Book Review - The Tiger's Wife

One of my favorite days of the month is my book club meeting with my friends. I LOVE to read and read every chance I get so it's really fun to meet up with people who love to do it too. So, I thought I would share with you what we just read, give a little review so you could check out the book for yourself. I am not pretending to be some great book reviewer but I thought I would share my pros and cons of each book so you can see for yourself!

This month, we read The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. This writer is only 25 years old! I couldn't believe it. I really loved this book and let me tell you why. First off, the book is about a young woman named Natalia who lives in a make-believe country that sounds very similar to WWII Russia/Yugoslavia/etc. Natalia grows up to become a doctor just like her beloved grandfather whom much of the story revolves around. The book takes you into the past to hear stories from the point of view of Natalia's grandfather when he was a young man and also when he was a child. You hear stories about the tiger's wife and the deathless man which are two key stories that weave throughout the whole book. You are also in present day with Natalia who crosses the new border to immunize orphans and comes upon a very weird situation when she arrives.

The story beautifully intertwines war and its consequences with fairy tales and legends that people hold on to in difficult times. Each character that is introduced has their own story and background so you are never left wondering what their life was like up to the point they are at right now. Plus, the magical and mystical elements never seem strange or out of place which I think is a great feat. All the characters believe in these superstitions and legends to a different degree. The interesting part is how each reacts when reality and the superstitions collide. Some disregard reason and cling to the legends much to their demise.

I hope you liked my little book review! It's really hard to summarize all that you liked about a book without giving anything away!