She holds an mfa in fiction and literary translation from columbia university, and is an assistant professor of creative writing at stockton university. May 21, 2015 in girl at war, sara novics beautiful writing really brings to life a country torn by conflict. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading girl at war. The war in zagreb began over a pack of cigarettes, the 10yearold narrator tells us. He could live without it, but life just wasnt as good. Girl at war, which tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life is upended by the civil war that resulted in the. Jun 15, 2016 an incredible read and some notes on storytelling as a deaf novelist. In the beginning, adults operating somewhere between concern and nosiness had asked questions about the war, and i spoke truthfully about the things id seen.
This clumsy debut novel never for a moment convinces in its setting, characters or conflict, says eileen battersby. But my descriptions were often met with an uncomfortable shining of eyes, as if they were waiting for me to take things back, to say that. America is immigrants, new, illustrated nonfiction, is coming in 2019. Girl at war is an extraordinarily poised and potent debut novel, a story about grief and exile, memory and identity, and the redemptive power of love financial times a shattering debut. The book begins with what deserves to become one of. As civil war breaks out across yugoslavia, mundane regular life is replaced with sniper fire and air raid drills. Girl at war is a haunting, compelling debut from a brilliant young writer, rooted in historical fact and personal experience.
Girl at war by sara novic has an overall rating of positive based on. Violence methodically consumes everything that was once good and innocent in her young life, ensnaring 10yearold ana, her mother and father and her. Sara novic born 1987 is an american writer, translator, and creative writing professor. For that matter, ask ana juric, the narratorprotagonist of sara novics shattering and promising debut novel, girl at war 12 out of four. Girl at war by sara novic, 9781408706541, available at book depository with free. Author interview sara novic, author of girl at war bookpage. Its a debut by a writer who has stared into recent history to find a story that continues to resonate today. Novic says he was inspired by a professor she had at emerson as an undergrad, whose office was similarly crammed with piledup books. May 12, 2015 in sarah novics first novel, girl at war, her protagonist ana juric lives suspended between the living and the dead after witnessing the atrocities of the croatian war of independence. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Two main parallel plots are followed through the book.
I highly recommend this book if you are interested in reading about events that happened not too long ago, and from such. Girl at war is a haunting, compelling debut from a brilliant young writer. Where novic truly shines in her writing skill is the story told of the sacrifice of the people who got ana out of croatia, the rekindling of old relationships and the healing of broken lives. Sara novic fearlessly shows the impact of war on one young girl and its legacy on all of us. For readers of the tigers wife and all the light we cannot see comes a powerful debut novel about a girl s coming of ageand how her sense of family, friendship, love, and belonging is profoundly shaped by war.
Girl at war study guide contains a biography of sara novic, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The book begins with what deserves to become one of contemporary literatures more memorable opening lines. Girl at war depicts the stillfresh nightmare of the serbocroatian war, survived by a girl much too young to know all she knows. In the next section of the book, somnambulist, ana is suddenly 20. For readers of the tigers wife and all the light we cannot see comes a powerful debut novel about a girls coming of ageand how her sense of family, friendship, love, and belonging is profoundly shaped by war. An unforgettable portrait of how war forever changes the life of the individual, girl at war is a remarkable debut by a writer working with deep reserves of talent, heart, and mind. Sara has lived in the states and croatia, and her novel recounts some of the haunting stories of her family and friends who lived through the height of the conflict, and reflects her own attempts to come to terms with her relationship to croatia and its history. Girl at war tells the story of ana juric, who when the story begins is 10 years old, without a care in the world, running around the streets of zagreb, the capital of croatia. Ana juric is a carefree tenyearold, living with her family in a small apartment in croatias capital. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. For readers of the tigers wife and all the light we cannot see comes a powerful debut novel about a girls coming of ageand how her.
The united nations estimates that 3,000 to 4,000 child soldiers some as young as 10 took part in the fighting, most of them in bosnia and croatia, though other sources put the numbers at more like 10,000. Stuarts cape and stuart goes to school, both illustrated by martin matje. We first meet her protagonist, ana, as an ordinary, happy girl, living with her parents and baby sister i. Ten years earlier, the speaker, ana juric, had been one of these children, a croatian girl with a gun caught in a conflict that would destroy her country. This book really packs a punch and takes you by surprise. For readers of the tigers wife and all the light we cannot see comes a powerful debut novel about a girls coming of ageand. In this promising debut, novic tells the story of 10yearold ana, for whom the war in zagreb began over a pack of cigarettes.
