A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True
of Brigid Pasulka (Goodreads Author)
Description
On the eve of World War II, in a place called Half-Village, a young man nicknamed the Pigeon falls in love with a girl fabled for her angelic looks. To court Anielica Hetmanská he offers up his "golden hands" to transform her family’s modest hut into a beautiful home, thereby building his way into her heart. Then war arrives to cut short their courtship, delay their marriage, and wreak havoc in all their lives, even sending the young lovers far from home to the promise of a new life in Kraków. Nearly fifty years later, their granddaughter, Beata, repeats their postwar journey, seeking a new life in the fairy-tale city of her grandmother’s stories. But when she arrives in Kraków, instead of the whispered prosperity of the New Poland, she discovers a city caught between its future and its past, and full of frustrated youths. Taken in by her toughtalking cousin Irena and Irena’s glamorous daughter Magda, Beata struggles to find her own place in 1990s Kraków and in the constellation of Irena and Magda’s fierce love. But unexpected events-- tragedies and miracles-- can change lives and open eyes. And Beata may just find a new way of seeing her family's and her country's history-- as well as a vision for her own role in the New Poland. Whimsical, wise, beautiful, magical, and sometimes even heartbreaking, A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True weaves together two remarkable stories, reimagining half a century of Polish history through the legacy of one unforgettable love affair.
Gender
Main Characters
Book Details
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368 pages
- Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co
- Publication Date August 12th 2009
- First Publication 10/30/09
- Language English
- ISBN 9780547055077
- Edition Not informed
- Category Fiction
- Scenario ['Half-Village (Poland)', 'Krakow (Kraków) (Poland)']
Rate this work
🔒 Log in to evaluate this book.
Share your opinion with other readers. Your feedback is very important!
AI-Powered Recommendations
Based on your reading of "A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True", our dual AI algorithms suggest these titles. ⚡ FAISS Baseline 🧠 PyTorch Enhanced
Top Picks For You
🎯 Smart SelectionTrilogia del ritorno: L'amico ritrovato - Un'anima non vile - Niente resurrezioni, per favore
by Fred Uhlman, Elena Bona (translator), Bruno Armando (translator)
The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell
by Loraine Despres (Goodreads Author)
How do we choose these recommendations?
Similar Style Recommendations
Books with similar themes, authors, and writing styles to what you're reading now.
Smart AI Matches
Our advanced AI finds books you might love based on deeper patterns and reader preferences.