Lion of the Balkans

Rating:
Summary: exudes the realities of living
Review: How does a war begin? Is it possible to really get down to the very beginning of World War I? How does such conflict come to be? Vladimir Chernozemsky shows us in his Historical Fiction, "Lion of the Balkans."

The Ottoman Turks had occupied the Balkans for five hundred years, until finally, Bulgaria - the lion of the Balkans, and its neighbors pulled together and drove the Turks out. Triumph and peace at last...that did not last. Trouble broke out again when it came to deciding who got what of the territories they'd defended. Hence, the end of the Balkan War became the very beginning of WWI. Through it all though, people lived their lives. People overcame differences and developed friendships. People fell in love.

This epic novel tells of the lives behind the war...from the highest Bulgarian royalty to the simple houseboy. Chernozemsky is the real life grandson of the novel's hero. He has taken from family letters and diaries and the tales that his grandmother told him of the story, and created a fictionalized accounting that you will not soon forget.

Included in the book are several maps and a long list of characters and how they relate to one another. This is necessary as the book is quite involved. The beginning of the book may prove a struggle to some as there are so many people to get to know and numerous plots to follow, however, it is all worth it in the end. The dialogues flow naturally and the author's descriptiveness enchants the tale to life.

For a bit of understanding of our world's war history and perhaps some insight into today's conflicts as well, and a story that exudes the realities of living, "Lion of the Balkans" should be on your "to-read" list.

Review by Heather Froeschl of BookReview.com.

Rating:
Summary: Engaging and informative historical fiction on Balkan region
Review: LION OF THE BALKANS, A Novel by Vladimir Chernozemsky.

Chernozemsky draws on his own life for this historical novel about the Balkan region in the years preceding World War I. Anyone wishing to get a comprehension of the origins of this War, the seeming irresolvable conflicts of the region throughout the twentieth century, and the contemporary situation involving the NATO countries, including the U. S., could not find a better source than Chernozemsky's "Lion of the Balkans." The author had relatives, including a grandfather in the military, who were involved in the events he writes about. And from his activities as a poet and documentary filmmaker in Sofia, he had to hastily make an escape to the West when Communist State Security agents were after him for espionage. Since his escape from Bulgaria, Chernozemsky has lived in northern Africa, Europe, and lately the United States.
The complex historical tale the author weaves is prefaced by six maps showing the changing political and national boundaries of the Balkan region, particularly Bulgaria, from the middle of the nineteenth century until the First World War. Prefacing the narrative is also a three-page list of "Principal Characters." Indicating the scope and complexity of the novel reflecting the historical realities and events of the early 1900s, these characters range from Bulgarian royalty, Turkish rulers and administrators, officers and soldiers in the warring military factions, government officials and religious figures, and diplomats to family members and common people such as a cook and a houseboy. Most are forced to take sides in the struggle between the Turkish Ottoman rulers intent in maintaining their hold on the region and the Bulgarians and other nationalist and ethnic groups who set aside their own conflicts for the time to try to drive the Turks out. But there are also several characters such as scheming, ruthless Turkish rulers and committed Bulgarian nationalists whose activities are followed from beginning to end to hold the panoramic, shifting narrative together.
It is Bulgaria risking all to throw off the Turkish yoke that is the Lion of the Balkans. Improbably, Bulgaria succeeded in its war against the Ottoman Empire. But in succeeding, it exposed the decay that had set into the Empire, which set the stage for WWI. Bulgaria was not to enjoy its hard-won victory for long. World Wars I and II and subsequent Communist rule only reignited the ethnic and regional rivalries in Bulgaria and the rest of the Balkans to bring other trials and terrors to the troubled region. Chernozemsky's sweeping historical novel not only relates a picture of the historical events, but also imparts an understanding of the complex, fragile network of groups and types of persons inhabiting this critical region.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting saga of sweeping conflict
Review: Prolific Bulgarian-American author Vladimir Chernozemsky sets his novel Lion of the Balkans during the bloody Balkan War. Grounded in bitter realism, from the family letters, diaries, and tales told by family of devastating times, Lion of the Balkansrecounts how, after five centuries of rule by the Ottoman Turks, Bulgaria allied with its neighboring nations to drive the Turkish army to the gates of Constantinople. In reclaiming its independence and restoring its territory, Bulgaria became the Lion of the Balkans - although later events of history would surely engulf the Lion in more warfare. An exciting saga of sweeping conflict, fierce pride and unbridled determination in spite of great cost.