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Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Taste of Post-Soviet Life
Review: Former Time magazine writer Steavenson hits upon a nice variation to the armchair travel genre with this wonderful little book on the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Rather than trying to systematically detail the small country's tangled web of ethnicities and chaotic recent history, she recounts her time there through twenty chapters/stories. These loosely connected and loosely chronological stories provide a remarkably nuanced portrait of a country where nothing works, government seems largely irrelevant, and the people are remarkable. Weaving in many of her own friendships and a relationship with a photojournalist, she covers rigged elections, ethnic tensions, the nearby war in Chechnya, and mainly daily life with remarkable sensitivity. The nice thing is that she doesn't do so with the usual world-weariness of the foreign corespondent, but with a depth of feeling that never falls into sentimentalism or condescension It's a curiously individual work in that there's no real reason for her to be there, there is no larger theme she hangs her stories on, and no gimmicks. Just honest stories about a country where a strange civil war and two secessionist wars over the last decade have utterly destroyed the economy and left the country with little hope. A definite must read for anyone interested in the Caucuses or the fate of post-Soviet republics.
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Summary: Georgian adventures
Review: I felt like I was right there with her seeing what she saw, drinking all that alcohol, and having adventures in Georgia! this book gives you an idea of how Georgian people really are.
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Summary: I loved this book.
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: An insightful and sympathetic portrait of post-Soviet life
Review: This is a highly readable and unpretentious collection of stories about the author's travels in the Caucases region, mainly in Georgia. The author generally seems to like the people and the region, yet she is not so naive as to suggest easy solutions to the numerous political and economic problems that afflict the region. At the same time, she is not nearly so bleak in her assessment of humanity as other Western journalists who write on conflict-ridden areas, such as Robert Kaplan. Basically, Steavensen relates her experiences in the region without passing overt judgment on the subjects in her stories or using her experiences as the basis for grand metaphors or shaky generalizations. The only reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 is that some readers might be offput by the author's inclusion of her own romantic relationship within several of the stories. This didn't bother me, however, and even if it had, it would still have been outweighed by the numerous insights contained within this unique book.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful achievement
Review: This is an absolutely delightful book, both for people who have been to the Caucasus and to those who simply want to read an enchanting fusion of attentive observation and personal reflection. In some ways I think this book even should find its way onto reading lists of university courses on this region, because it is so rich in rendering the texture of life in Georgia, its metaphysical quality. The former Soviet Union can be a profound shock. The typical western mindset is to improve, to think of solutions, to think "if only they started to...". This makes much writing about the personal experiences in the former Soviet Union (and, in particular, the Caucasus) into a report from a narrow frontline of friction between incompatible perspectives. Wendell Steavenson is much more sophisticated, suspending the typical perspective, allowing her a fuller, more comprehensive account. You will definitely enjoy the book.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful achievement
Review: Wendell Steavenson impresses me. Two years in the Caucasus with the intent of writing a book and having an adventure has proved to create an enjoyable travel journal/diary/reflective study. Having lived in the Caucasus and as a young foreign female, many of the stolen stories resonated with me. I'd be curious to read reviews from people who have not had the pleasure of wandering through the post-Soviet world to see if the stories are as vivid to them as they are to me.
Special points of interest to me: * Steavenson's relationships with Georgians: both those Intelligentsia whom she befriends and the "common folk" * Steavenson's relationships with other ex-pats especially journalists * adjustments to conditions in Georgia In each of these categories, I found Steavenson to be honest, funny and respectful. Steavenson has an impressive resume (as she is possibly tired of hearing) and I cannot wait to see her next work. ... After getting to know her in "Stories" I appreciate her perspective.
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive 1st effort
Review: Wendell Steavenson impresses me. Two years in the Caucasus with the intent of writing a book and having an adventure has proved to create an enjoyable travel journal/diary/reflective study. Having lived in the Caucasus and as a young foreign female, many of the stolen stories resonated with me. I'd be curious to read reviews from people who have not had the pleasure of wandering through the post-Soviet world to see if the stories are as vivid to them as they are to me.
Special points of interest to me: * Steavenson's relationships with Georgians: both those Intelligentsia whom she befriends and the "common folk" * Steavenson's relationships with other ex-pats especially journalists * adjustments to conditions in Georgia In each of these categories, I found Steavenson to be honest, funny and respectful. Steavenson has an impressive resume (as she is possibly tired of hearing) and I cannot wait to see her next work. ... After getting to know her in "Stories" I appreciate her perspective.
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