From Publishers Weekly
In the tradition of his AK and The Seventh Raven, Dickinson's spine-tingling, heart-stopping new work provides a glimpse of the elusive, unsettling and highly personal truths that often lurk behind terse political headlines. Descended from two renowned national heroes of Varina (a tiny, fictional Eastern European country), English-born Letta remains largely uninvolved with Varina's culture, until the dissolution of the Eastern bloc raises the possibility of Varina's reunification. Letta is immediately involved as the granddaughter of Restaur Vax II, the country's last democratically elected prime minister. Restaur Vax is himself the great-grandson of another charismatic leader, the warrior and poet whose exploits during Varina's brief but glorious period of independence in the 1820s are celebrated (and raised to near-mythical status) in nationalistic folktales known as the Legends. As the author describes Letta's visit to post-Ceausescu Romania and the trip's complex effects, he precedes each chapter of Letta's story with a Legend, gently hinting at the ever-shifting relationships among historical fact, fable and literature. As moving as it is thought-provoking, this extraordinary novel not only imagines a specific political event but provides a guide to interpreting historical and social conflicts all over the world. It is a testimony to Dickinson's persuasive storytelling that he can introduce a word that exists only in the made-up language of a fictional land, and, by tale's end, use it to bring tears to a reader's eyes. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-The complexities of the independence struggles in Eastern Europe are brought to light in this novel about a fictional province in Romania. Dickinson focuses his story on the dreams of an old man and the political awakening of a young girl. Restaur Vax is the 81-year-old former prime minister of the tiny former-Soviet satellite. Living in exile in England with his daughter's family, he shares in plans to focus world attention on the plight of his people, caught in the post-communist chaos of Eastern Europe. His 13-year-old granddaughter, Letta, is his pupil, learning the language, customs, and traditions of his homeland. When she and her family accompany Vax on a dramatic return to Varina to participate in a cultural festival, he is abruptly whisked away by Romanian authorities who fear the impact of his heroic return. Letta watches uneasily as a calculating opportunist, Otto Vasa, steps forward to become spokesman for Varina and her brother becomes the man's courier. Alternating with the episodes from the near-present day are the centuries-old tales about an earlier Restaur Vax, a legendary Varinian liberator. The author has created characters that are believable and distinct, a plot that is steady and compelling, and a historical context to bring the land and its people to life. Informative and entertaining, this story emphasizes the powerful and divisive influence of cultural and ethnic heritage.
Gerry Larson, Chewning Middle School, Durham, NCCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
