Rating: 
Summary: Humurous, but lacking in accuracy
Review: If you're looking for funny travel tales, look no further. If you want to learn about Moldova, look elsewhere - or at least read other books as well. Hawks paints a rather bleak picture of Moldova that is, at best, only partially true, and at worst offensive to many Moldovans. The stories are funny, and there are grains of truth here. But the overall conclusion Tony leads to about Moldova are untrue.
Rating:
Summary: Humurous, but lacking in accuracy
Review: If you're looking for funny travel tales, look no further. If you want to learn about Moldova, look elsewhere - or at least read other books as well. Hawks paints a rather bleak picture of Moldova that is, at best, only partially true, and at worst offensive to many Moldovans. The stories are funny, and there are grains of truth here. But the overall conclusion Tony leads to about Moldova are untrue.
Rating: 
Summary: Around the Groucho Club with an advance
Review: Instead of thrilling us with amusing travelogues, in Imperial times, Tony Hawks would probably have been despatched to South Africa to play the Zulu at Rourke's Drift. (Who says Empire is a bad thing?) Nowadays, without such distractions, what is a well-bred Englishman of good social standing to do?Tony's answer is to pack his bag with condescension and superciliousness and venture boldly across the channel once more. With it's unappettising mix of self-assurance and ignorance, this smugly amusing book is an unintentional summation of a certain English attitude to travel. Please Mr Home Secretary I beg you to impound Mr Hawks' passport before he publishes the following: Around Saudi Arabia with a fridge full of Guinness - A hilarious personal account of Islamic Sharia Law. Playing a Croatian at Tennis - Co-authored with Tim Henman. You know the score. Around Rwanda without a machete - "I laughed so much my limbs fell off".
Rating: 
Summary: The surprising depth of Tony Hawks' Moldovan quest
Review: Like most people, I picked up Tony Hawks' "Moldovans" for the humor and the interesting story angle, but I stayed for what was a very well-written travelogue with surprising - and quite emotional - depth.
When Tony sets the scene for you, you think: ha-ha, that's a funny bet (hats off to Tony and friend Arthur for even constructing a bet that inventive...the comedic mind at work, I guess). But, as the bet unfolds, there's a lesson to be learned here: Tony set a goal for himself and - despite enduring significant hardship and many, many potential roadblocks - he inexorably works towards his goal.
The emotional core of the book is the relationship Tony forms with his Moldovan host family in the capital of Chisinau. Hawks tells of going to middle school with the family's daughter Elena as sort of a 'show and tell' object. He's a great sport and recounts tales like that with great elan.
The real treat though is his relationship with the family's teenage son Adrian, who starts off a bit standoffish and cool ('typical teenager' is how Hawks interprets it...no harm taken). But Hawks breaks through one night as the two attend an opera together - at intermission, he has Adrian literally convulsed with laughter, wiping tears from eyes. What a moment - Hawks recognizes it and conveys it beautifully to his readers.
That's why the book's epilogue - a touching letter from Adrian - is so pitch-perfect. Think this was some insipid quest that Hawks took on? The lessons that Adrian took away from Tony's journey will tell you otherwise. As Hawks himself concludes after reading the letter: "Now it all made a little more sense."
Exactly. Well done, Tony.
Rating:
Summary: This book has heart ...
Review: This book has heart and gets to the funny bone too. Tony, if you read this, BRAVO.
I'm a Romanian living in Toronto and I'm amazed: 'RARA AVIS' - Tony Hawks got it. Not only the writing has humour but it gets to the essence of what living in a former soviet republic is. None of the cold war stereotypes here and this is done by fraternizing with the local people. And above all, you can feel the warmth.
There's a part about the Gypsy quarter that reminds me of 'Gadjo dilo', the movie of another Brit, Tony Gaitliff. How come that, one of a sudden, the Englishmen seem to get it ? (It must be the pauperization under Maggie Thatcher). 'Gadjo dilo' could be a companion movie to 'Playing the Moldovans ..' and I recommend it too (to both Romanians and Moldovans). It's not like Kusturica's Gypsy movies with his pretentions to magical realism.( I think Kusturica was so successful in the West 'cuz he leans on the Hollywood side).
Now a note about football(soccer):
England may have crushed the Moldovans - this huge disparity of power between the two nations is in fact the trigger of the book - but they did not beat Romania (a close 1-0) since the 1970 World Cup in Guadalajara. Since that lucky win England was peridically humiliated by the Romanians' latin style of play.Think Nastase vs. Henman.
So, my Moldovan brothers, England has no reason to look down on you - you've been avenged in many a game.
If you're a Romanian, get this book; if you're a Moldovan, even more so. And if you're neither, get it still.
Rating:
Summary: Round two of Tony's hilarious adventures
Review: This book picks up where Round Ireland with a Fridge both ended and started. Tony gets drunk, makes a bet, and then tries to make good on it. (You'd think he'd stop drinking after all the trouble he gets into) This time he's off to prove that he can beat the Moldovan national soccer team - at tennis. He travels through Europe and even to Israel searching (stalking?) the team members, attempting to trounce each of them in a game of tennis. Along the way he makes friends, has his usual humorous mishaps, and continues to expound on his philosphy that "Everything eventually works out." Not high literature, but amongst the funniest things I've read in quite some time. I can't wait to read about the outcome of his next drinking spree.
