Source: Review copy from Glagoslav Publications
Rating: ★★★☆☆
“Why are you saying these things, Zoya Ivanovna?” – I say and my hands are trembling. – “Am I burdening anyone? I work two shifts to support her. And she only was at the nursery for three months, and she doesn’t go to kindergarten.” – “You should be grateful the foreman lets you work two shifts. And mind you: in America they drive people like you into the street. They don’t stand on ceremony with mothers like you. Go and think it over,” – she says, – “Or it’ll be too late.”
(from The Time of Women, page 129)
The Time of Women by Elena Chizhova won the 2009 Russian Booker Prize and is finally available in English, translated by Simon Patterson. It is set in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and follows the story of three elderly women who live in a communal apartment with a young woman and her illegitimate daughter. Antonina works hard to put food on the table and leaves her daughter, Suzanna, baptized Sofia by the “grannies,” at home in the care of Glikeria, Ariadna, and Yevdokia. Though very bright and a budding artist, Suzanna is mute, so Antonina keeps her away from the school offered to the children of the factory workers for fear she will be institutionalized if her condition is discovered.
The grannies remember the country before the Revolution, before communism, and they remember the starvation during the Leningrad blockade of World War II. They come from different social classes, but each of them knows what it means to be hungry and scared and how it feels to have lost their families. They talk freely of their experiences and their tragedies in front of Suzanna, who internalizes and merges these stories with the folk tales she is told. The grannies grow to love Suzanna, and when Antonina falls ill, they must go to great lengths to spare her from a hard life in a Soviet orphanage.
I have never read a book about the post-Stalin Soviet Union, so I was intrigued by The Time of Women. Though it seems that people no longer live in fear of the secret police, living conditions aren’t ideal. People are still hungry and must line up for food, there is a waiting list for apartments, and the factory workers are searched when they leave to make sure they aren’t taking home food and drink to their families.
However, this was a difficult novel to read. It took me about 40 pages to get used to the shifting point of view between mother and daughter. There was a mixture of the first person and third person, and several times I had to figure out who “I” referred to. It was difficult at times to keep track of the various characters, especially those who only turn up here and there, and to gauge the year and the setting. Chizhova assumes the reader is familiar with the history of the Soviet Union, and because I prefer historical details mixed in with the fiction, I felt lost at times, which was helped along I’m sure by the disjointed structure of the narrative.
There also was an overuse of ellipses, and the conversations were confusing because the speaker would change mid-paragraph. I wonder whether these issues have anything to do with the quality of the translation? There is no way for me to tell, but I have read many translated works, and I never felt as confused as I did while reading this one.
Still, I can’t help but feel that The Time of Women is an important book. It certainly has much to say about the lives of people in the Soviet Union before, during, and in the years shortly after World War II. I thought Antonina’s story was heartbreaking; she worked so hard to care for her daughter and the grannies that she really had no life outside the factory and their home. I don’t feel like I ever really knew Suzanna, aside from an oddly placed chapter set when she is older that breaks up an otherwise more linear narrative, and the last chapter from her point of view is rambling folklore of some sort that probably was meant to be symbolic and meaningful but went right over my head.
The grannies were the most intriguing characters, with their stories and their arguments. When they are chatting, it feels like you are sitting down with them at the table, listening to the tales of sorrow that shaped who they are. Even when they are moody and demanding, you can’t help but like them and respect them for all that they endured.
What struck me most was the difference between the generations. Chizhova pits the grannies, who have seen unspeakable things, experienced starvation and loss during the war, and are skeptical of communism, against the younger generation like Antonina, who has her eyes set on the day when one can go to the store and enjoy an abundance of food and other goods without needing money. The younger generation believes the ideal is possible because they lack the wisdom and the years of the older generation, while the truth is somewhere in between.
Book 33 for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Disclosure: I received The Time of Women from Glagoslav Publications for review.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Sounds like an important read that may need a better translator or maybe the original writing was like that. No idea really, but it does take a look at a time in Russian history that interests me.
The more I think about it, the ellipses overuse bothered me more than the shifting POV. But if you could overlook those, it’s definitely worth giving a try.
I have a hard time with writers that use ellipses just for the sake of style
I agree completely.
I wonder if the problems you highlighted were with the book or the translation? The premise of the book intrigues me and I adore the cover.
I know nothing about the Russian language, so I really can’t say. But I’ve read lots of translated works and never had an issue with those. Still, it’s a worthwhile read.
I haven’t read anything set in this time period either. It must have been extremely difficulty for women at that time. I can see why you think it’s an important book. Perhaps the issues you had were with the translation. I think I would have had the same issues.
At least I was able to overlook those flaws and see the importance of the story.
Interesting, but I’m not sure I could deal with all the stuff you mentioned. The shifting point of view, the overuse of anything really drives me batty these days.
It’s hard when it’s so noticeable. Everyone has their pet peeves when it comes to reading.
So often translations are not well done, and it’s sad for both the author and reader. A translation can really make or break a book.
I wish I were better able to judge a good translation from a bad one. I attended a recent reading with translators present, and I found it fascinating to hear what goes into translating a book.
Dear All, the original Russian version contains this very shifting of thoughts and characters throughout the book. This is also one of the reasons it was awarded a Russian Booker Prize (originality in style). The translation in other words is very well done according to the critics and specialists.
Thanks for letting us know! I appreciate you stopping by to weigh in.
I haven’t heard of this book before. I’m not sure what I would think of it, but I am curious. I may have to look for this one and give it a try.
I hope you do give it a try. It’s very interesting once you get used to the POV shifts.
No no, there is just too much confusion for my taste
I admit I was confused in the beginning, but I finally sorted it out.
You know this sounds like it could be a really interesting story but I know I’d have issues with the shifting points of view and not being sure who was talking when. I find that really takes away from a story. Still like you said it does sound like an important book to read.
It helps that I was fascinated by the topic and that it was a fairly short book.
Dear All, thank you for a detailed review and discussion. Indeed, The Time of Women is an important book, it wouldn’t have won the Booker Prize if it weren’t something the judges didn’t recognize as special and significant. Following the release of The Time of Women in English, author Elena Chizhova recieved a Woman of Action award for her outstanding achievements in literature by A Celebration of Women Foundation (Canada). http://acelebrationofwomen.org/2012/05/elena-chizhova-woman-of-action/
Thanks for stopping by and weighing in!
I’ve been hearing good things about this one but it sounds like maybe I’d want to brush up on some Russian history before I start.
I admit that I did look some things up online here and there while reading, and that made it easier.
Wonderful review. I don’t think this is one that I would have read but I did enjoy reading about it from your POV.
Thanks, Staci!
This one looks like a fascinating read but I think the shifting points of view, not done well, would being hard to overcome. I’d probably learn a lot about Russia though!
I do feel like I learned a lot, especially about post-war Russia and the idealism of the younger generations who never lived through the Leningrad blockade.
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