| Stories I Stole |  | Author: Wendell Steavenson
Publisher: Grove Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
Buy New: $5.22
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 1786774
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1 Amer ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
ASIN: B000VYTMJK
Publication Date: March 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
After working for Time magazine in London, Wendell Steavenson spent two years in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Stories I Stole captures the exuberance of a fledgling nation of local despots, mountain tribes, blood feuds, and an unlimited flow of red wine. From President Shevardnadze's rigged elections to horse races high in the mountains; from the eerie roadside artifacts of the Soviet era to the farcical power outages in the dead of winter, here is Georgia: weird, invigorating, and still coming to grips with the legacy of its most famous son, Joseph Stalin. Far more than a travel book, this is a scintillating menagerie of true stories peopled by vivid -- and sometimes insane -- characters. In the beach resort of Sukhumi, once the destination of every fashionable Russian but now wrecked by civil war, Wendell plays hangman with a secret policeman. In the capital, Tbilisi -- ensconced in Levan's Magic Room or lounging in the steam baths -- she hears about the latest duel or kidnapping. In Khevsureti, the meadows are dotted with blue-painted beehives and yellow flowers, while just over the border there is war in Chechnya. Stories I Stole is a candid, engaging, and quietly lyrical book about a land and its people.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Was Wendell Steavenson paid by the russians to write this book? June 14, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book reminds me of western journalists proudly standing on Red Square in Moscow and "accurately" reporting about events in Georgia (and I've seen quite a few of these reportages on CBC, CNN, BBC...)...
Characters and stories are so far-fetched, use of Russian words (banya, babushka, shashlyk...) so extensive that I really wonder if Ms.Steavenson visited Georgia at all.
Definitely this is not the book to read if you really want to get acquainted with Georgia and its people (or with the real causes of ethnic conflicts for that matter)...
Don't waste your time and money.
Be carefull, readers! December 8, 2006
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
The author happened to meet rather strange characters that make her end up with a pretty inaccurate impressions about the country. I grew up in this country, and I spend half year there every single year, and yet I could not recognize any of the features decsribed in this book. Hence - be carefull, readers. If you are just looking for a "story" - the book might be perfectly OK, and it reads well, but please, do not believe it gives you an accurate picture of the country!
You'll fall for Ms. Steavenson's stories May 18, 2006
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I admire Wendell Steavenson for this effort. Tbilisi intrigued her - it was a pin on her map and the germ of her idea (go some place unique; collect some killer stories; write a compelling travelogue). Many have thoughts like that...Ms. Steavenson carried it out. She paints a balanced, compelling pastiche of life in Georgia as it struggles out of its post-Soviet torpor. The only shame is that Ms. Steavonson isn't around to cover the Rose Revolution in which Eduard Shevardnadze is displaced by Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement. That was 2003 and Steavenson had her work published in 2002. Missed it by that much.
"Stories I Stole" is like a mash-up of two other works I've read: Matthew Brzezniski's "Casino Moscow" and Tony Hawks' outstanding "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis." If you liked either of those works, you'll fall for Ms. Steavenson's stories.
 Brilliant work: Don't miss it !! August 19, 2005
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This impressive debut works on too many levels to winnow down to a brief review. Ms. Steavenson reminds me a bit of Isaac Bashevis Singer as she brings us into worlds we generally know only through newspaper and television reports. Her attention to detail and her encapsulations of characters and situations and the bigger picture are masterful, particularly at such a relatively young age. She knows what to leave out, so that what's powerful remains. Unlike some reviewers below, I thought the elements she included about her personal life were arresting and completely integrated. Extremely high recommendation for a work that also has the bonus features of a decent map, a glossary of ethnic groups, and background reading for those who want to pursue related works.
I loved this book. November 3, 2004
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Knowing virtually nothing of the Caucasus I felt a little overwhelmed at first; but Steavenson quickly won me over with her absorbing writing and storytelling. I felt like I was right there with her. She has an incredible insight into human nature. I can't wait to read it over again, and expect to like it even better the second time around.
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