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Valeria's Last Stand
In sixty-eight years, Valeria has never minced her words. Harrumphing through her isolated little village deep in the Hungarian steppes, she clutches her shopping basket like a battering ram and leaves nothing uncriticised - flaccid vegetables at the market; idle farmers carousing in Ibolya's Nonstop Tavern; that gauche chimpanzee of a mayor and his flashy, leggy wife; people who whistle. But one day, her spinster's heart is struck by an unlikely arrow: the village potter, with his decisive hands and solid gaze. Valeria finds herself suddenly dressing in florals and touching her hair, and what's more, smiling at people in the street. The potter makes her the most beautiful vase she has ever seen. The farmers buy a celebratory round. The problem with all this is that Ibolya (herself at least fifty-eight) has been romancing the potter for months and vows to win him back. And then there's Ferenc, the sugar beet farmer, red-headed and married but all the same hopelessly in love with Ibolya. Meanwhile the mayor has his own problems, mostly involving foreign investors and a non-existent railway.And then a roving chimney sweep arrives in the village, to make a quick buck and bring some good luck - or perhaps bad luck; no one can really decide. All anyone knows is, there's never been such a hullabaloo, which just goes to show it's never too late to try something new.
259 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
June 1, 2009
I must say, I didn't know just what to expect from this book, but overall, I liked it. It reminded me of a farce along the lines of Oscar Wilde. So many misunderstandings, changes of heart,silliness.... I liked the characters and...liked that they were older folks still willing and capable of behaving badly when smitten by cupid's arrow even at their age. It showed that passion still abounds in the geriatric set. Some may find that offensive- I found it wonderfully refreshing- and true.
At first I was a little unsure of the time period but then I figured it out. This book gently and amusingly showed how the collapse of Communism affected small towns in the post Communist era. Instead of the state 'taking care' of them,they now had to flip to their capitalist side. Some were quite willing- the mayor- some were not- the chimney sweep. Whatever path they chose, both found that no matter what- change is the only constant in life. You either go with it and make the best of it, or you are left behind. I think that Valeria finally got tired of being left behind and chose to change her life.
At first I was a little unsure of the time period but then I figured it out. This book gently and amusingly showed how the collapse of Communism affected small towns in the post Communist era. Instead of the state 'taking care' of them,they now had to flip to their capitalist side. Some were quite willing- the mayor- some were not- the chimney sweep. Whatever path they chose, both found that no matter what- change is the only constant in life. You either go with it and make the best of it, or you are left behind. I think that Valeria finally got tired of being left behind and chose to change her life.
April 30, 2011
This book disappointed me! I thought I would get something similar to A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, but it totally lacked the charm and humor of the latter. The humor in this book is slapstick. This isn't the type of humor that amuses me.
The story is about a love affair, actually several love affairs, between people in their 50s and 60s. These people should have learned something from their life experiences. They act worse than silly, immature young adults. Older people do act just as assinine as young, but this book carries it too far. It lacks credibility. HA ha, you are suppose to laugh - only I wasn't laughing. The story takes place in a tiny, remote Hungarian village. The villagers are drawn as stupid individuals; the mayor is filling his own pockets, in the guise of attracting gorign enterprises to the village. There is a bar owner and a chimneysweep. These are the silly and despicable people we are suppose to laugh at. At not with.
The central theme is focused on love and art and inspiration, that which binds two prime characters, Valeria and the potter. I did like how the author depicted the basis for their love affair. And yes, they are normal people will all their quirks and foibles. So although occasionally I enjoyed both this relationship and the art theme, it was just hidden under too much garbage. There, I said that rather bluntly.
I am removing this from my humor shelf. You learn nothing about Hungary. Too much garbage lies on stop of the few gems this book has to offer. I rarely enjoyed the time spent reading this book. I do not think I will remember teribly much about its silly content. Maybe I am being too critical, because there are some funny lines. I do not deny that. I am only giving it one star. With so many wonderful books waiting to be read, I cannot even classify this as OK. I wish I had not bought it.
The story is about a love affair, actually several love affairs, between people in their 50s and 60s. These people should have learned something from their life experiences. They act worse than silly, immature young adults. Older people do act just as assinine as young, but this book carries it too far. It lacks credibility. HA ha, you are suppose to laugh - only I wasn't laughing. The story takes place in a tiny, remote Hungarian village. The villagers are drawn as stupid individuals; the mayor is filling his own pockets, in the guise of attracting gorign enterprises to the village. There is a bar owner and a chimneysweep. These are the silly and despicable people we are suppose to laugh at. At not with.
The central theme is focused on love and art and inspiration, that which binds two prime characters, Valeria and the potter. I did like how the author depicted the basis for their love affair. And yes, they are normal people will all their quirks and foibles. So although occasionally I enjoyed both this relationship and the art theme, it was just hidden under too much garbage. There, I said that rather bluntly.
I am removing this from my humor shelf. You learn nothing about Hungary. Too much garbage lies on stop of the few gems this book has to offer. I rarely enjoyed the time spent reading this book. I do not think I will remember teribly much about its silly content. Maybe I am being too critical, because there are some funny lines. I do not deny that. I am only giving it one star. With so many wonderful books waiting to be read, I cannot even classify this as OK. I wish I had not bought it.
February 29, 2016
Well, that was disappointing. This started out mildly humorous, with possibility of a light brain-cleansing type of read. It quickly deteriorated into jealousies, nastiness and petty behavior.....an entire village of people who can't seem to behave in any normal fashion and are always out to get someone for something petty. In between these situations, is detailed information that has nothing at all to do with what's going on.
Oh well, there is one good thing that came out of this reading: this book is now going to Goodwill, leaving room for another book on my bookshelf; hopefully, one that will be a better read than this one.
Oh well, there is one good thing that came out of this reading: this book is now going to Goodwill, leaving room for another book on my bookshelf; hopefully, one that will be a better read than this one.
May 27, 2009
“It was as though she had stepped into her familiar yard when the sun was at a certain angle, and there, right in front of her, at the base of a tree she had looked at countless times, a precious stone that had always been there glinted and caught her eye.”
