these stories do often feel quite different from one another. This feels more like a content than a translation issue though as we span from the fantastical and surreal to the harshly realistic. Only someone who can read in both languages can probably speak to how much of an effect, if any, the range of translators has on the stories but regardless, this is an excellent collection.
The titular story reflects on the things that are being lost in our modern world while The Tennis Instructor has a woman reflecting on pandering to the ego of her husband. Even when these stories seem simply to be about women’s experiences there are references to the oppressive past, the glove maker who is of a type that no longer exists in Ukraine as, ‘they were exterminated as a species fifty years ago, shipped out to Siberia in cattle cars’ for example. ‘No Entry to the Performance Hall After the Third Bell’ which is very much about motherhood and protecting your child from negative experiences has references to the ‘Russians taking Maripoul’ and troops opening fire at the Maidan.
There are numerous translators involved in this collection, sometimes as many as three for one story and these stories do often feel quite different from one another. This feels more like a content than a translation issue though as we span from the fantastical and surreal to the harshly realistic. Only someone who can read in both languages can probably speak to how much of an effect, if any, the range of translators has on the stories but regardless, this is an excellent collection.
August 5, 2020
The titled story is the shortest in this collection of mostly Ukrainian tales. The author takes on what it means to be a woman, recent Ukrainian political events, the Crimea, sexuality, the impact of wars, modern life, etc. The author certainly covers a gambit of issues and her writing style ranges from the deep and meaningful to the light and frivolous. Impressive.
January 20, 2025
Tender in its delivery, firm in its language…
June 4, 2024
A poetic rendering of stories in prose. Almost like fairy tales. But not.
January 11, 2018
Ще одна прочитана #книга. Цього разу Оксана Забужко і її збірник оповідань "Тут могла б бути ваша реклама"📚 перше знайомтво з авторкою пройшло успішно.
Почну з того, що навмисне взяла збірник оповідань, для того, щоб посмакувати письмом Оксани Забужко. І не прогадала😍 мене захопила манера написання і стиль авторки. Однозначно, читатиму ще.
До речі, що порадите?
А ще хочу відзначити "Польові дослідження українського сексу". Цей роман включений в цей збірник. Тут про кохання української поетеси та американського скульптора. Але це тільки вершина айбергу🌋 насправді ж книга про усе: про жінку, про біль, про Україну, і звісно ж, про секс.
Почну з того, що навмисне взяла збірник оповідань, для того, щоб посмакувати письмом Оксани Забужко. І не прогадала😍 мене захопила манера написання і стиль авторки. Однозначно, читатиму ще.
До речі, що порадите?
А ще хочу відзначити "Польові дослідження українського сексу". Цей роман включений в цей збірник. Тут про кохання української поетеси та американського скульптора. Але це тільки вершина айбергу🌋 насправді ж книга про усе: про жінку, про біль, про Україну, і звісно ж, про секс.
July 8, 2020
Your Ad Could Go Here by Oksana Zabuzhko is a stunning short story collection by a leading Ukrainian writer. The stories are translated by Halyna Hryn, Askold Melnyczuk, Marco Carynnyk and Marta Horban, and editor Nina Murray.
These stories are vivid, told in rambling prose that evokes rising emotions and tells complex, twisting tales. In “The Tale of the Guelder Rose Flute,” two sisters vie for power, one a witch, Zabuzhko bringing in the dark vivid tone of early Grimm’s tales. “An Album for Gustav” is a truly gorgeous story, based around the 2014 advance on the Maidan in Ukraine; it paints a picture that made me cry of the growth of true movements, the feeling of history that settles on the crowds, the coming together of protest and fight. And in “Girls,” queer young love weighs heavy on the soul of a woman now considering whether to go to her high school reunion and be confronted with her old friend.
I was obsessed with these strange, twisting stories. They required some doubling back, but it was worth it every time; the long texts had quite a bit to say, about motherhood, womanhood, reality tv, revolution, and more. A fantastic work in translation that deserves more attention.
These stories are vivid, told in rambling prose that evokes rising emotions and tells complex, twisting tales. In “The Tale of the Guelder Rose Flute,” two sisters vie for power, one a witch, Zabuzhko bringing in the dark vivid tone of early Grimm’s tales. “An Album for Gustav” is a truly gorgeous story, based around the 2014 advance on the Maidan in Ukraine; it paints a picture that made me cry of the growth of true movements, the feeling of history that settles on the crowds, the coming together of protest and fight. And in “Girls,” queer young love weighs heavy on the soul of a woman now considering whether to go to her high school reunion and be confronted with her old friend.
