No Return Address

Rating:
Summary: AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK
Review: A stunning memoir of enormous power--a work both accessible and phenomenal. This book, with a lyric and incisive style, uses the politics of appetite, language, and other modes of communication (or censorship) as a lens through which to describe the author's and her family's (primarily her mother's) lives and various displacements. Filled with vivid details that range from the nightmarish (the stories Vlasopolos's mother tells her of Auschwitz) to the exquisite (the precise flavor of sour-cherry liquor, or the burnt-sugar smell of the Paris Metro), this memoir is at once a story you can't put down and a poem you never want to end, whose every phrase makes your breath catch in your throat with wonder. The book combines the personal with the political movingly with a seeming effortlessness that is as fascinating as it is impressive. A hauntingly beautiful book: no one should miss this.

Rating:
Summary: Educational, with a touch of arrogance.
Review: I don't usually read autobiography, but -- since I very much liked Anca Vlasopolos's mystery novel MISSING MEMBERS (and have been waiting in vain for a sequel) -- when I saw this title by the same author, I happily took a chance. And I'm glad I did. NO RETURN ADDRESS has enough plot and incident for several novels (and as many movies; I kept visualizing the possibilities and casting the lead roles). It's vividly written and reads like poetry. Vlasopolos's life (and those of her concentration-camp-survivor mother and political-prisoner father) is intrinsically interesting, but -- even if nothing had ever happened to her and her family -- her writing would make the whole thing compelling. My favorite part among many is the Greekly tragi-comic incident involving the author as a little girl, a treasured out-of-print book of plays, and a playful puppy.

Rating:
Summary: Educational, with a touch of arrogance.
Review: I selected this book because I enjoy biographies and history. I have been reading various histories of World War 2, and this book was interesting in that respect. I want to learn the "human" side of history (versus the military or government view). Ms. Vlasopolos paints a very detailed picture of life in Eastern Europe immediately after the war. A secondary, intertwined biography of her mother adds greatly and importantly to these details. I did, however, find this book difficult to follow at times. In my opinion, this book was written for Ms. Vlasopolos fellow literature experts. Numerous references to the literary works of others left me feeling fairly uneducated, my Master's degree not withstanding. I finished the book with a significant reading list that one might consider a "pre-requisite" to reading this book. My high school French failed me in a few places, as well! While I describe these concerns as shortcomings of the book, they may simply be my own. I found it amusing that while presenting stereotypes and prejudice in an appropriately negative light, the author feels it necessary to mention that she would never sleep with a Republican. I came away from this book with a feeling that, once again, a European had to point out cultural weaknesses of Americans (language, literature, and food). Perhaps that is a goal of this professor, to make the reader want to improve and learn. If so, she may have succeeded! However, she may have also put valuable educational material out of the literary reach of many.

Rating:
Summary: A Mother of all Memoirs
Review: One of the most moving and beautiful books I have ever read. Among its many joys and truths: characters I will never forget, scenes that I will read and read again for pure pleasure. A fitting tribute to a remarkable mother and daughter and their journey together. We are lucky to have this book.

Rating:
Summary: oral transgressions
Review: This is the most moving and meaningful memoir I have ever read. The author tells a personal history, a national and international history, as well as a short history of western thought in a way that ties together beautifully. Near the start of the book, it is said that religion is a control over what goes into and out of the mouth, and this metaphor sticks with the incredible telling/story-telling throughout.