~ Marc Fitten, Valeria’s Last Stand
The very moment I cracked the spine of Valeria’s Last Stand I knew I was in for something magical. Marc has an uncanny ability to weave words and beguile his reader until real life and novel become seamlessly intertwined. His main characters, Valeria, the Potter, Iboyla, the Mayor and the Chimney Sweep are larger than life and fleshed out so vividly and intimately that by the end of the book it was if I had walked alongside them for the duration of their journey and could only hold my breath as their lives exploded and unfolded between the pages.
Like the blooming of a inestimable orchid, Valeria’s tale unfolds its precious petals so languidly that one can’t help but slip a finger between the pages in hopes of speeding up the story; and yet, each sentence, each page, is rife with new magic and impossible to skim over; the reader becomes a willing captive.
Valeria’s Last Stand is a gem of a novel that gives the reader a penetrating perspective of a backwater Hungarian village and it’s assortment of colorful and unsuspecting inhabitants. Known for their complacency and contentedness to remain anonymous and unchanged, the villagers find themselves suddenly upended as one single act of whim on Valeria’s part metamorphoses them all, forcing them to take stock of their lives, their desires, and their dreams.
Marc’s story flows, one character’s story from another, until every breath is interconnected. The tumult and discord the villagers are forced to face will likely lead them all to ruin, their tiny, perfect life speared open by a single caprice of one of their most curmudgeonly inhabitants…or will it? You will have to read Valeria’s Last Stand and find out, I promise you, this book is a keeper!
~ Marc Fitten, Valeria’s Last Stand
The very moment I cracked the spine of Valeria’s Last Stand I knew I was in for something magical. Marc has an uncanny ability to weave words and beguile his reader until real life and novel become seamlessly intertwined. His main characters, Valeria, the Potter, Iboyla, the Mayor and the Chimney Sweep are larger than life and fleshed out so vividly and intimately that by the end of the book it was if I had walked alongside them for the duration of their journey and could only hold my breath as their lives exploded and unfolded between the pages.
Like the blooming of a inestimable orchid, Valeria’s tale unfolds its precious petals so languidly that one can’t help but slip a finger between the pages in hopes of speeding up the story; and yet, each sentence, each page, is rife with new magic and impossible to skim over; the reader becomes a willing captive.
Valeria’s Last Stand is a gem of a novel that gives the reader a penetrating perspective of a backwater Hungarian village and it’s assortment of colorful and unsuspecting inhabitants. Known for their complacency and contentedness to remain anonymous and unchanged, the villagers find themselves suddenly upended as one single act of whim on Valeria’s part metamorphoses them all, forcing them to take stock of their lives, their desires, and their dreams.
Marc’s story flows, one character’s story from another, until every breath is interconnected. The tumult and discord the villagers are forced to face will likely lead them all to ruin, their tiny, perfect life speared open by a single caprice of one of their most curmudgeonly inhabitants…or will it? You will have to read Valeria’s Last Stand and find out, I promise you, this book is a keeper!
August 15, 2009
Inauspiciously sitting on my library's book shelf, was a copy of Fitten's "Valeria's Last Stand". I picked it up, read a little and was hooked.
The artwork on the book's cover depicts some major motifs of the book: a black pitcher, turnips, peppers, a bicycle, a milk urn.... In and of themselves, these are not wholly engrossing subjects to read about. However, significant events attach themselves to these common items making them resonate with an appeal that makes you think about them more and the people who manufacture, grow or utilize them.
This novel is organic but also a little out-of-time and place in its setting. Zivatar is a village somewhere and sometime in Hungary. Market days are full of villagers selling their own homemade wares or homegrown vegetables. There’s the usual retinue of village characters. A traveling chimney sweep who stumbles across the place cannot locate it on any of his maps. Russian and German soldiers seemed to magically march past the village when on their campaigns. The mayor is all about building a railway line into the village in order to connect it with the rest of the world, but will this ever happen?
There's something here that almost evokes a feel of Kundera or Marquez or Calvino, but I wouldn't go as far to say as magic realism is occurring here. It's a much more quiet kind of magic. It's the rhythm of nature. It’s the appeal of the bucolic. It's the story of an elderly man who morphs from a craftsman potter to an artist. It's the story of an elderly, curmudgeonly woman who comes to find love late in life. It's a story of the quiet sort of relationship a book can build with it's reader and make her not want to put a peaceful, beautiful novel down.
The artwork on the book's cover depicts some major motifs of the book: a black pitcher, turnips, peppers, a bicycle, a milk urn.... In and of themselves, these are not wholly engrossing subjects to read about. However, significant events attach themselves to these common items making them resonate with an appeal that makes you think about them more and the people who manufacture, grow or utilize them.
This novel is organic but also a little out-of-time and place in its setting. Zivatar is a village somewhere and sometime in Hungary. Market days are full of villagers selling their own homemade wares or homegrown vegetables. There’s the usual retinue of village characters. A traveling chimney sweep who stumbles across the place cannot locate it on any of his maps. Russian and German soldiers seemed to magically march past the village when on their campaigns. The mayor is all about building a railway line into the village in order to connect it with the rest of the world, but will this ever happen?
There's something here that almost evokes a feel of Kundera or Marquez or Calvino, but I wouldn't go as far to say as magic realism is occurring here. It's a much more quiet kind of magic. It's the rhythm of nature. It’s the appeal of the bucolic. It's the story of an elderly man who morphs from a craftsman potter to an artist. It's the story of an elderly, curmudgeonly woman who comes to find love late in life. It's a story of the quiet sort of relationship a book can build with it's reader and make her not want to put a peaceful, beautiful novel down.
February 20, 2015
This was an impulse buy at a library sale - gorgeous jacket, a story that sounded fun, worth a shot. And it was fun. Mostly.
The Valeria of the title is a woman in her 60's who one day, while pursuing her usual self-imposed quality-control patrol in the village market, falls in love at not-exactly-first sight. She has long been renowned as the village's bitterest, crankiest soul, and now love - or at least lust - brings an unexpected softening. But love's path is not smooth: the long-widowed potter (whose name slips my mind - and apparently everyone else's, as I haven't found a review that names him yet) is already engaged in a fling with the tavern-keeper, Ibolya, who is not going to let him go easily - and then into town comes the chimney-sweep, and that's a whole new situation.
