She lives in Berlin. Nothing feels forced, nothing feels flashy. Are you ready to finally bloom where youre planted? This is probably my best book of the year. Highly recommended. Ruth Martin has a PhD in German literature and philosophy, and has been translating fiction and non-fiction books since 2009. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Each turbulent event forms its own story, but the Jashi line continues through the process, impacted by the waves from previous events. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, No Import Fees Deposit & $13.22 Shipping to Germany. The Eighth Life (for Brilka), originally published in German in 2014, has the heft and sweep to overturn such misconceptions, while introducing the uninitiated to a beguiling culture. Throughout the book, the family hot chocolate is mixed at moments of crisis, an analgesic to soothe or to summon strength, an opiate of sorts that seems to symbolize the delusion of solace and perhaps the delusion of the great Communist experiment itself. As in 900 pages covering generations of a single family, of the remarkable events and amazing women, in particular, who defined this lineage from the Bolshevik occupation of the country to the early twenty-first century. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2019. You have to go back to Elena Ferranti's Neopolitan quartet of novels for something comparable, or further back, to Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy' - what they did for Italy and India respectively Nino Haratischvili does for Georgia, covering the whole of the 20th century. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2020. Simply put, The Eighth Life is Georgias Gone with the Wind. Words Without Borders, Once I finished this amazing family tale, the gold is worn off the cover in places, but the memories that made for a story told well will remain with me. At the heart of this is of course the Jashi women, a family that has a secret, the ingredients to a hot chocolate. Henry VIII is known for his six wives and for being the father of Elizabeth I, but he's less well-known for his ancestors, despite them being pretty wacky too. The dynasty begins with a master chocolate maker who has developed a recipe for a chocolate drink that induces an ecstatic mood - but, as the more superstitious of the family believe, it also carries a curse. It starts at the beginning of the XXth century end ends in the first decade of this century. When Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote Georgia on My Mind they were of course not referring to the actual country with that name, but it seems as good a title as any for my review. Book 4: his wayward sister Kitty, who has a disastrous love affair, becomes an exile, finds a new life in London as part of a lesbian triangle, and later becomes a famous singer. I would highly recommend this book. Elizabeth of York married Henry VII and the couple had seven children. The Eighth Life is a stunning historical lesson of life. Maurice Albert Van Orden, 89, passed away July 16, 2020.Maurice was born December 6, 1930 in Thomas, Idaho to Jacob Lewis and Wilhelmina Steubesand Van Orden. I really enjoyed it and got to love some of the characters after living with them for almost two months. This is a very long book that tells the story of four generations of a Georgian family, which started with the great-grandfather, a famous chocolatier. It is from Henry and Elizabeth that all Tudor lineage can be traced. She had been widowed twicein marriages to Edward Borough (b. c. 1508-d. c. 1533) and to John Neville, Lord Latimer (b. Ruth is currently co-chair of the Society of Authors Translators Association. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. This multigenerational epicoffers not only a critique of Soviet and Russian imperial ambitions but a necessary reappraisal of Georgian history., Something rather extraordinary happened. At home in two different worlds, each with their own language, she has been writing in both German and Georgian since the age of twelve. Heartily recommended. STARRED REVIEW Edward B. Cone, Library Journal, This is a long, rewarding novelably translated through a collaborative process. Readers with some knowledge of Soviet history will be ticking off the major events one by one. You have to wait a long time for a novel of this richness, scope and greatness to come along. : , Print length 1. Catherine Parr, also spelled Katherine Parr, (born 1512died September 5, 1548), sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII of England (ruled 1509-47). At first sight, Haratischvilis novel The Eighth Life looks like a big old-fashioned airport blockbuster, complete with book-jacket superlatives: Sweeping! A minor note of reservation: there is a nod to magic realism, in terms of the narcotic, malign effect of the chocolate, and in the tendency of some members of the family to see ghosts, but these are a little unconvincing. The Eighth Life, Haratischvilis third novel, won several literary awards in Germany, where the author has lived since 2003, and has been a best seller in translation in several countries. Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2021. Haratischvili, who writes in German, has said her book is personal rather than autobiographical. It is the story of a people living and thriving and struggling to survive through wars and in the grip of a totalitarian empire. Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? You will not want to put it down. Both are justified, the story of a family, a country, a centuryis an imaginative, expansive, and important read., If its a family saga youre seeking, look no further than this grand tale The author gracefully interweaves the historical backdrop of her novel with the lives of her characters, thus adding depth to her story. You have to wait a long time for a novel of this richness, scope and greatness to come along. And hot chocolate. This is probably my best book of the year. Set over more than a hundred years in Georgia, we follow six generations of the Jashi family. