Play Book Tag discussion

I regret how I read this book. I began it soon after I finished Marra's 2nd book The Tsar of Love and Techno, which is definitely in my top 10 books of all time. I wish I would have let that book sit longer before I picked this one up. I also switched back and forth between the audio and reading the book, which I don't think I'll do again (though I was glad to hear how the names were pronounced, I think it was more tricky for me to keep the names straight when I wasn't visualizing how the names looked on the page). I also constantly compared it to Tsar since I so recently read it. Don't do what I did.

Even so, I highly "enjoyed" this book. There are disturbing torture scenes and for most of the book I felt a weight on my chest like tragedy was just unavoidable for these people. The choices they were forced to make to try to keep their families and neighbors safe were unbelievable. Over the weekend I saw all this outrage about how Colin Kaepernick refused to stand up during the national anthem (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/e...). I couldn't help but think how lucky we are. The book takes place in Chechnya in the early 2000s begin ruled by Russia and rebels. The Chechens were not even allowed to have a map of their country because the Russians didn't want them to have any national pride and they were so downtrodden it didn't occur to them odd that they didn't have a map.

The book feels mostly desperate. A man, who seems old, but you're reminded is only in his early 30s, is trying to protect and save a young girl who's father was taken by the Russians and they want her too. Unlike Tsar, this is a more traditional novel, though the time switches back and forth between years (this is where the print book is helpful because there's a timeline at the top of each chapter so you see where you are in the ~12 years the book takes place). There are several characters, you switch between them and eventually uncover the whole story. Marra creates wonderful characters. He presents someone that you find hateful and then brings you completely around about them and shows their humanity. It's moving and sad and hopeful. I'm not sure how Marra manages to keep the reader enthralled in this horrible world and it feels bad when you're reading it. But there's something about his writing that is just captivating. It's not like a traffic accident where you can't look away, it's something totally different, I haven't read another author like it.

This fits the tag for next month and I highly recommend it. The ending is both happy and sad, which I think fits the book, but people should not be worried about feeling completely hopeless and depressed at the end.

I loved this just as much as a The Tsar, but I agree that it is very different. This once takes more commitment to get through.

You just reminded me to read Tsar of Love and Techno. I have such a hard time imagining it to be just as good as Constellation of..., but everyone seems to think it is excellent.

Also, Marra is the master when it comes to book titles.

Sara, I think they are equal. The titles are amazing aren't they? Interestingly, I went to a Melbourne Writers Festival event on the weekend and Australian author Charlotte Wood said she hasn't named any of her books. The publishers came up with them as she found it to be an impossible task.

I liked Tsar a little more, it's a little sneakier about bringing the plot together. The characters seem totally separate and somehow come together. There are more clever jokes. The language is even more precise and beautiful. I like how when he makes a big revelation it's so subtle, he sneaks it in.

I got chills when I came to the title in Constellation.

He's a few years younger than me but I also think he's adorable.

I loved both Marra'a books with Constellation taking a slight edge. I often find with authors whose work I Iove that the first one I read ends up with a special place in my heart.

Denizen wrote: "I loved both Marra'a books with Constellation taking a slight edge. I often find with authors whose work I Iove that the first one I read ends up with a special place in my heart."
I think you might be right too. For me Tsar came first.

Jennifer P. wrote: "He's a few years younger than me but I also think he's adorable. "

He is adorable. I was lucky enough to see him speak shortly after I read Constellation. I was so impressed with him and still am.

Such exquisite works. He spends a good deal of time writing and rewriting until each sentence is what he wants.

I am hoping to read many more of his works. I wonder how long until the next one.

Booknblues wrote: "Jennifer P. wrote: "He's a few years younger than me but I also think he's adorable. "

He is adorable. I was lucky enough to see him speak shortly after I read Constellation. I was so impressed wi..."

I would love to hear him speak. I watched some interviews on youtube after I read Tsar and I was a little afraid he would be awkward on the fly, but not so at all. He told a wonderful story of how his father gave him his "bird and the bees" speech by listening to a romance novel in an audiobook on a road trip. It was hilarious.