It's a slight story, following the temptations and petty revenges of a group of older folk with an attention and lack of "aren't they cute at that age" that doesn't seem to be very common. If categorization is wished for, I believe this book's category would be magical realism; I've seen comparisons out there, and mine would be to Like Water for Chocolate, without the food.
I enjoyed the tale of the elderly spinster in love. I enjoyed the angle of the village trying to both maintain its identity and claw its way into the mainstream. The characters, while almost universally mostly-unsympathetic (the potter being the main exception), were well-drawn and well-rounded. But I never warmed up to the book, and the ending left me with a small knot in my stomach. Not a future re-read, I don't think.
(A more spoilerific review will be going up on my blog.)
The Valeria of the title is a woman in her 60's who one day, while pursuing her usual self-imposed quality-control patrol in the village market, falls in love at not-exactly-first sight. She has long been renowned as the village's bitterest, crankiest soul, and now love - or at least lust - brings an unexpected softening. But love's path is not smooth: the long-widowed potter (whose name slips my mind - and apparently everyone else's, as I haven't found a review that names him yet) is already engaged in a fling with the tavern-keeper, Ibolya, who is not going to let him go easily - and then into town comes the chimney-sweep, and that's a whole new situation.
It's a slight story, following the temptations and petty revenges of a group of older folk with an attention and lack of "aren't they cute at that age" that doesn't seem to be very common. If categorization is wished for, I believe this book's category would be magical realism; I've seen comparisons out there, and mine would be to Like Water for Chocolate, without the food.
I enjoyed the tale of the elderly spinster in love. I enjoyed the angle of the village trying to both maintain its identity and claw its way into the mainstream. The characters, while almost universally mostly-unsympathetic (the potter being the main exception), were well-drawn and well-rounded. But I never warmed up to the book, and the ending left me with a small knot in my stomach. Not a future re-read, I don't think.
(A more spoilerific review will be going up on my blog.)
July 7, 2009
Set in a small village in Hungary, this is the story of the locals; their socializing and their meager way of life. And it is not a story that is only central to Valeria, it is about these villagers of Zivatar which is a tiny town that time and technology has left alone, save for the mayor's meager efforts. The characters we meet are interesting to read about, though not many are instantly likable. There are some female characters with names while the men simply go by their profession: the potter, the apprentice, the chimney sweep, the mayor. Surprisingly, it works.
The story opens up to Valeria, a woman approaching seventy years of age and is set in her ways, having no qualms to tell you what's what. She has no friends, she does not have a purpose in life except to harass others when she sees fit. The villagers enjoy poking fun at her and ridiculing her. Oddly enough, she sees the local potter in the market and is completely mesmerized by him. At this point she seems human enough and we get to empathise with her; otherwise she really was easy to hate. We are then introduced to another strong willed woman, Ibolya, the local tavern owner. Of course these two women hate each other, especially now that they learn they both have eyes for the potter. What transpires now is an engrossing and a spicy story that wraps its arms around you and doesn't let go. We witness the growth of the characters with delight and chagrin.
The third party narrative works splendidly in this book as it gives us unique point of views from each of the main characters to help add to the nuance of the village as the story develops. As opposed to a family saga, this is more of a saga of the villagers and the two women that help define it as the village reaches it critical turning point of survival of the fittest. How the villagers react to one another, and to the events that transpire, was absorbing to read. The women fight over the potter, other relationships are ruined and made, the chimney sweeper becomes a murderer - it all becomes wrapped in a strangely engaging little story about senior citizens struggling to keep up with the world around them.
There is also a back story of capitalism and power that the author broaches with the mayor who is trying to bring technology and renewal to his citizens, who have mostly been stuck in their black hole of a village while the rest of world left it behind. The novel built up a lot of momentum with its provocative storyline and made my stomach churn as I was getting towards the climatic ending. The author did compose a fine debut novel, although a bit more on the crude side with some of the language, and I would have enjoyed it with a bit less sex, but I am intrigued as to the fact that he plans this novel to be the first of The Paprika Trilogy. I am definitely going to read the next one to see if it is as compelling as this one was, as this was a perfect weekend read for me. This is one of those types of books that you either love it or hate it, depending on your mood. I enjoyed it for being a quick read, the unique storytelling and the unforgettable characters.
The story opens up to Valeria, a woman approaching seventy years of age and is set in her ways, having no qualms to tell you what's what. She has no friends, she does not have a purpose in life except to harass others when she sees fit. The villagers enjoy poking fun at her and ridiculing her. Oddly enough, she sees the local potter in the market and is completely mesmerized by him. At this point she seems human enough and we get to empathise with her; otherwise she really was easy to hate. We are then introduced to another strong willed woman, Ibolya, the local tavern owner. Of course these two women hate each other, especially now that they learn they both have eyes for the potter. What transpires now is an engrossing and a spicy story that wraps its arms around you and doesn't let go. We witness the growth of the characters with delight and chagrin.
The third party narrative works splendidly in this book as it gives us unique point of views from each of the main characters to help add to the nuance of the village as the story develops. As opposed to a family saga, this is more of a saga of the villagers and the two women that help define it as the village reaches it critical turning point of survival of the fittest. How the villagers react to one another, and to the events that transpire, was absorbing to read. The women fight over the potter, other relationships are ruined and made, the chimney sweeper becomes a murderer - it all becomes wrapped in a strangely engaging little story about senior citizens struggling to keep up with the world around them.
There is also a back story of capitalism and power that the author broaches with the mayor who is trying to bring technology and renewal to his citizens, who have mostly been stuck in their black hole of a village while the rest of world left it behind. The novel built up a lot of momentum with its provocative storyline and made my stomach churn as I was getting towards the climatic ending. The author did compose a fine debut novel, although a bit more on the crude side with some of the language, and I would have enjoyed it with a bit less sex, but I am intrigued as to the fact that he plans this novel to be the first of The Paprika Trilogy. I am definitely going to read the next one to see if it is as compelling as this one was, as this was a perfect weekend read for me. This is one of those types of books that you either love it or hate it, depending on your mood. I enjoyed it for being a quick read, the unique storytelling and the unforgettable characters.
June 9, 2018
At first glance, Marc Fitten’s novel "Valeria’s Last Stand" is a love quadrangle. But between the layers of love sought and passion denied is a deeper truth reminding us that unrequited love does not belong solely to the individual—love not returned from community or government can wound the heart as well.