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Although it moves from tragedy to chaos to upheaval, across a "red century" that "cheated and deceived everyone", The Eighth Life is a true supra of a novel a lavish banquet of family. The fate of the Jashis seems to be a mirror for the fate of Georgia. It is a coup!, Not only in its length does this novel resemble the work of Boris Pasternak. : Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy. That night Stasia took an oath, swearing to learn the recipe by heart and destroy the paper. And casting a long shadow through the century is the Little Big Man, the Georgian head of the NKVD who is only named in the very last pages of the novel. Nino Haratischvili was born in Georgia in 1983, and is an award-winning novelist, playwright, and theatre director. The Eighth Life Written by Nino Haratischvili Translated by Charlotte Collins Ruth Martin Tumbling down the years, great characters and greater relationships come and go, in Nino Haratischvili's compelling epic family drama. An epic family saga beginning with the Russian Revolution and swirling across a century, encompassing war, loss, love requited and unrequited, ghosts, joy, massacres, tragedy. Through the eyes of mainly the women of the Jashi family so we have an amazing tale of life throughout the Red Century as we read of not only the family and their friends, but of others, and we are taken to other countries and pulled into major historical events. Some suffer because of the war, some others because of social beliefs, others for their personal dissatisfaction, unrequited love, treason, and there is no one who does not have to struggle to find happiness, although not all of them are successful. Instead of hiding from our brokenness, this book will help us stare that broken reality straight in the face, along with a laugh or two, as we feel the weight of just how absurdly and glaringly off the mark we all are! 'That night Stasia took an oath, swearing to learn the recipe by heart and destroy the paper. Divided into eight parts and moving between Tbilisi, Moscow, Leningrad, London and Berlin, the reader becomes witness to the lives of the Jashi family as they live through the Russian Revolution, the rise of the Soviet Union, the Siege of Leningrad, the Prague Spring, the Cold War, and more, and (as often happens in these sweeping family sagas) the protagonists come into contact with the major figures of the time, for example: Joseph Stalin (although he is never referred by that name. Haratischvili has created a fascinating cast (and its easy to imagine it as a television series) whose lives illuminate some of the greatest events of the 20th century. Declan ODriscoll, The Irish Times, Elegant it demonstrates a technical mastery, impressively sustained The Eighth Life is more than a family saga: it is an ode, a lamentation, a monumentto Georgia, its people, its past and future. Bryan Karetnyk, TLS, The Eighth Life is capacious, voluble, urgent, readable, translated heroically and sparklingly by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin. Julian Evans, The Telegraph, Spanning six generations of a family between 1900 and the 21st century, its characters travel to Tbilisi, Moscow, London and Berlin in an epic story of doomed romance that combines humor with magic realism. Marta Bausells, The Guardian, Ten of the best new books in translation, Nino Haratischvili's elegant epic is a triumph of both authorship and painstaking translation The Eighth Life is an unforgettable love letter to Georgia and the Caucasus, to lives led and to come, and to writing itself. The Economist, The Eighth Life is a lavish banquet of family stories that can, for all their sorrows, be devoured with gluttonous delight. Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2020. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2020, Nino Haratischvilis The Eighth Life is a multi-generational saga focusing on a Georgian family and written by Niza Jashi for her 12 year-old niece, Brilka, which spans six generations of the Jashi family, the first of whom is Niza's great-great-grandfather, a master chocolatier whose secret recipe for a hot chocolate drink is so addictive that it must be used sparingly in order to avert totally enslavement. Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, around 1950. Learn more. Love and loss revolve and are recast through generations. This is an amazing book. These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. There was a problem loading your book clubs. The sweep is 100 years, 5 generations of life, mostly in Georgia and Russia, but also western Europe. Covers many years of Russia/Georgia history. Nino Haratischvili's 'The Eighth Life' is a multi-generational saga focusing on a Georgian family and written by Niza Jashi for her 12 year-old niece, Brilka, which spans six generations of the Jashi family, the first of whom is Niza's great-great-grandfather, a master chocolatier whose secret recipe for a hot chocolate drink is so . Book 2: her sister Christine, a great beauty, who falls into the clutches of 'Little Big Man' (Beria) and suffers a great wrong. House of Tudor Family Tree from King Henry VII (1485 - 1509) to Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603). The world fell away and I fell, wholly, happily, into the book My breath caught in my throat, tears nestled in my lashes devastatingly brilliant., This multigenerational epic offers not only a critique of Soviet and Russian imperial ambitions but a necessary reappraisal of Georgian history., [A]n exceptional, deeply evocative saga of an elite Georgian family as they endure the 20th centurys political upheavals, from before the Bolshevik Revolution through the post-Soviet era In heartfelt prose, Haratischvili seamlessly weaves the political upheaval around the characters into the love and loss in their lives. You have to go back to Elena Ferranti's Neopolitan quartet of novels for something comparable, or further back, to Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy' - what they did for Italy and You have to wait a long time for a novel of this richness, scope and greatness to come along. Fascinating characters. I felt part of this family as I traveled with them through time and history; as they shared with me all the threads of their woven carpet, generations old I loved this amazing book. Shannon Alden, Literati Bookstore, Its definitely the best work of fiction I've read in the last year. John Leake, Novel Bookstore, The scope is Tolstoyan: the drama of War and Peace, the emotion of Anna