Are You Hungary?

Degrees of Courage by Shari Vester
Published: June 19, 2012 by Mill City Press, Inc.
I couldn't help but be intimidated when this book arrived on my doorstep. The book was huge, and I wasn't quite sure how I would find the time to read it. I always was pretty positive this wouldn't be one I would enjoy, and with so many pages ahead of me I thought I was in for a long ride. But then I started reading, and actually found myself pleasantly surprised.

Degrees of Courage tells the story of 3 generations of women living in Hungary from the early 1900s to the 1970s. I knew nothing about Hungary's going into this, and while I wouldn't call myself an expert nowt, I know far more than I ever would have expected. Of course a lot of this is do to sections that went into detail about events in Hungary's history that read almost like a textbook. Part of me understands why it's there, after all I'd imagine most people going into this don't have a background on Hungary, but I thought it was a little much. I think that with slightly less information it would have made an even bigger impact, since with so many details a lot of it got lost.

But while I did enjoy getting to learn about Hungary, it was the story of the women I really enjoyed. Each one has such a unique story, and I thought it was interesting to see what changed from generation to generation and what stayed the same. Part of me does think this story could have worked broken up into books about each one, but even so I found the way the narration flowed from one to the next almost seamless.

I am glad I stuck this one out, since overall I enjoyed my time spent with this (and trust me, there was a lot of time there). I definitely wouldn't say this is a light read, but if you're at all curious about Hungary's history in the 20th century I would definitely recommend this.

3.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.