I was obsessed with these strange, twisting stories. They required some doubling back, but it was worth it every time; the long texts had quite a bit to say, about motherhood, womanhood, reality tv, revolution, and more. A fantastic work in translation that deserves more attention.
April 27, 2020
This collection of stories provided an insightful portrait of what it was to be a girl and woman in the Ukraine. The writing is brilliant and the translation is perfect. As with almost any short story collection, some are better than others.
The author doesn't mince words or situations which could make some readers a bit uncomfortable. However, the discomfort is worth it as you read through this unique collection of stories.
The author doesn't mince words or situations which could make some readers a bit uncomfortable. However, the discomfort is worth it as you read through this unique collection of stories.
June 23, 2020
These stories from acclaimed Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko aren’t an easy read. I found them quite challenging, not least because she writes in very long sentences and I sometimes found myself getting lost and consequently somewhat impatient. Most likely a second reading is required and I’m pretty sure I will be revisiting this collection at some point. The stories have women at their centre, and explore gender, sexuality, motherhood and women’s position in Ukrainian society today. Most of the stories are quite hard-hitting and Zabuzhko doesn’t mince her words. It’s worth knowing a bit about Ukrainian politics and history before embarking on the collection, especially with regard to national identity. I enjoyed some of the stories some of the time but didn’t really identify with the characters. However I was glad to discover the writer and look forward to reading more from her.
Read
July 20, 2020This is not a light read. Powerful, hard hitting long short stories by a writer who deserves to be better known outside her native Ukraine.
March 31, 2022
Current events read, sort of. I wanted to expand my reading in Slavic literature by exploring some Ukrainian writers. (I believe the only other Ukrainian I've read is Andrey Kurkov - I do enthusiastically recommend his Death and the Penguin.)
Zabuzhko packs a lot of emotion into these short stories and novellas. The denser, more stream-of-consciousness ones are not to my personal stylistic preferences but there's a lot to explore nonetheless.
Zabuzhko packs a lot of emotion into these short stories and novellas. The denser, more stream-of-consciousness ones are not to my personal stylistic preferences but there's a lot to explore nonetheless.
May 14, 2017
Читання творів Забужко - наче підйом на велосипеді на гору всипану камінням - продираєшся, хекаєш, все на межі капітуляції. "На чорта я це роблю? кинути все і взятися за щось більш легке" Але дерешся, а потім навіть не помічаєш, що вже на вершині гори і скочуєшся вниз по інерції. тяжко давалися тексти та нариси 80х. Особисто для мене стали відкриттям твори "Дівчатка" та "Альбом для Густава"
July 14, 2022
See my review published here:
https://puncturedlines.wordpress.com/...
https://puncturedlines.wordpress.com/...
January 19, 2023
'It takes a lifetime to understand that long ago the grown-ups lied to you, that in fact nothing living, neither a flower, nor a rabbit, nor a person, nor a country, can, in fact, be had: they can only be destroyed, which is the one way to confirm they have been possessed.'
Want to read
March 7, 2022書本彈藥庫：來自基輔文化前線上的快報 - 報導者 The Reporter
https://www.twreporter.org/a/the-book...
阿內塔．安東年科推薦這5本書來讓人們更好地了解烏克蘭。
2. 奧克薩娜．扎布琴科（Oksana Zabuzhko），《你的廣告可以來這裡：故事集》（Your Ad Could Go Here: Stories）
本書的作者常被人們認為是烏克蘭最重要的公共知識人之一，這本書是作者的故事集，其中包括了橙色革命等政治事件以及普通烏克蘭人的私密生活。
https://www.twreporter.org/a/the-book...
阿內塔．安東年科推薦這5本書來讓人們更好地了解烏克蘭。
2. 奧克薩娜．扎布琴科（Oksana Zabuzhko），《你的廣告可以來這裡：故事集》（Your Ad Could Go Here: Stories）
本書的作者常被人們認為是烏克蘭最重要的公共知識人之一，這本書是作者的故事集，其中包括了橙色革命等政治事件以及普通烏克蘭人的私密生活。
July 26, 2023
Оксана Забужко неймовірна! Так, деякі оповідання проймають менше, але кожне хочеться смакувати і рефлексувати. Отримала надзвичайно багато натхнення, насолоди і тем для роздумів.
