Marika

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Summary: Some corrections
Review: I haven't read the book yet - but Ive read the publisher's review on the page and I just want to correct it as a Hungarian. Anya and apa are not first names but they mean Mom and Dad in Hungarian. This is maybe the kindest form to call the parents. It may be important when reading the book...

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Summary: :O)
Review: In this fascinating first novel by Andrea Cheng, Marika is the story of a young Jewish girl growing up in Hungary during World War II. This enlightening tale depicts her life from age 6 to age 17. Marika, as family and friends call her, believes that she will not be faced with the war at any point in her life. When she is young, she is spoiled, ignorant, and self-centered because she is used to the pampered life that her wealthy parents provide for her. Her biggest concerns at this time are the separations of her parents, and reading and writing, which she has quite a talent for. However as she grows older, Marika begins to realize that the war is intruding more on her life than she had ever thought possible. For the first time ever, she is confronted with racism, prejudice, and segregation, and as the Nazis begin to take over her country, the problems only become worse. Marika must learn to break away from her naivety in order to grow and mature to save herself from the harrowing consequences that the war presents.
This is a story that every young person can relate to because the characters are portrayed very realistically with traits that separate them from one another. This tale offers great insight into the culture and everyday life of a wealthy Hungarian family during World War II; however, it deals more with their lifestyle than what is going on with the rest of the world or the country. The characters and language are simplistic yet eloquent, which is perfect for children around middle school age. It explains the Holocaust in a very concise manner which is also conducive to young readers. And although I felt that the climax of the story came a bit too late, I felt that it was considerably worth the wait. At times in the story, especially the end, I wished that the author had concentrated on describing the scenery more vividly so that I could picture the story as it was happening, but this was only a minor flaw and did not deter me much from the main gist of the story.
Overall, I believe that this was a decent novel and I would recommend it because it was interesting and kept me immersed in it the whole way through. It dealt with real historical issues and they were clearly presented so that younger children could understand them with ease. It also dealt with a transformation and maturation of the heroine which I thought added infinite richness to the novel.

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Summary: Marika, The Best Tragedy Since Shakespeare
Review: This story, based on the author's mother's experiences as a young Jewish girl growing up in Hungary was an absorbing read. We follow Marika through ten years of her life, from her parents' separation to the rise of Hitler. Marika's transformation through some very tough years makes you feel as if you can relate to her. This book is more character-development driven than plot-driven, but I still found interesting, probably because of the feelings I developed for the young Marika.