Karenina A sprinkling of Allendesque magic realism is added, along with a handful of spirits and a secret recipe for delicious and addictive hot chocolate that appears to curse those who drink it. Lizzy Siddal, The Riveter, The Eighth Life is capacious, voluble, urgent, readable, translated heroically and sparklingly by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin. Julian Evans, Stuff, If you only read one book this year make sure it is The Eighth Life Intricately crafted and addictive, The Eighth Life is an extraordinary, dramatic and compelling read The ambitious, vivid and unflinching translation from the original German by Ruth Martin and Charlotte Collins is in itself a work of art, and deserves to win every translation prize going. BookBlast, [A] generational saga of 20th-century Georgia with the drama and grandeur to be Georgias Gone With the Wind. Lit Hub, Everybody requires a new, vigorous narrative of European ideals, of the European past Nino Haratischwili has created this narrative in her new novel. Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Nino Haratischwili has written a great book: a book which ranges over a century and half of the globe; a book however, within whichas in the infants experienceeverything is only love and dread. The novel is divided into eight books (though the last 'book, entitled Brilka, whose story is yet to be told, remains empty). The pair have two children, Viscount Severn James Mountbatten-Windsor and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. It also has got the characters which would stay with me for long time. Henry VII's wife, Elizabeth of York, was twenty years old when the two were married in 1486; Henry VII was . 1216 - 1485. I really enjoyed it and got to love some of the characters after living with them for almost two months. Heartily recommended. STARRED REVIEW Edward B. Cone, Library Journal, This is a long, rewarding novelably translated through a collaborative process. It won the Anna Seghers Prize, the Lessing Prize Stipend, and the Bertolt Brecht Prize, and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020. Ruth is currently co-chair of the Society of Authors Translators Association. I wished that, as I got deeper into the story, I built up a family tree, adding the most notable subsidiary characters, because as the century unfolds the canvas becomes crowded. The development of the characters is very careful, detailed, and logical. Prince Harry is the sixth in line to the British throne. An epic family saga beginning with the Russian Revolution and swirling across a century, encompassing war, loss, love requited and unrequited, ghosts, joy, massacres, tragedy. Stasia learns it from her Georgian father and takes it north, following her new husband, Simon, to his posting at the centre of the Russian Revolution in St Petersburg. This is a big book. widowed 1514. married to Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, on 3 March 1515 in Paris. Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, [{"displayPrice":"$19.87","priceAmount":19.87,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"19","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"87","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"UI%2Fu0GRm9UNOtz3d0H5BHFWz8rsRsN3dKh40TIUbFGSy8RSl6D3rlR0RXRasBwNLbltxUJjFZomDINaF8lW9yp1c9%2FKcua4j1MbD1J9Gwkya2dxqNat4b9bylzQNkwyxW%2BdwaVrgEOgfoRdOBE4MXy0mgGARrglMiKEHwtG9ohUWcJZhHwbSWAXQvJgmXQNP","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]. Heartily recommended., This is a long, rewarding novelably translated through a collaborative process. Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. The red century devours a family, and history comes with a pinch of chocolate, is a sprawling family saga, to be savored for its grandeur, scope and scale Interwoven with love, loss, trumps and tragedy are the uncanny impacts of a family recipe for divine hot chocolate, which just might carry a curse enthralling and satisfying., This multi-award winning novel is a riveting read You too often want to pause and appreciate delightful twists, intriguing concepts, the catch-your-breath unexpected., is the sort of book that sweeps you along, sustaining a tremendous feeling of urgency, as if the narrator is desperate to get it all out, get it all on paper, before the family curse catches up with her., A harrowing, heartening and utterly engrossing epic novel astonishing A subtle and compelling translation by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin (on the heels of a Georgian version earlier this year) should make this as great a literary phenomenon in English as it has been in German., This is one for long-haul flights or the Christmas lock-in.. Please try again. I wont post spoilers, but what I expected to happen didnt. Family Trees. Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2022, Beautifully written. It is a coup! Sddeutsche Zeitung, Not only in its length does this novel resemble the work of Boris Pasternak. Not only it gives you a unique perspective on the history of 20th century from the one of a lesser known countries - Georgia. I felt part of this family as I traveled with them through time and history; as they shared with me all the threads of their woven carpet, generations old I loved this amazing book., Its definitely the best work of fiction I've read in the last year., A sprinkling of Allendesque magic realism is added, along with a handful of spirits and a secret recipe for delicious and addictive hot chocolate that appears to curse those who drink it., If you only read one book this year make sure it is, is an extraordinary, dramatic and compelling read The ambitious, vivid and unflinching translation from the original German by Ruth Martin and Charlotte Collins is in itself a work of art, and deserves to win every translation prize going., [A] generational saga of 20th-century Georgia with the drama and grandeur to be Georgias, Everybody requires a new, vigorous narrative of European ideals, of the European past Nino Haratischwili has created this narrative in her new novel., Nino Haratischwili has written a great book: a book which ranges over a century and half of the globe; a book however, within whichas in the infants experienceeverything is only love and dread. 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