In a Hungarian village, “deep in the steppes, in the middle of nowhere,” sixty-eight year old Valeria spends her days cleaning, judging her neighbors and criticizing the country’s move from socialism, the only rule she’s ever known, to the new order of capitalism. With a strong use of sense imagery and sensual language, Marc Fitten captures the peoples’ struggle when all they have ever known shifts.
“Since the country had opened up to the West, even in Zivatar, new fruits and vegetables had been introduced. In what was once a room of potato browns and spinach greens, colors like orange and red stood out like Christmas lights. In the first heady days of capitalism, when exotic fruits were still a novelty, people who hardly ever went shopping made special visits to the market just to look at pineapples. Valeria wasn’t interested in foreign fruits and vegetables, mostly because she could not grow them, but also because of their blatant sensuality. Tropical fruits were swollen with flesh and juice. They were sticky. They were uninhibited. The first time she held a banana, Valeria was offended.”
When Valeria sees the potter in the village market, her simple life of condemnation and angst becomes obsolete, and she decides that it’s never too late to change, let go of the past, take a chance. Open your heart.
“But then one day, as she was checking brown spots on a young woman’s cucumbers, something made her look up. Two aisles across from her, standing directly in front of her, facing her, she spied a man whose face she recognized but had never looked at. It was the village potter—a widower. He was eating a banana. He was holding it in a strong hand with long tapering fingers. With his other hand, he was snapping the heads off of mushrooms and handing them to the vendor, who dropped them into a brown paper sack and weighed them. Valeria nearly gasped when she saw how gallantly he carried himself. She wondered why she’d never noticed that before, why she’d never noticed him before.
“Darling,” she said too loudly.”
Using Greek underpinnings and folktale imagery, Marc Fitten weaves a complex story of lives lifted from the questionable mire with the promise of something better, something more. The rich and flawed characters in "Valeria’s Last Stand" show us that loving and accepting people for who they are can be a gentle service that sparks new life and ignites the soul.
In a Hungarian village, “deep in the steppes, in the middle of nowhere,” sixty-eight year old Valeria spends her days cleaning, judging her neighbors and criticizing the country’s move from socialism, the only rule she’s ever known, to the new order of capitalism. With a strong use of sense imagery and sensual language, Marc Fitten captures the peoples’ struggle when all they have ever known shifts.
“Since the country had opened up to the West, even in Zivatar, new fruits and vegetables had been introduced. In what was once a room of potato browns and spinach greens, colors like orange and red stood out like Christmas lights. In the first heady days of capitalism, when exotic fruits were still a novelty, people who hardly ever went shopping made special visits to the market just to look at pineapples. Valeria wasn’t interested in foreign fruits and vegetables, mostly because she could not grow them, but also because of their blatant sensuality. Tropical fruits were swollen with flesh and juice. They were sticky. They were uninhibited. The first time she held a banana, Valeria was offended.”
When Valeria sees the potter in the village market, her simple life of condemnation and angst becomes obsolete, and she decides that it’s never too late to change, let go of the past, take a chance. Open your heart.
“But then one day, as she was checking brown spots on a young woman’s cucumbers, something made her look up. Two aisles across from her, standing directly in front of her, facing her, she spied a man whose face she recognized but had never looked at. It was the village potter—a widower. He was eating a banana. He was holding it in a strong hand with long tapering fingers. With his other hand, he was snapping the heads off of mushrooms and handing them to the vendor, who dropped them into a brown paper sack and weighed them. Valeria nearly gasped when she saw how gallantly he carried himself. She wondered why she’d never noticed that before, why she’d never noticed him before.
“Darling,” she said too loudly.”
Using Greek underpinnings and folktale imagery, Marc Fitten weaves a complex story of lives lifted from the questionable mire with the promise of something better, something more. The rich and flawed characters in "Valeria’s Last Stand" show us that loving and accepting people for who they are can be a gentle service that sparks new life and ignites the soul.
June 6, 2019
This is my third reading of this magical tale, set in a remote Eastern block country, on the brink of change from the 'old day's and ways to Western capitalism. But more it is a universal take of the hopes, dreams, and deep desperation that lives in us all. It is at heart a comedy of rich personalities that weave together to achieve the triumph of love, inspiration, and the relentless hope of the human spirit, even late in in life.
December 14, 2010
Like a slapstick fable. Almost cartoonish. But the language is sweet and there's plenty to quote (see below!) that's humorous and makes you ponder. It's sweet and hopeful. The moral of the story? I'm still summing it up.
Ibolya had even found a teacup. A porcelain teacup. Not made in a small village studio but from one of the big porcelain houses in the country. She wiped the dust off of it and set it in front of him.
"Where did you get that?" one of the men asked.
"Do you like it?" she asked the potter. "It's from one of those big houses. I got it as a wedding present. It was part of a set. This is the only one left."
"What happened to them?" the potter asked.
"My husband," she replied. "I threw them at his head. Beaned him with every last one of them. The teapot too."p. 30-31
Valeria didn't answer. She was looking around her. She was looking for something to throw at his head.p. 82
"Valeria," the mayor's wife asked. "Are you all right this morning? My husband has been asking about you."
"Yes, desire. Quite. Don't you look lovely today." p. 92/93
While Ibolya understood exactly what he was talking about--having experienced the unplanned happenings of things herself--this was the first time she was on the receiving end of it. She didn't like it at all. p. 93
"And tell your wife whatever you want, but don't make promises you're not going to keep. And don't knock yourself out over it; you didn't invent infidelity." p. 199
"A man could settle down and still be inspired," he said. "That's all it is. She's a woman who inspires." p. 208
Ibolya had even found a teacup. A porcelain teacup. Not made in a small village studio but from one of the big porcelain houses in the country. She wiped the dust off of it and set it in front of him.
"Where did you get that?" one of the men asked.
"Do you like it?" she asked the potter. "It's from one of those big houses. I got it as a wedding present. It was part of a set. This is the only one left."
"What happened to them?" the potter asked.
"My husband," she replied. "I threw them at his head. Beaned him with every last one of them. The teapot too."p. 30-31
Valeria didn't answer. She was looking around her. She was looking for something to throw at his head.p. 82
"Valeria," the mayor's wife asked. "Are you all right this morning? My husband has been asking about you."