Rating:
Summary: Round two of Tony's hilarious adventures
Review: This book picks up where Round Ireland with a Fridge both ended and started. Tony gets drunk, makes a bet, and then tries to make good on it. (You'd think he'd stop drinking after all the trouble he gets into) This time he's off to prove that he can beat the Moldovan national soccer team - at tennis. He travels through Europe and even to Israel searching (stalking?) the team members, attempting to trounce each of them in a game of tennis. Along the way he makes friends, has his usual humorous mishaps, and continues to expound on his philosphy that "Everything eventually works out." Not high literature, but amongst the funniest things I've read in quite some time. I can't wait to read about the outcome of his next drinking spree.
Rating:
Summary: A Well Intentioned Comedy That's Well Worth Reading
Review: To enjoy this book, you must first accept the notion that something worthwhile can result from a bet in which a British comedian must play and defeat the starting 11 of the Moldovan national soccer team at tennis. While this admittedly silly bet arose from and attempts to settle an argument (concerning the superiority of natural athleticism with no technique vs. technique with much less natural athleticism), Hawkes suggests it may represent a more important clash, that between those who try and those who do not. Here, his foolish bet takes him to Moldova (a small former Soviet republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, just north of the Black Sea), where he encounters an atmosphere of despondency unlike any he's encountered. As in many former Soviet republics, the transition from communism to capitalism has benefited a small elite, leaving the average citizen without basic services and without much hope. His task there is to overcome not only the obvious problems, such as bureaucratic red tape and language barriers, but the general sense that not much one sets out to do can be accomplished. Of course Hawkes is generally at his funniest when describing his own difficulties, so it's hardly noticeable that the book is halfway done before he finally manages to play his first match. And while his bet is frivolous and pointless, it is to his credit that he realizes this and is still able to use it as a framework in which to show a part of the world that is hardly known to the West. Granted, his cultural, political, and economic observations are not on the highest plane, but they are better than no insight at all. His section on the separatist region of Transnistria is especially worthwhile. A quick search ... will reveal nothing on Moldova save the Lonely Planet guide and a handful of specialist history and political books and monographs. Amazingly, this may be the only general travelogue of Moldova currently in print. Those familiar with his earlier drunken bet-initiated journey (Round Ireland With A Fridge) will find the same good humor (mostly self-deprecating), affection for fellow humanity, willingness to try almost anything, and belief in the kindness of strangers as in his that book. In this case however, his help is much less effective, and he is forced to rely on inner reserves of positivity and good humor to see him through the rough spots. Eventually his quest takes him to Northern Ireland for a quick spell, and then to Israel for a nail-biting climax. I will not reveal the ending, but rest assured, it will astonish you. Overall, Hawkes has his heart in the right place (usually on his sleeve), and only the most cynical will find fault with his self-aware bumbling through Moldova in search of footballers to dismantle on the tennis court.
Rating:
Summary: Great adventure, good read
Review: Tony Hawks is a British comedian who previously wrote "Around Ireland with a Fridge". His latest book is "Playing Tennis with the Moldovans". As with the Ireland book the story is based on a bet, the bet of this book is that Tony can beat the starting 11 of the Moldovan National Football (soccer) team at tennis. Tony is apparently a decent tennis player, a former British junior player who was not good enough to succeed in a country that has not been successful as a whole at producing great tennis players. And the Moldovan National team, while not exactly World Cup contenders are still among the best athletes in their country. But more significant than the challenge of beating the national team is the challenge of finding the national team players, this is where most of the action of the book takes place. Hawks' writing is straight-forward, except when he goes on a detour for a joke. It is not artful writing, more the type that leads one to believe anyone could write this book. But the beauty of this book is not in the writing, rather in Hawks' sense of adventure. Hawks is always up for a beer in a bar, a solo trip to a historical site, and an approach to a stranger for help on his quest. In the Ireland book this was interesting and helpful because Irish people are friendly and intrigued by strange quests. In Moldova it is only interesting, which is fine because it just makes his quest more difficult and thus more interesting. The better part of this book takes place in Moldova as Hawks attempts to find the various members of the national team. You might have thought that Moldova was a made-up place, but it is a real country (and Moldovan is the correct term for the people, even if Microsoft thinks it is Moldovian). It is a former Soviet Republic that is sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. The primary language is Romanian which is makes travelling there slightly easier because it is a Romance language and uses the Roman alphabet. That is about the only thing that makes travelling in Moldova easy. Moldova is infected with the virus that comes from having limited historical association with capitalism. People are surly, there is no concept of customer service, and there is no concept of a can-do attitude. The situation can be summed up by the fact that Moldova is the only former Soviet Republic to have elected a Communist as President, yes, those were the good old days to most in this land. The silver lining of all this is that the contrast between a British comedian trying to win a ridiculous bet and the grim Moldovan outlook on the world sets up many interesting situations. Hawks has a series of adventures and misadventures in Moldova trying to find the national team members. He finally