This book's charm follows in the same vein as the Helen Mirren movie, "Calendar Girls." A quirky, older, lovably stubborn woman has her life swept up by change in a place seemingly untouched by time. Although the story's setting is Hungary, I could almost see an intractable Maggie Smith defiantly belting out some of Valeria's lines. This is what I refer to as a "Little Old British Lady Story." And this is at the top of the genre.
Fitten effectively creates an entire town steeped in superstition about progress and chimney sweeps. The three main characters in the love triangle (Valeria, the potter, and Ibolya) each have a unique way of dealing with problems life throws them and life does begin to throw them pretty hard and fast. Pottery plays a beautiful role as metaphor throughout.
What most impressed me after I finished the madcap romance was the overall message. Fitten's clever writing seamlessly works in the large and nearly unmanageable concept of Capitalism's arrival in Eastern Europe. Yes, that. He remains fair to the idea, too, giving pros and cons and then drinks all around to the townsfolk. The novel has the deceptively simple dark humor of Magnus Mills combined with the underlying philosophical intricacies of Iris Murdoch. Recommended for those who love allegorical stories and also for those who want a fun little romp of a story.
Fitten effectively creates an entire town steeped in superstition about progress and chimney sweeps. The three main characters in the love triangle (Valeria, the potter, and Ibolya) each have a unique way of dealing with problems life throws them and life does begin to throw them pretty hard and fast. Pottery plays a beautiful role as metaphor throughout.
What most impressed me after I finished the madcap romance was the overall message. Fitten's clever writing seamlessly works in the large and nearly unmanageable concept of Capitalism's arrival in Eastern Europe. Yes, that. He remains fair to the idea, too, giving pros and cons and then drinks all around to the townsfolk. The novel has the deceptively simple dark humor of Magnus Mills combined with the underlying philosophical intricacies of Iris Murdoch. Recommended for those who love allegorical stories and also for those who want a fun little romp of a story.