"Yes, desire. Quite. Don't you look lovely today." p. 92/93
While Ibolya understood exactly what he was talking about--having experienced the unplanned happenings of things herself--this was the first time she was on the receiving end of it. She didn't like it at all. p. 93
"And tell your wife whatever you want, but don't make promises you're not going to keep. And don't knock yourself out over it; you didn't invent infidelity." p. 199
"A man could settle down and still be inspired," he said. "That's all it is. She's a woman who inspires." p. 208
July 5, 2014
A curiously interesting book. It has a quite peculiar sort of crude, broken narrative that may irritate the reader at the beginning. However, I found myself going through the pages of this book unhindered by crave to reach the finale. This sort of writing style reminded me of a move script slammed with occasional notes from the production team.
As some of the previous reviewers remarked, it is difficult to sympathize with particular characters, but I think that is mostly because of the fact that the village itself is the main character and not any of its hand-picekd inhabitants. With their actions, they give color to the setting and that is precisely why the author doesn't delve into ornate descriptions of their state of minds. To emphasize this, the author deliberately withheld the many of the character names and referred to them by their status or profession. In this light, any other discussion as to how lively some of them do or do not look, is in my opinion, quite pointless.
As I myself am coming from a former communistic country that is going through a turmoil of seemingly never ending political changes, I confess I feel for the villagers of Zivatar on a highly personal level. However, for a westernized reader, the setting might seem as an amusing or even grotesque piece of author's private fiction. If you can accept that place like this can and does exist, you could get an astonishingly more vivid perception and truly enjoy the storyline right to the last page.
As some of the previous reviewers remarked, it is difficult to sympathize with particular characters, but I think that is mostly because of the fact that the village itself is the main character and not any of its hand-picekd inhabitants. With their actions, they give color to the setting and that is precisely why the author doesn't delve into ornate descriptions of their state of minds. To emphasize this, the author deliberately withheld the many of the character names and referred to them by their status or profession. In this light, any other discussion as to how lively some of them do or do not look, is in my opinion, quite pointless.
As I myself am coming from a former communistic country that is going through a turmoil of seemingly never ending political changes, I confess I feel for the villagers of Zivatar on a highly personal level. However, for a westernized reader, the setting might seem as an amusing or even grotesque piece of author's private fiction. If you can accept that place like this can and does exist, you could get an astonishingly more vivid perception and truly enjoy the storyline right to the last page.
December 5, 2014
In this astonishing, brilliant first novel, the author creates a village peopled by vivid and unforgettable characters. Although it's set in Hungary in the 1990s, in a place bypassed by history and set in its ways, the book makes it all seem familiar, warm, and entirely believable. Simply stated, after a lifetime of mundane work and gossip, the town potter and the village hag fall in love, and Zivatar is never the same after that. Even the coming of the railroad and of EU-era progress seems of less import.
That this is from a young American author is even more remarkable. Nothing rings false or out of synch in his village, particularly a village that no passing army, in over a century of tumultuous history over the horizon, thought Zivatar worth sacking or even notice. His characters seem likeable in their own irritating ways and they interact in a story that, in its quirky way, goes from grumpy beginnings to hilarious complications and a wild denouement. If this is indeed the start of trilogy then those will be worth looking forward to. Certainly, this book stands on its own as a delightful and well-crafted story.
That this is from a young American author is even more remarkable. Nothing rings false or out of synch in his village, particularly a village that no passing army, in over a century of tumultuous history over the horizon, thought Zivatar worth sacking or even notice. His characters seem likeable in their own irritating ways and they interact in a story that, in its quirky way, goes from grumpy beginnings to hilarious complications and a wild denouement. If this is indeed the start of trilogy then those will be worth looking forward to. Certainly, this book stands on its own as a delightful and well-crafted story.
November 2, 2014
I gave this book two stars because I honestly found it okay. I thought that it could have done more of some things and less of others.
The author's writing style was, for the most part, pretty good. There were a couple of parts which I thought could have been better, but it was otherwise okay. Sometimes there would be a paragraph that was phrased really well and struck an emotional chord, but there were so few of these.
I found the plot of this novel imbalanced. The love story was more passionate than romantic, and I tend to prefer romantic, but that's personal. However, the author could have done more with the romantic aspect, and I was disappointed that he didn't give it more of a back story. I also thought that the non-romantic stuff got to be too much like a soap opera. Although in the end I thought the author made a few points about progress, small town life, and community, I didn't want to have to read about a bunch of stuff that sounded like it was from a soap opera.
If you like a passionate love story, you may enjoy this book.
The author's writing style was, for the most part, pretty good. There were a couple of parts which I thought could have been better, but it was otherwise okay. Sometimes there would be a paragraph that was phrased really well and struck an emotional chord, but there were so few of these.
I found the plot of this novel imbalanced. The love story was more passionate than romantic, and I tend to prefer romantic, but that's personal. However, the author could have done more with the romantic aspect, and I was disappointed that he didn't give it more of a back story. I also thought that the non-romantic stuff got to be too much like a soap opera. Although in the end I thought the author made a few points about progress, small town life, and community, I didn't want to have to read about a bunch of stuff that sounded like it was from a soap opera.
If you like a passionate love story, you may enjoy this book.
May 7, 2009
Darling book! Great characters, too. Marc Fitten's sense of humor is dry and charming. This is an easy to read book that is delightful amidst all of the deep, dark and overwritten books that are out there. Plain and simple, Valeria's Last Stand is about the people of a quaint village in the plains of Hungary where nobody has bothered the inhabitants for centuries. Damages from the war even bypassed the town.
The story revolves around an old crotchety lady who finds love under strange consequences. The townspeople come alive and you feel like you are right there with them gossiping at the only tavern which is the sole backbone to the community. Ultimately, progress takes over as it always does.
Reading the book makes me want to go live there without the Walmarts and Alpplebee's. Where people grow their own vegetables and even have fresh milk. Where a gift of homemade pottery is treasured more than an iPod and a man's word is as good as his handshake.
His writing style reminds me of Hemingway.
The story revolves around an old crotchety lady who finds love under strange consequences. The townspeople come alive and you feel like you are right there with them gossiping at the only tavern which is the sole backbone to the community. Ultimately, progress takes over as it always does.
