Anything Can Happen [Hardcover]

George Papashvily (Author), Helen Papashvily (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1985

Publisher: National Academies Publication date: 1945 Original Identifier: NAP:10240 Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 40 Anv edition (January 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312045247
• ISBN-13: 978-0312045241
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a heart-warming true story of an immigrant from Georgia, Rus, September 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Anything Can Happen (Hardcover)

This is the story of a man who loved America from the moment he set foot on our shores. He said, and never changed his mind that, in America, "Anything Can Happen." There are many vignettes in his book, telling of his adventures and misadventures in America, but he never changed his opinion that he loved America, even though he sought the companionship of other Georgians. This book was made into a movie which fell far short of the book, which dealt with his honesty, integrity, and love for all pertaining to America and his fellow men. This book is heart-warming, poignant, and often brings a tear to the eye; in other parts it brings a chuckle or a laugh or a general thumbs-up. I have read the book a number of times not only to myself, but aloud to my family, especially when traveling. Exceptionally enjoyable were vignettes about Dzea Vanno, the wager about fitting a Nash wheel on their vehicle, Luba--who had the disposition of a camel, and at a party, his saying, regarding food, that "...only too much was ever enough", plus being outside and listening to "...people being happy and enjoying themselves in his home" (paraphrased). I heartily recommend this book to anyone!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Laugh Therapy, December 15, 2001

By 

Howard B. Grossman "Kat G" (San Bernardino, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anything Can Happen (Hardcover)

I love this book and have read it many times. When I have a friend who needs cheering up, I loan them my copy. It is usually passed around to their family & friends before I get it back. If ever one is in need of hope, this story provides a beautiful example of people helping, loving, laughing and eating together. It is the quintessential story of immigration to America with its deprivation, hard work and eventual success. With the help of Georg's wife, it is told with the indiosyncratic syntax of a non-native speaker of English which makes you feel the author is telling his adventures to you directly. Papashvily was an amazing person and one of the few authors that I would love to have spent an evening with listening to his stories. This makes a great gift of joy to anyone you know.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A laugh, an inspiration, July 7, 2008

By 

Chara "charasketchnbc" (Eastern Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN (Hardcover)

This collection of humorous short stories describes America as seen through the eyes of an immigrant from the country of Georgia who first stepped foot in the USA in the early 1920s.

First published in 1945, it was co-written by Mr. Papashvily and his wife Helen in the author's original style of "Georgian" English. The author was, according to Wikipedia, a famous writer and sculptor who was listed in Who's Who in the categories of both writing and art. Chapters in this book deal with topics such as getting a job (the author was trained in Georgia as a swordmaker and a decorative leatherworker), joining a labor strike, going to court for a crime he didn't commit, helping a friend work his way through depression (the cure: Uncle John's garlic sauce, freshly grilled shish kebobs, and a fight with a trio of Italian/American farmers who thought the Georgians' picnic fire on the beach was set by bootleggers to attract their boats, but later contributed their own homemade wine when invited to join the party), marriage (Uncle John, a restaurateur, catered the wedding feast and it sounds delicious!), and trying to find someone--anyone--who could speak the author's little-known native language (eventually he succeeded).

I highly recommend this book to anyone who remembers America as it was sixty-plus years ago, and/or who is ready for some thought-provoking humor.