Rating: 
Summary: Too Rough and Too Deep for your Smoothness
Review: "One must give these sheep-stealers plainly to understand that the European governments have no need to harness themselves to their lusts and rivalries." So Otto von Bismark, the German Chancellor and all-round diplomatic high-wire artist. The sheep-stealers in question are the nations of the Balkans, whose politics, evidently, were enough to frustrate even this most adroit of intriguers. Perhaps happily for him, he did not live long enough to see the world do exactly what he feared.There are two ways to get a grip on those Balkans -- a short way and a long way. The short way is through "The Bridge on the Drina," by the Slavic Nobelist, Ivo Andric. The other is the great, sprawling monstrosity (cited above) by Rebecca West. Andric's novelized account of a near-millennium of Ottoman rule is a marvel of (if nothing else) concision. Individual set-pieces are unforgettable: the account of an impalement is not for the faint of heart. But anything as compact as Andric's narrative must necessarily expose itself to a charge of oversimplification, That is one charge few could bring against West's 1100-odd pages (not including index and bibliographical note). This is an irony, because West on the surface appears to have an agenda so simplistic as to be crude: the Yugoslavs are a species of noble savage, while their North European "betters" - more precisely, the Germans, are a gang of buffoons. Her caustic sendup of life in a train compartment with a party of German tourists is hilarious in its own right, and it surely didn't hurt her as the book hit the market at the beginning of World War II (also: it is near the beginning, so anyone who wants to claim to have read the whole will want to get at least that far). But facts do her the kindness of getting in the way. Agenda or no, West is one of the world's great reporters, with an enviable capacity to see not just what she wants to see, but rather what is before her eyes. The result is the best kind of journalism, and the best kind of history: a book full of exceptions "We are too rough and too deep for your smoothness and your shallowness," her guide tells her in a fit of impatience. "That is why most foreign books about us are insolently wrong." West must be wrong about a lot of things: any book so rich in detail and texture would have to be wrong about something. Thanks to her good efforts, it will be harder for her readers to be wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: The definitive book about Yugoslavia
Review: "Black Lamb and Gray Falcon" is the best and most complete book about Yugoslava written in English, and also probably the best travel book ever written. Anyone interested in understanding the roots of the current conflict should read this book. West covers Yugoslav (esp. Serbian) history in depth, and provides great detail about early 20th Century Yugoslavia. She also provides great insight into the historic conflicts that led to today's confrontation between NATO and Yugoslavia.
Rating:
Summary: Too Rough and Too Deep for your Smoothness
Review: "One must give these sheep-stealers plainly to understand that the European governments have no need to harness themselves to their lusts and rivalries." So Otto von Bismark, the German Chancellor and all-round diplomatic high-wire artist. The sheep-stealers in question are the nations of the Balkans, whose politics, evidently, were enough to frustrate even this most adroit of intriguers. Perhaps happily for him, he did not live long enough to see the world do exactly what he feared. There are two ways to get a grip on those Balkans -- a short way and a long way. The short way is through "The Bridge on the Drina," by the Slavic Nobelist, Ivo Andric. The other is the great, sprawling monstrosity (cited above) by Rebecca West. Andric's novelized account of a near-millennium of Ottoman rule is a marvel of (if nothing else) concision. Individual set-pieces are unforgettable: the account of an impalement is not for the faint of heart. But anything as compact as Andric's narrative must necessarily expose itself to a charge of oversimplification, That is one charge few could bring against West's 1100-odd pages (not including index and bibliographical note). This is an irony, because West on the surface appears to have an agenda so simplistic as to be crude: the Yugoslavs are a species of noble savage, while their North European "betters" - more precisely, the Germans, are a gang of buffoons. Her caustic sendup of life in a train compartment with a party of German tourists is hilarious in its own right, and it surely didn't hurt her as the book hit the market at the beginning of World War II (also: it is near the beginning, so anyone who wants to claim to have read the whole will want to get at least that far). But facts do her the kindness of getting in the way. Agenda or no, West is one of the world's great reporters, with an enviable capacity to see not just what she wants to see, but rather what is before her eyes. The result is the best kind of journalism, and the best kind of history: a book full of exceptions "We are too rough and too deep for your smoothness and your shallowness," her guide tells her in a fit of impatience. "That is why most foreign books about us are insolently wrong." West must be wrong about a lot of things: any book so rich in detail and texture would have to be wrong about something. Thanks to her good efforts, it will be harder for her readers to be wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Today's enemy, tomorrow's friend...