Reading the book makes me want to go live there without the Walmarts and Alpplebee's. Where people grow their own vegetables and even have fresh milk. Where a gift of homemade pottery is treasured more than an iPod and a man's word is as good as his handshake.
His writing style reminds me of Hemingway.
November 29, 2010
Interlocking love triangles among aging peasants in a hamlet on the Hungarian plain just after the Iron Curtain rolled up.
Sounds dismal, right?
Wrong.
In this stunning debut novel Marc Fitten does for the Magyar village what Isaac Bashevis Singer did for the Polish shtetl, but funny. He brilliantly evokes a time come and gone but a place that's always been there, a gossipy middle of nowhere always trying to find its footing in a changing world. In the village of Zivitar, in the mid 90's, the 68 years old Valeria, town scold, stumbles into a torrid affair with the nearly-as-old town potter, who suddenly finds himself equally attractive to the owner of the town's pub. The latter uses an itinerant chimney sweep---last of his kind, perhaps----as her foil in a catfight with Valeria. Fitten tells their story with humor and humanity.
However engaging the plot and characters---and they are---what stands out about this book is its evocation of place and time. Fitten clearly knows what and when he was talking about. This is a book well worth reading.
Sounds dismal, right?
Wrong.
In this stunning debut novel Marc Fitten does for the Magyar village what Isaac Bashevis Singer did for the Polish shtetl, but funny. He brilliantly evokes a time come and gone but a place that's always been there, a gossipy middle of nowhere always trying to find its footing in a changing world. In the village of Zivitar, in the mid 90's, the 68 years old Valeria, town scold, stumbles into a torrid affair with the nearly-as-old town potter, who suddenly finds himself equally attractive to the owner of the town's pub. The latter uses an itinerant chimney sweep---last of his kind, perhaps----as her foil in a catfight with Valeria. Fitten tells their story with humor and humanity.
However engaging the plot and characters---and they are---what stands out about this book is its evocation of place and time. Fitten clearly knows what and when he was talking about. This is a book well worth reading.
March 3, 2009
For the first 20 pages of this book, I thought,"Oh, no, this book is going to be horrible. I can't believe I have to an ARC review on it!" But, the book got much better, and I enjoyed it! The book has some central themes that are presented in an entertaining manner: the transition from a communist/socialist society to a capitalist society; the older generation's feelings about the end of their golden age; corrupt politics - presented in a fable/fairy tale style. Valeria, the crusty old woman, grows on you. The potter is a wonderful character. And Ibolya, the tavern owner, is quintessential in her role. In some ways, this book reminded me of Joanne Harris' Chocolat. The author has said he envisions this as the first book in a trilogy that will explore "how three generations of people were affeted by the major shift in the late 1980s." After reading Valeria's Last Stand, I will look forward to reading the next two installments when they are published.
July 13, 2012
Valeria’s Last Stand could be described as a late 20th century Hungarian mix of a Isaac Bashevis Singer short story and Marina Lewycka’s “The Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.” The story is set in the very small, out-of-the-way village of Zivatar in the days after the fall of the USSR. The town is full of randy men and women who work, drink, romp, and complain through life. There might be some messages there about love and about change, but not necessarily. The writing style is what makes the book for me. Enjoyable, but if it were even 25 pages longer it would have become tiresome.
January 8, 2017
I loved the writing style of Mr Fitten from beginning to end. He leads you on a journey of discovery in a very small Hungarian village full of interesting and odd characters! You get to enjoy their loves, lusts and dislikes. The two main characters are two older women, Valarie and Ibolya who lust after the same man, the potter. Who will win his heart? The story unfolds with several love twists, a chimney cleaner, and some wonderful dialogue that will make you chuckle. I fell in love with this book. Such a great first novel, can't wait to read more from Mr Fitten.
June 26, 2009
I am on a really great roll with fiction choices. This is another astonishingly good book, fable really, set in a tiny town in newly capitalizing Hungary. The leading character is tough to love but, as it turns out, everyone ends up doing just that. The characters are unusual in their depth for such a short novel. The author tells us in his afterword that the characters are composites of himself and his wife which is very juicy in itself.
June 6, 2009
I won this book as part of the Goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed it and finished it in no time. I don't want to ruin the book and put in any spoilers, but let me just say that I've never enjoyed a book about a distant village so much.
It's been awhile since I read of dowry's and dreams of opening pubs, and pottery. You'll find yourself loving each character for their strengths and their weaknesses. In fact, several characters reminded me of myself.
It's been awhile since I read of dowry's and dreams of opening pubs, and pottery. You'll find yourself loving each character for their strengths and their weaknesses. In fact, several characters reminded me of myself.
February 5, 2019
Unfortunate of all those who are not well versed in Hungarian folksiness, the humor is probably lost on them. However, it is a perfect satire of people, places, and situations in a Hungarian village.
It is LOL good!
It is LOL good!
September 19, 2009
A great fairy tale, European history, and love story for the over 60 set.
September 10, 2020
Picked up this book for R26.00 at a bookshop sale. Thought "why not" for the price. Thouroughly enjoying every page and will be putting it into our bookclub.
January 2, 2017
My favorite book
July 17, 2020
I wasn't sure what to make of this novel when I first picked it up. The best I can describe it is part folk tale, part soap opera, part satire. The plot moves along at a decent speed, but sometimes the actions of the characters don't really make sense except to advance the plot, which is why I docked a star from my review (more on that in a bit), but generally I loved this book.
The good thing is you don't have to know too much of the history of the area (a remote Hungarian village after the fall of communism and the USSR). The book hints at the time period but only indirectly addresses it (it's the year 2000, judging from the main character, Valeria being 68, and one reference to being seven years old in 1939).
One interesting thing about the writing style is that two main female characters are named: Valeria, the protagonist, a grumpy old spinster and Ibolya, the slightly younger owner of the local tavern, who becomes Valeria's rival for the affections of the potter. All the male characters are named by profession: the Potter, his apprentice, the mayor, and the chimney sweep, with the exception of Ferenc, a local beet farmer who is given no backstory but becomes crucial to the plot's final act.