July 12, 2020
I will admit to not fully grasping all of what was trying to be told in this, though what I did understand, I thought was bold and powerful - I can support it. I think it's a great thing that space should be taken up by modern female voices telling their stories for themselves not for the world they live in, and prioritising teenage female voices is all the better. Plus, saying all the bits that often go unsaid is always good. However, I did find that the sentences were very long. Looking at reviews, it wasn't just me that found this, or who noticed its impact on overall style. I think I'd say even though there's nothing wrong with having flowing prose that the reader is left to unpack, the combination here of the vignettes usually starting out in an un-signposted confusing way and the context jumping around a lot, to then have very long sentences with Russian-doll type parentheses all didn't help the readability. It's probably just that this is not the sort of book to be absorbed in one or a few sittings, instead I'll probably need to re-visit bits, try to pick up on all of the layers and try to join things together that at the moment are somewhat isolated pieces. Once I've done that, hopefully, I'll get a lot out of it.
June 13, 2023
Oksana Zabuzhko is an extraordinary writer. I love the detailed sentences with adverbial phrases and parenthetical clauses and ones that take up a whole paragraph they all work magnificently if one takes the time to understand what she’s saying. The history of Ukraine, the role of women in Ukraine, love, sex, anger, sadness and more are exquisitely offered to the reader. I read this book with my immigrant women’s book club, one of the members being from the Ukraine. We also had the astoundingly good fortune of hearing Oksana Zabuzhko in conversation on a Georgetown University zoom. Truly. Take your time. Re-read as you must. This is an in-depth fascinating exploration of life in this country that many of us know so little about even as it, sadly, makes the daily news.
April 26, 2021
Full Disclosure: I won a Kindle edition of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
I really wanted to enjoy this collection of short stories, and maybe learn more about Ukraine through the eyes of the characters, but I lost on both counts. I'm not sure why. I don't doubt Zabuzhko's passion, but this book just wasn't for me. Still, I encourage anyone even slightly curious about this book to read it and decide for themselves; I'm clearly in the minority since most readers gave this book 3+ stars.
Style Notes: Some of the sentences were so long and dense, I had to re-read them a few times to understand what the author was trying to get across. This was another anomaly for me as I usually love lyrical, intricate writing.
I really wanted to enjoy this collection of short stories, and maybe learn more about Ukraine through the eyes of the characters, but I lost on both counts. I'm not sure why. I don't doubt Zabuzhko's passion, but this book just wasn't for me. Still, I encourage anyone even slightly curious about this book to read it and decide for themselves; I'm clearly in the minority since most readers gave this book 3+ stars.
Style Notes: Some of the sentences were so long and dense, I had to re-read them a few times to understand what the author was trying to get across. This was another anomaly for me as I usually love lyrical, intricate writing.
April 17, 2022
Several types of stories (fable, surreal, satire, political etc) make up this excellent collection translated from the Ukrainian.
December 1, 2022
Lovelovelove! Clever, pretty, short stories about Ukrainian people.
June 6, 2023
I don't seem like the proper audience for this book. But it caught my attention and affected me deeply. What a beautiful collection. Read the stories and allow yourself to feel.
November 5, 2020
Thank you Amazon Crossing and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc.I've been reading this one since April of 2020. Yes, you read that right. Since April.
So far I figured one thing: this whole collection of focuses on capturing the complexities of relationships and of mind by focussing on their response to the society around them. I dig this book, not gonna lie there but here are a few reasons why I haven't been able to finish this one:
• the stories are heavy, translated from Ukrainian (longer sentences when translated to English);
• the evocative oratory style of writing just plain stabs you in the heart and then takes your heart and caresses it with its emotional richness, and
• lost in translation- it is so obvious at few instances in a story made the longer sentences and heavier content hard to take in.
I loved the stories as a whole which were intensely informative and full of character depth and richness. I am sure it is such a pleasure to read the original but, for now, I'm making my way through this translated slowly and not being hard on myself for it. Maybe, one day, I'll be able to complete this one. Not exactly a DNF, but a kind of pause I'll resume, hopefully soon.
Rating: 2.9/5
Disclaimer: The review is entitled to change along with the rating when I finish reading this collection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews