Black Sea Twilight Paperback – July 1, Domnica Radulescu won a national prize for a volume of short stories when she was twenty, just before she fled her native Romania during Nicolae Ceausescu's dictatorship. Black Sea Twilight is her second novel.
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- Twilight at the Black Sea on the Golden Sands beach, Bulgaria Stock Photo: - Alamy
- Book Review: Black Sea Twilight by Domnica Radulescu
- by Domnica Radulescu
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Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Magical story driven by strong characters and poetic language. Well worth the read! One person found this helpful.
Twilight at the Black Sea on the Golden Sands beach, Bulgaria Stock Photo: - Alamy
This book transported me to another world and another time, one which doesnt exist anymore. It is a beautiful and emotional story and I really felt like I was there in the town by the sea living my youth with the passion and hopes and dreams for the future up against the struggles against dictatorship. The characters are so well portrayed that you feel like you know and understand them, the setting is described so evocatively and realistically you can feel the salt water and sea breeze of Mangala against your face! I couldnt put this book down and enjoyed every moment and city, from Romania to Istanbul and to a virbrant Paris.
I even found myself googling Mangala and the caves of Limanu to find out more. I am now going to read the authors other book, Train to Trieste. I have been sick for days and this novel took me away to the power, tumult, and passion of youth and finding your way in the world. It led my escape from illness to the beauty of the Black Sea, the vibrancy of Istanbul, and the artistic melting pot of Paris.
The story was a wonderful companion, and I am sorry it is over! See all 3 reviews. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Nora and Gigi develop slowly and so does their relationship. Through a number of short episodes told on a more or less chronological order — with a few flashbacks and explanations about the past — we are given a portrait of these moving and charming characters as well as a representation of this unusual town with its blend of cultures.
As Nora and Gigi come from a different environment, we are led through a mix of Turkish and Romanian traditions that we can easily compare. What is the same for everybody, though, is the threat of the State, the leader and the secret police. Freedom is a myth there, as the reader will soon discover while visiting Mangalia, Bucharest and other smaller places. Thus, art is a central point of Black Sea Twilight: The second part is darker, as if it were reflecting the dictatorship that is becoming more unbearable day after day.
Tied by their live and friendship but, most important of all, by their hope for a brighter future, the characters decide to escape in order to obtain freedom and to find a better place for their dreams to be realised. However, this enterprise is extremely risky and they need strength, courage and luck to get through with it.
This is when the tragedy happens and each of them has to pursue their own way and build their own future. My only regret at that point of the book was the blurb, which I said gave away too much information. We know some of the events that will take place in the third part of the book and I felt it was a shame to spoil some of the suspense and expectation that could have been created otherwise.
There are no real turns or twists, yet the story is unexpected. There is not a climax everybody has been waiting for as tension built up over the pages, but a few acts that are decisive and life-changing and that occur smoothly, almost without our noticing it. Nora and Gigi are ordinary people and anybody can identify themselves with them. However, given the political context, their story is different from anything most of us can imagine.
It is something moving and difficult to imagine if you have not experienced such turbulent epochs. The author could use this opportunity to criticise the regime and spread propaganda, but she does not fall into the trap. These passages are extremely poignant and I was moved. I also understood the research she had carried out in order to write this wonderfully realistic and poetic book: This amazing work shows through the background of her story, full of details and images. The blend of cultures is showed through foreign words and sentences, namely in French, Turk and Romanian, but also through a great range of details and cultural references.
More experiences readers will discover an incredible number of cultural and historical details. A wonderful novel raising questions about love and freedom. Jun 23, Chanele rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was one of the best books I have ever read. I entered the magical world created by Radulescu with my long love for Romania, and I enjoyed every painful, beautiful, courageous moment that was woven as this tale progressed. There is little that I would change.
Book Review: Black Sea Twilight by Domnica Radulescu
Even the ending was perfect, exactly as this tale should end. This book brought out of a lot of emotions in me and personal memories.
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I love a book that reaches some place like that. I am absolutely going to search for more of Radulescu This was one of the best books I have ever read. I am absolutely going to search for more of Radulescu's books, even if I suspect I will have an emotional hangover for a few days after this one Aug 06, Ranjana rated it really liked it Shelves: A beautiful book about human struggle in the face of political oppression. Jun 26, Cathy rated it really liked it. I'm reading novels about Istanbul and Black Sea ports in preparation for a September trip to the area.
This was a spell binding novel about two young people coming of age in Romania just before the fall of the communist regime. In addition to being a good love story it is a terrifying portrayal of the arbitrary violence of a totalitarian state. Jul 20, Sureyya rated it really liked it. I read this book with not much expectations. It was a pleasurable read. I felt the difficulties the heroin faced and the life she lived was very vividly described.
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I loved her daydreams and how they described for readers. Dec 13, Sarah Nosworthy rated it really liked it.
by Domnica Radulescu
A weel researched piece of fiction during the hard years of Communist Romania, defection to Turkey and then onto Paris. Aug 12, Sofia added it. I find this novel more suitable to teens than mature readers. It would do as a good opening to discuss democracy and human rights.
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Domnica Radulescu won a national prize for a volume of short stories when she was twenty, just before she fled her native Romania during Nicolae Ceausescu's dictatorship. She settled in the United States as a political refugee in