Here's my main issue: the instigation of the climax of the book comes from Ibolya. She is sort of the book's antihero, an independent, self-made, sexually liberated woman, who I can't help but love. Ibolya displays signs of a temper, but also a lot of calculated cunning. Which is why I was annoyed that . Other than that, I think this is a fantastic novel.
The good thing is you don't have to know too much of the history of the area (a remote Hungarian village after the fall of communism and the USSR). The book hints at the time period but only indirectly addresses it (it's the year 2000, judging from the main character, Valeria being 68, and one reference to being seven years old in 1939).
One interesting thing about the writing style is that two main female characters are named: Valeria, the protagonist, a grumpy old spinster and Ibolya, the slightly younger owner of the local tavern, who becomes Valeria's rival for the affections of the potter. All the male characters are named by profession: the Potter, his apprentice, the mayor, and the chimney sweep, with the exception of Ferenc, a local beet farmer who is given no backstory but becomes crucial to the plot's final act.
Here's my main issue: the instigation of the climax of the book comes from Ibolya. She is sort of the book's antihero, an independent, self-made, sexually liberated woman, who I can't help but love. Ibolya displays signs of a temper, but also a lot of calculated cunning. Which is why I was annoyed that . Other than that, I think this is a fantastic novel.
January 25, 2015
An unlikely woman who was destined to be men’s inspiration and the men she inspired
The scene is a small Hungarian village so insubstantial that none of the country's stormy historical events ever reached it. Zivatar doesn't even have a train station and the main road is so far away that most people drive by without knowing they just past a village.
Here lives Valeria, a stern looking 68 y old unattractive woman often called by locals the “old hag” who grows vegetables with a borderline pathological obsession who, without any warning signs finds herself in the center of two men’s attention. Both men are at least a decade younger than Valeria.
One of them is a wondering chimney man who arrived to town on his bicycle and found enough soot-choked chimneys to give him work for the rest of his life. After a ten-day marathon encounter with Valeria the chimney man finds her personality so irresistible that he ignores the advances of Ibolya, the much younger inn keeper who houses him. Toward the end of the story he even acts out his jealous frustration with Valeria in a brutal rage.
The other man is the village potter who turns into a true artist under the spell of Valeria’s surprising and well-received attention—and this where I find the gist of the story. Although others may disagree, the creative transformation of the potter for me becomes the narrative hinge that holds the whole story together with the message that true appreciation of art is the best driving force behind creativity.
Through her honest admiration of the potter’s work, Valeria is able to offer the precious inspiration that changes him from an artisan of plates and steins into an artist who can communicate his ideas to others through unique pottery designs. Far more interesting than the love rectangle between Valeria, Ibolya, the potter, and the chimney man is how the underdog Valeria succeeds in winning over the heart of the noblest man in town against Ibolya, the worldly inn keeper blessed with superior physical allure. It is not to say that Ibolya doesn’t have admirable qualities besides her low-cut, unbuttoned blouses and sensual chirping in the ears of the regulars. She runs the only inn of the town with good business finesse keeping the town-drunks at check while accumulating sufficient funds to be able to restart her life in a new inn with a new man in a new town. Yet, unlike Valeria, she fails to recognize the creative tension behind the potter’s handsome, manly features and for this she loses his heart.
As an unexpected twist at the end, the potter becomes injured and his ability to continue working with clay becomes uncertain—yet his love with Valeria remains unfaltering. Is there a magical power hiding inside us, people, that transcends even the mystique of art?
The chimney man seems a little less developed than Valeria and the potter with perhaps a bit too much focus on the “chimney man brings good luck” motive. Yet, he still holds enough surprises for the reader to make his character memorable. His falling under the spell of the intricate Valeria instead of the succulent Ibolya seems to suggest a level of complexity that perhaps doesn’t get fully explored in the story.
Ibolya is a worthy tragic-comic heroin who brings colors and complications into the storyline. Despite her weaknesses, she earns the sympathy of the reader and contributes a good deal to the upbeat ending.
A few characters bring a certain ideological quality to the story. Despite its cartoonish simplicity, this political undertone gives a surprisingly accurate picture about the transition of Hungary’s socialist political and economical system into the new wave of capitalism with its own new, bizarre foibles. Although this aspect of the story may overly impress some on this side of the Atlantic, I would argue that the human interactions between the four main characters are far more sophisticated and exciting than the simplistic depiction of a chaotic social process that until now hasn’t played itself out in a turbulent country.
The main representative of the social-political scenery of the town is the mayor. He is a typical Western-style populist politician with his share of corruption, infidelity, and megalomania who promises a brighter future to the town, but who has so far managed to bring into the community only a dog food factory with a few dozen local jobs. It remains to be seen if his other grandiose plans involving the railway and various Asian investors will come to fruition.
The odd couple of the local police chief and his deputy serves up a refreshing little squib at the end. They well represent the transitional state of the small town police force while the world is changing from a more peaceful old way of life into the new, crime-ridden agitated times.
A word should be said about the village people. If one thinks about the chorus in ancient Greek tragedies with their uniformity and simple interpretation of the events, he/she will get the right idea about the role of the faceless local women, man, and children who populate the village. In them, the typical is crystallized into an unflattering joke. Their plainness provides a suitable background from which the four-five major characters can shine through.
The language is clear, at times perhaps plain, but then quickly changes into a stinging, sometimes dark humor or lively action scenes.
This reviewer, who is a native Hungarian, feels the need to emphasize the imaginary nature of the scenery and location of the story. Although much reality from the Hungarian country life is fitted into the story with a keen sense of an observant outsider, the readers must know that there is not one Hungarian soul who wouldn’t wish for a patch of Hungarian land that was avoided by the Mongols, Turks, Austrians, Germans, British, and Russians. Zivatar is one such patch – oh, only if it were for real!
A final word about the title: although Valeria’s character development seems to justify the book’s title, I would have had a hard time choosing between “Valeria’s last stand,” and say “A fountain is born” – in reference to the potter’s master piece in the book.
If it is not clear yet, I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book.
The scene is a small Hungarian village so insubstantial that none of the country's stormy historical events ever reached it. Zivatar doesn't even have a train station and the main road is so far away that most people drive by without knowing they just past a village.
