Items related to A Long Time Ago & Essentially True
Synopsis
This novel is a love story about a young woman and her country on the cusp of change. It tells how on the eve of World World II in a place called Half-Village, a man nicknamed Pigeon falls in love with a girl fabled for her angelic looks. The war then arrives cutting short their courtship and bringing with it terrible events.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
On the eve of World War II, in aplace calledHalf-Village, a young man nicknamed the Pigeon falls in love with a girl fabled for her angelic looks. Tocourt Anielica Hetmanska he offers up his "golden hands" to transform her family s modesthut into a beautiful home, thereby building his way into her heart. Then wararrives tocut short their courtship, delay their marriage, and wreak havoc in all their lives, even sending the young lovers far from home to thepromise of a new life in Krakow.
Nearly fifty years later, their granddaughter, Beata, repeats their postwar journey, seeking a new life in the fairy-tale city of her grandmother s stories. But when she arrives in Krakow, instead of the whispered prosperity of the New Poland, she discovers a city caught between its future and its past, and full of frustrated youths. Taken in by her toughtalking cousin Irena and Irena s glamorous daughter Magda, Beata struggles to find her own place in 1990s Krakow and in the constellation of Irena and Magda s fierce love. But unexpected events-- tragedies and miracles-- can change lives and open eyes. And Beata may just find a new way of seeing her family's and her country's history-- as well as a vision for her own role in the New Poland.Whimsical, wise, beautiful, magical, and sometimes even heartbreaking, A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially Trueweaves together two remarkablestories, reimagining half a century of Polish history through the legacy of one unforgettable love affair. "
From the Back Cover
"[A] whimsical debut." New York Times Book Review On the eve of World War II, a young man nicknamed the Pigeon falls in love with a girl fabled for her angelic looks, andbuilds his way into her heart bytransforming her family s modesthut into a beautiful home. But wararrives, cutting short their courtship and sending the young lovers off to thepromise of Krakow.Nearly fifty years later, their granddaughterrepeats this journey, but instead of the whispered prosperity of the New Poland, she discovers a city caught between its future and its past. Magical, wise, and sometimes even heartbreaking, A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially Trueweaves together two remarkablestories, reimagining half a century of Polish history through the legacy of one unforgettable love affair.
"A gorgeous debut." Chicago Tribune
"Rings hauntingly, enchantingly, real." National Geographic Traveler"With a touch of Marina Lewycka and a dash of Captain Corelli s Mandolin, this is storytelling that gets under your skin and forces you to press copies into your best friends hands." Elle (UK) Brigid Pasulka, the descendant of Polish immigrants, first arrived in Krakow in the early nineties, with no contacts, no knowledge of the language, and only a vague idea of Polish culture. She quickly fell in love with the place, learned Polish, and decided to live there for one year. She teaches English at a Chicago high school. ""About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for A Long Time Ago & Essentially True
Stock Image
A Long Long Time Ago And Essentially True
Seller: Book Haven, Wellington, WLG, New Zealand
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. On the eve of World War II in a place called Half-Village, a man nicknamed the Pigeon falls in love with a girl fabled for her angelic looks. Using his 'golden hands' he decides to turn her family's modest hut into a beautiful home, and build his way into her heart.But war arrives, cutting short their charming courtship and bringing with it terrible events.Fifty years on, young Baba Yaga leaves her village to make a new life in Krakow. What she finds is not the city of her grandmother's tales but a place struggling in the aftermath of communism's fall, where opportunity seems reserved for the lucky few. Then tragedy strikes and the past reaches out an unexpected hand to her.What Louis de Bernieres did for Kefalonia, Brigid Pasulka does for Poland, weaving together the two strands of her story with a deftly magical touch into a witty, wise and heartbreaking love story that will enchant you to the very end. 368 pages. Seller Inventory # 1120304
Quantity: 1 available