Girl at war tells the story of ana juric, a girl who is just ten when the civil war breaks out in croatia. What happened to that girl, and how it haunts the woman she grows up to be, is the premise of girl at. Sara novi fearlessly shows the impact of war on one young girl and its legacy on all of us. In the first of the novels four parts, tomboy ana describes. What i appreciated most about this book was its readability, and how real it felt.
Girl at war is an extraordinarily poised and potent debut novel, a story about grief and exile, memory and identity, and the redemptive power of love. She holds an mfa in fiction and literary translation from columbia university, and is an assistant professor of creative writing at stockton university, a public liberal arts school. The careful structure of girl at war keeps it from becoming just another ordinary, chronological war story. You dont need to experience something to remember it, a former child soldier remarks in the final pages of sara novics outstanding first novel. If so, you may be on your way to being a book girl. Theres a character in girl at war, a professor who acts as a sort of book angel, lending ana new books each week and guiding her reading. Sara novics debut novel, girl at war, zeroes in on the croatian war of independence, which lasted from 1991 to 1995. She holds an mfa in fiction and literary translation from columbia university, and is an assistant professor of creative writing at stockton university, a public liberal arts school in. Sara novic writes with ruthless understatement not only about a modern city subjected to primitive horrors, but about young anas subsequent war against the american urge to forget. Girl at war book chicago public library bibliocommons. Sep 19, 2015 girl at war by sara novic by curlygeek04, september 19, 2015.
I knew in the end the guilt of one side did not prove the innocence of the other. Girl at war depicts the stillfresh nightmare of the yugoslavian civil war, survived by a girl much too young to know all she knows. Yoko tanaka made her childrens book debut with theodosia and the serpents of chaos by r. Its anas tenth birthday and, during the family celebration dinner, her godfather has sent her out to the nearby kiosk to buy him cigarettes. Understated, selfassured roman a clef of a young girls coming of age in wartorn croatia.
Raised in the company of the lively anne of green gables, the brave pevensie children of narnia, and the wise austen heroines, she discovered reading early on as a daily gift, a way of encountering the world in all its wonder. The intense climax point when anas family is stopped by the soldiers is the end of part i of the novel, and part ii shoots forward a decade to show anas new life in america. May 12, 2015 longlisted for the baileys womens prize for fiction 2016growing up in zagreb in the summer of 1991, 10yearold ana juric is a carefree tomboy. Sara novic is author of the novel girl at war, random house, an american library association award winner thats available in languages. Sara novic fearlessly shows the impact of war on one young girland its legacy on all of us. Apr 18, 2016 the war in zagreb began over a pack of cigarettes. The first is that of tenyearold sarah starzynski, a jewish girl born in paris, who is arrested with her parents during the vel dhiv roundup. For that matter, ask ana juric, the narratorprotagonist of sara novics shattering and promising debut novel, girl at. Before the war, 10yearold ana juric is a carefree child whoplays in the streets of her town with her best friend, luka. Novic is also a deaf rights activist who has written about the challenges she has faced as a deaf novelist. Shes describing how the memory of the yugoslav civil war will. Novic is most notable for her debut novel, girl at war, which tells the story of ana juric, a tenyearold girl whose life is upended by the civil war that resulted in the dissolution of.
Sara novics girl at war girl at war amber galloway gallego ht. What happened to that girl, and how it haunts the woman she grows up to be, is the premise of girl at war, the remarkable debut novel by sara novic 14soa. Author interview sara novic, author of girl at war. Girl at war by sara novic book cover, description, publication history. Girl at war by sara novic when starting this book, i didnt expect the experience i had from reading it.
In the next section of the book, somnambulist, ana is suddenly 20, living in the united states with adoptive. So begins girl at war, sara novics debut novel about ana, the girl of the title. Like much of yugoslavia in the 90s, croatia the novels opening backdrop is a tinderbox, and ana and her family bear. The wartorn segments of the book are dreadful but integral to the story. Sparrow girl by sara pennypacker, yoko tanaka, hardcover. But its also a tender, realistic comingofage tale which perfectly captures a myriad of emotions, without ever being overly emotional. Novics debut novel centers on the civil war in croatia between croats and serbs in the 1990s. In sarah novics first novel, girl at war, her protagonist ana juric lives suspended between the living and the dead after witnessing the atrocities of the croatian war of independence. Sara has lived in the states and croatia, and her novel bears witness to the haunting stories of her family and friends who lived through the height of the conflict, and reflects her own attempts to come to terms with. May 21, 2015 a searing debut novel, one whose content lingers with you long after you have closed the pages herald girl at war depicts the stillfresh nightmare of the yugoslavian civil war, survived by a girl much too young to know all she knows. Girl at war quotes by sara novic goodreads share book.