Here lives Valeria, a stern looking 68 y old unattractive woman often called by locals the “old hag” who grows vegetables with a borderline pathological obsession who, without any warning signs finds herself in the center of two men’s attention. Both men are at least a decade younger than Valeria.
One of them is a wondering chimney man who arrived to town on his bicycle and found enough soot-choked chimneys to give him work for the rest of his life. After a ten-day marathon encounter with Valeria the chimney man finds her personality so irresistible that he ignores the advances of Ibolya, the much younger inn keeper who houses him. Toward the end of the story he even acts out his jealous frustration with Valeria in a brutal rage.
The other man is the village potter who turns into a true artist under the spell of Valeria’s surprising and well-received attention—and this where I find the gist of the story. Although others may disagree, the creative transformation of the potter for me becomes the narrative hinge that holds the whole story together with the message that true appreciation of art is the best driving force behind creativity.
Through her honest admiration of the potter’s work, Valeria is able to offer the precious inspiration that changes him from an artisan of plates and steins into an artist who can communicate his ideas to others through unique pottery designs. Far more interesting than the love rectangle between Valeria, Ibolya, the potter, and the chimney man is how the underdog Valeria succeeds in winning over the heart of the noblest man in town against Ibolya, the worldly inn keeper blessed with superior physical allure. It is not to say that Ibolya doesn’t have admirable qualities besides her low-cut, unbuttoned blouses and sensual chirping in the ears of the regulars. She runs the only inn of the town with good business finesse keeping the town-drunks at check while accumulating sufficient funds to be able to restart her life in a new inn with a new man in a new town. Yet, unlike Valeria, she fails to recognize the creative tension behind the potter’s handsome, manly features and for this she loses his heart.
As an unexpected twist at the end, the potter becomes injured and his ability to continue working with clay becomes uncertain—yet his love with Valeria remains unfaltering. Is there a magical power hiding inside us, people, that transcends even the mystique of art?
The chimney man seems a little less developed than Valeria and the potter with perhaps a bit too much focus on the “chimney man brings good luck” motive. Yet, he still holds enough surprises for the reader to make his character memorable. His falling under the spell of the intricate Valeria instead of the succulent Ibolya seems to suggest a level of complexity that perhaps doesn’t get fully explored in the story.
Ibolya is a worthy tragic-comic heroin who brings colors and complications into the storyline. Despite her weaknesses, she earns the sympathy of the reader and contributes a good deal to the upbeat ending.
A few characters bring a certain ideological quality to the story. Despite its cartoonish simplicity, this political undertone gives a surprisingly accurate picture about the transition of Hungary’s socialist political and economical system into the new wave of capitalism with its own new, bizarre foibles. Although this aspect of the story may overly impress some on this side of the Atlantic, I would argue that the human interactions between the four main characters are far more sophisticated and exciting than the simplistic depiction of a chaotic social process that until now hasn’t played itself out in a turbulent country.
The main representative of the social-political scenery of the town is the mayor. He is a typical Western-style populist politician with his share of corruption, infidelity, and megalomania who promises a brighter future to the town, but who has so far managed to bring into the community only a dog food factory with a few dozen local jobs. It remains to be seen if his other grandiose plans involving the railway and various Asian investors will come to fruition.
The odd couple of the local police chief and his deputy serves up a refreshing little squib at the end. They well represent the transitional state of the small town police force while the world is changing from a more peaceful old way of life into the new, crime-ridden agitated times.
A word should be said about the village people. If one thinks about the chorus in ancient Greek tragedies with their uniformity and simple interpretation of the events, he/she will get the right idea about the role of the faceless local women, man, and children who populate the village. In them, the typical is crystallized into an unflattering joke. Their plainness provides a suitable background from which the four-five major characters can shine through.
The language is clear, at times perhaps plain, but then quickly changes into a stinging, sometimes dark humor or lively action scenes.
This reviewer, who is a native Hungarian, feels the need to emphasize the imaginary nature of the scenery and location of the story. Although much reality from the Hungarian country life is fitted into the story with a keen sense of an observant outsider, the readers must know that there is not one Hungarian soul who wouldn’t wish for a patch of Hungarian land that was avoided by the Mongols, Turks, Austrians, Germans, British, and Russians. Zivatar is one such patch – oh, only if it were for real!
A final word about the title: although Valeria’s character development seems to justify the book’s title, I would have had a hard time choosing between “Valeria’s last stand,” and say “A fountain is born” – in reference to the potter’s master piece in the book.
If it is not clear yet, I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2023
This is a difficult book for me to rate as one of my main issues is that it has too similar a ‘feel’ to a certain genre of books that I have got bored of, but in its defence it was written before most of the others I have read so can’t really be accused of being derivative - it’s been sitting unread on my bookshelf a long time.
It has that now fairly common cast of quirky characters (although these are all round more unpleasant than usual) acting in fairly eccentric ways, in a village that seems way too naive for the times the story is supposed to be set in. That said, it’s enjoyable enough (although with the odd element that feels a bit dated) and someone who likes this kind of book and maybe hasn’t read much literature about Eastern Europe would probably appreciate it much more.
It has that now fairly common cast of quirky characters (although these are all round more unpleasant than usual) acting in fairly eccentric ways, in a village that seems way too naive for the times the story is supposed to be set in. That said, it’s enjoyable enough (although with the odd element that feels a bit dated) and someone who likes this kind of book and maybe hasn’t read much literature about Eastern Europe would probably appreciate it much more.
November 13, 2017
I received this book through the Bookbrowse First Impressions program, and I wasn’t crazy about it. Sixty-eight year old Valeria and the potter were good characters but could have been developed more. The Hungarian villagers were not likable—mean, gossipy, nosy, and profane to a fault. Married women threw themselves at a miserable little traveling chimney sweep—why? Easy reading but not memorable for me. Barely gets 3 stars.
August 12, 2021
Kind of a goofy fairy tale set in a small village in post-Communist Hungary. Characters are from another century, really, but still endearing in their own pre-modern way. I was rooting for cranky old Valeria and her man. I’ll take their lessons to heart.
November 27, 2023
Even though I've marked it as read I actually skipped a heap and gave up. The characters were vulger and unlikable on the whole. Not my kind of story I guess as I felt it didn't really go anywhere and got frustrated. Didn't read enough to find out what Valeria was making her last stand on
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