Review: ...I initially was not so moved to write this review of Ms. West's remarkable work. What has inspired in me the need, though, was the reading of her being persistently condemned for her sympathy for the poor beleagured Serbians. Indeed...moreso than anything else, her work has forced me to ponder the question of 'What shall we tomorrow say of the 'poor, exploited, tormented Kosovars'?' It is most ironic that Ms. West's six-week journey through Yugoslavia should have so accurately succeeded in capturing the spirit of the land. Read it not for a travel guide, but as a snapshot of the past...nowhere else do we have access to many of the prodigious quantity of sources which she employed in her authoring...and whereelse may we hope to find a British tourist's view of the Balkans upon the eve of war? Nowhere. It is unique...and incomparable...and her revelations are sometimes stunning, her prose frequently beauteous...thus, five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Queer classic, with splendid prose, dodgy history
Review: A somewhat queer book, but widely regarded as a classic. West is a splendid prose stylist, but not entirely trustworthy as a historian. She flits continually back and forth across the line between fact and fiction, and draws more symbolic meaning and universal truth from any given scene than any mere mortal rightfully ever should. West can be criticized for being almost obsequiously pro-Serbian, narrowly anti-Croat and even bigoted in her aversion to Germans, but her attitudes are easier to understand if one considers the time during which she did her research and writing. The book became controversial in some intellectual circles during the 1990s, as some believe Western policymakers were under the influence of Black Lamb and Grey Falcon when they were late and weak about intervening in the wars of Yugoslav succession. That strikes me as a silly notion. In that West has written 1,150 pages and continually diverges from the main thread of her narrative, I frankly doubt that more than a handful of policymakers-in all countries of the globe combined-ever have read her book from cover to cover. She herself confesses (p. 773) that "hardly anybody will read" her book "by reason of its length." Like War and Peace, Moby Dick and the Holy Bible, this is a literary classic that one should read because it is good for you.
Rating:
Summary: Tiring at times but well worth the effort!
Review: As an American soldier facing the strong posibility of travel to the Balkans in the near future, I truly enjoyed Mrs. West's book despite the several months it took me to read it. The book provides a detailed account of life in the Balkans during the 30's which continues to have relevance in today's world. I recommend reading the book with a high-quality world atlas and following her journeys on the map. This book is not for the casual reader. In fact, I would have given it five stars except that it is somewhat confusing at times due to the author's tendency to shift between the past and present. For those who only recently became interested in Balkan hisotry, the book provides a good starting point for the study of a complex culture.
Rating:
Summary: A lot of history, a lot of sociology, and a lot of opinions
Review: As an intelligence officer in the US Army who was stationed near Zivinice recently, I have been inclined to keep up on Yugoslavian politics and to educate myself on its history. This book is the singlemost comprehensive source of history on Yugoslavia I have seen, without being a textbook. It is better than a textbook because it adds the necessary human element to history. Having spoken with Serbs, Croats, and Bosniacs in Bosnia, and from reading the daily newspaper articles and political rhetoric from the region, I believe that West understands the historical reasons for the attitudes of the peoples she meets as well as anyone can understand them, and she reports them acurately. There are only two shortcomings to the book, neither of which is nearly powerful enough to make the reader want to pause. First, and this can't really be called a shortcoming, the book is pre-WWII, so a significant source of modern Serb-Croat animosity is unrealized. The work Chetnik is mentioned only once or twice in passing, and the word Ustashe has not yet even come into being for West. Balkan Ghosts by David Kaplan is a good "sequel" for those who want post-WWII history. The second, and very real, downfall is West's conceit. She is supremely opinionated against those with whom her personality conflicts, and she often allows a perceived slight from a passerby or the disagreement of an acquaintance to turn into a half-page rant about how "ignorant", "childish", "stupid", or "idiotic" such people are who fit her type-cast of her newfound social or philisophical enemies. Also, you will have to drudge though her lectures on art and archetecture, which are usually the sources of her aforementioned literary ravings. Overall, the book is a treasure of history, infinitely preferable to the serious mind to any title by one of the myriad of historical carpetbaggers on the subject with titles containing the words "death", "destruction", or synonyms thereof.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the effort, you won't forget it
Review: As I read in the daily papers the news of Serbians fighting separatists in Kosovo, I am grateful once again to have read this classic four summers ago. Faraway names and events become meaningful when you have the background it will give you. It's not a travel book at all; it's an exploration of the European soul. Read it, and you will begin to understand the intractable nature of the conflict between Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians (not to mention Turks, Greeks, Montenegrans, Austrians, Italians, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, and Othodox). Humane, biased (as aren't we all?), beautifully written, and supremely enlightening. You will find yourself reading long passages out loud to others; underling paragraphs and dog earing pages.Despite its bulk it moves along in a compelling, novelistic way. I may never see Dubrovnik, and the bridge at Mostar is gone forever, but I went there through this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a good source of History.......
Review: During her travels through Yugoslavia Rebecca West was mostly accompanied by Constantine, a Serbian Government Official, most of her explanation of historical events are actualy the opionion of her travel companion. Constantine is a strong supporter of a Yugoslavia, therefore he is not only Pro-Serbian but is racist against Croats and Muslims. It is very evident in this book that Ms. West has developed this racist attitude as well. I found the book very difficult to follow because of her poetic descriptions of situations and her habit of wandering off on tangents. I recommend the book, solely as a good travel book and not as a good source of history. I recommend instead, A Nation Forged in War by Marcus Tanner as a history book, not only is Marcus Tanner's book well written and organized, it is very objective, therefore reader gets a better understanding of why certain ethnic groups would feel a certain way.
Rating:
Summary: Great Insight into Balkans
Review: For anyone living in or traveling to the Balkans, this books is a must read. R. West brings you back to the days before WW2, and her telling of her story brings the people, the area, and the era alive. Its also very interesting to see what was similar back then, compared to now.
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