This novels switches from contemporary Belgrade to World War II and its aftermath, as granddaughter Jelena unveils grandmother Jelena's loves and death.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The setting is tempestuous Belgrade during two dark eras: the Communist takeover in 1944 and the war between the Serbs and the Croats in 1994. The heroines are two Jelenas, grandmother and granddaughter, who have both had the misfortune of being in love during evil times. These two stubborn women seem to share little beyond their genealogy. The elder is poised and cultured, the younger awkward and crude. But when the latter discovers some of her grandmother's belongings and begins to investigate her life, similarities come to light, with Seleni'c skillfully intertwining their two stories. This novel, the late Yugoslavian author's final work, is a moving argument against war as well as an engrossing tale of romantic passion and irretrievable loss. The translator has made an effort to convey the special flavor of the various characters' speech patterns, so that the narration juxtaposes polished prose with ungrammatical composition and graceful rhetoric with graceless slang. But these shifts detract little from an impressive, coherent work. Highly recommended for contemporary fiction collections.?Sister M. Anna Falbo, Villa Maria Coll. Lib., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
exhilarating account of life during the '91-'95 Balcan War,
By A Customer
This review is from: Premeditated Murder (Paperback)
"Premeditated Murder" takes its readers from Belgrade before the WWII to the latest war. Jelena, the centerpiece of this heart-shattering story, tries desperately to survive the horrors of the Balkan Wars. Her life reflects lives of many young people in Yugoslavia - seeking solutions to being born in a wrong place at a wrong time while the wrong officials were leading the country into the dusk of the 20th century.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a portray of an average Serbian student's thoughts!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Premeditated Murder (Paperback)
Amazingly interesting and easy-to-read story of an average student in Serbia in lieu of the current and past political events of the country. By constantly interplaying the post-WWII communist period with the 1990s "socialist," Selenic describes the attitudes of everyday Serbian people, the ones truly affected by the events. Truly a masterpiece (if you do not mind some foul language, since the English translation is usually very accurate)!
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