makes a break-through when he starts pretending that he is making a BBC program on Moldovan football. While this opens doors, not all of those doors are friendly. But he is able to find most of the Moldovan based players, eventually. During his time in Moldova he is staying with a local family, and it is through getting to know this family that his perception of Moldovans softens, and he sees the goodness behind the ugly exterior that most people present to foreigners. The passages where he is learning from his host family and they are learning from him are the best portions of the book. When his writing does not strive for humor in every other line and he is more than capable of conveying real feelings in a meaningful manner. After his trip to Moldova he still has a few more players that he needs to find. His determination to win the bet then takes him to Northern Ireland and Israel. More adventures ensue in each place, but I will not go into them for fear of ruining the conclusion. The prize at stake in the bet is that the loser has to sing the Moldovan national anthem nude on the street. The last chapter is at a suburban London pub where the winner will be revealed and the loser publicly humiliated. Trust me; it is a funny conclusion with a twist in the end. Anyone looking for a light read which will also educate about a strange place in the world could do worse than this book. It does have its fair share of specifically British pop cultural references and a few jokes at the expense of Americans (funny how those can be squeezed into a British book on any subject) but is still a readable volume for Americans. "Playing Tennis with the Moldovans" takes the prize over "Round Ireland with a Fridge" mostly because a trip to a strange land sets up much funnier situations than a trip to a friendly neighbor like Ireland.
Rating:
Summary: Great adventure, good read
Review: Tony Hawks is a British comedian who previously wrote "Around Ireland with a Fridge". His latest book is "Playing Tennis with the Moldovans". As with the Ireland book the story is based on a bet, the bet of this book is that Tony can beat the starting 11 of the Moldovan National Football (soccer) team at tennis. Tony is apparently a decent tennis player, a former British junior player who was not good enough to succeed in a country that has not been successful as a whole at producing great tennis players. And the Moldovan National team, while not exactly World Cup contenders are still among the best athletes in their country. But more significant than the challenge of beating the national team is the challenge of finding the national team players, this is where most of the action of the book takes place. Hawks' writing is straight-forward, except when he goes on a detour for a joke. It is not artful writing, more the type that leads one to believe anyone could write this book. But the beauty of this book is not in the writing, rather in Hawks' sense of adventure. Hawks is always up for a beer in a bar, a solo trip to a historical site, and an approach to a stranger for help on his quest. In the Ireland book this was interesting and helpful because Irish people are friendly and intrigued by strange quests. In Moldova it is only interesting, which is fine because it just makes his quest more difficult and thus more interesting. The better part of this book takes place in Moldova as Hawks attempts to find the various members of the national team. You might have thought that Moldova was a made-up place, but it is a real country (and Moldovan is the correct term for the people, even if Microsoft thinks it is Moldovian). It is a former Soviet Republic that is sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. The primary language is Romanian which is makes travelling there slightly easier because it is a Romance language and uses the Roman alphabet. That is about the only thing that makes travelling in Moldova easy. Moldova is infected with the virus that comes from having limited historical association with capitalism. People are surly, there is no concept of customer service, and there is no concept of a can-do attitude. The situation can be summed up by the fact that Moldova is the only former Soviet Republic to have elected a Communist as President, yes, those were the good old days to most in this land. The silver lining of all this is that the contrast between a British comedian trying to win a ridiculous bet and the grim Moldovan outlook on the world sets up many interesting situations. Hawks has a series of adventures and misadventures in Moldova trying to find the national team members. He finally makes a break-through when he starts pretending that he is making a BBC program on Moldovan football. While this opens doors, not all of those doors are friendly. But he is able to find most of the Moldovan based players, eventually. During his time in Moldova he is staying with a local family, and it is through getting to know this family that his perception of Moldovans softens, and he sees the goodness behind the ugly exterior that most people present to foreigners. The passages where he is learning from his host family and they are learning from him are the best portions of the book. When his writing does not strive for humor in every other line and he is more than capable of conveying real feelings in a meaningful manner. After his trip to Moldova he still has a few more players that he needs to find. His determination to win the bet then takes him to Northern Ireland and Israel. More adventures ensue in each place, but I will not go into them for fear of ruining the conclusion. The prize at stake in the bet is that the loser has to sing the Moldovan national anthem nude on the street. The last chapter is at a suburban London pub where the winner will be revealed and the loser publicly humiliated. Trust me; it is a funny conclusion with a twist in the end. Anyone looking for a light read which will also educate about a strange place in the world could do worse than this book. It does have its fair share of specifically British pop cultural references and a few jokes at the expense of Americans (funny how those can be squeezed into a British book on any subject) but is still a readable volume for Americans. "Playing Tennis with the Moldovans" takes the prize over "Round Ireland with a Fridge" mostly because a trip to a strange land sets up much funnier situations than a trip to a friendly neighbor like Ireland.
|
