Zabelle [Hardcover]

Nancy Kricorian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

In vivid, poetic prose, this debut novel tells the story of spirited Zabelle Chahasbanian, whose ordinary life is haunted by the ghosts and memories of her extraordinary past. An exuberant and magical tale of an Armenian woman's life, spanning from childhood in Ottoman Turkey to grandmotherhood in modern America 5-city author tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Zabelle Chahasbanian, the seventysomething matriarch of an Armenian-American family, is dead. Her children gather to plan her funeral. What was special about Ma, they wonder. It is clear that at least they know nothing of the extraordinary life of this "ordinary" woman, her struggles and her dreams. They do not know much of the annihilation of her family in her homeland during her childhood or of her survival and emigration to the United States as the bride of a man she had only seen in a photograph. They know only the barest facts about her friendship with Arsinee, a spunky, irreverent woman who was Zabelle's lifelong mainstay. They know nothing of her poignant romance with a man named Moses. So what was special about Ma? Plenty. This first novel is a tender portrait of family, friendship, and love. Highly recommended.?Kay Hogan, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The rhythm of folktale and family stories shared around the table infuse the telling of Zabelle Chahasbanian's life. The story begins near her death in Watertown, Massachusetts, and circles back to her Armenian childhood in 1916, the slaughter of the rest of her family by the Turks, and her journey from orphanage to arranged marriage to immigration to the U.S. These bare bones are hung upon a lovely structure of symbols and stories: how Zabelle came by her tin cup, her silver thimble, and a small blue brooch; how she survived a vicious mother-in-law, a secret love, and three children who could not understand her life even in their dreams. The coda, the fairy-tale meeting of Zabelle's own parents with no foreshadowing of their tragic end, comes to the reader as a gift. Although it is not quite so strong as similar titles like Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior (1976) or Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), Kricorian's novel is sure to delight readers of those titles. GraceAnne A. DeCandido

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Pr; 1st edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871137054
• ISBN-13: 978-0871137050
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,433,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and provocative, March 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Zabelle (Hardcover)

I thought this book was excellent. As I was reading it, I thought about my grandmother, and how close she came to dying in the Syrian desert. What made it especially meaningful was that the town Zabelle grows up in is the one my family is from - it is now gone. I wish everyone could read this book, as it is a compelling tale of a major event that no one seems to know, or care, much about.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and wonderful story, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Zabelle (Paperback)

THe minute I started reading "Zabelle" all I could think of was what happens to her next. What a remarkable lady what a beautiful life story. I am so glad Nancy Krikorian decided to narrate her life so all of us could share and in someways make "Zabelle" a part of our lives forever. If Nancy Krikorian's goal was to eternalize "Zabelle", well I think it worked, whoever gets the opportunity to read this Novel will never forget Zabelle and each time they remember her their faces will light up with a smile becasue durig those few moments each and everyone of us went back in time and re-lived the life, hardship and joy of our ancestors.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Armenian Stories from Long Ago, December 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Zabelle (Hardcover)

Zabelle is really an amazing story. I am a Bulgarian-Armenian American teenager growing up in Washington, but the story of Zabelle was really touching. Zabelle is a character that transcends time and space, and hers is a story that was shared by many other Armenian American women coming to the New World after the Genocide of 1915. My favorite episode from Zabelle was when she quarelled with her mother-in-law, the domineering Vartanoush Chahasbanian. Really, a domineering mother-in-law is one of those things that Armenians all over the world know about. The story of Zabelle is truly one of the best novels on Armenian American women, and perhaps the only one currently available, that spoke to me directly and Ms. Kricorian did an excellent job of making the words speak for themselves. I enjoyed reading this book greatly and it encourages me to read other books about Armenian Americans. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!