REVIEW
In You Will Have a Black Labrador Nino Gugunishvili gives us ten delightfull essays.
Maybe I did not agree with some aspects found in In Search of Peter or Make Me an Omelette or even in the Ara Means No! Or, the Art of Saying No but I still enjoyed very much all ten of them. They gave me the occasion to review my own values and limits.
I loved A Family Album and Till Death Do Us Part! Under the lines, I could feel the subtle criticism of today's habits and the tendency of cutting the roots... and how photography lost its deeper meaning. Maybe Till Death Do Us Part hit too close to home.
A Letter to My Unborn Children hides profound regret hidden under a (humorous) resignation.
The humor and light atmosphere (but sometimes ironically) turn down the seriousness of the addressed topics (see the blurb) making them easier to digest. But do not mistake, the topics and the feelings involved are real and vital. When society changes, the rules change, what defines us in the end?
Yep, these essays deserve to be discussed, so I'm waiting for you to read them as I just add another NO: No is for ignoring this volume.
Description:
Love, memories, family, enduring friendships, cooking, movies, dogs, travels, hairstyles, and saying Yes to many No’s in a witty, yet often sentimental, journey of self-discovery…
You Will Have a Black Labrador is a collection of semiautobiographical essays forming a narrative about a modern Georgian woman. Her stories range from the search for a perfect romantic partner to exploring food as an integral part of the Georgian culture. Many of the vignettes center on childhood memories or weird family traditions, such as the way family members stay connected no matter if they’re deceased or alive. One essay reveals how making a simple omelette can change your life; and that No can be the most powerful word in any language. She shows us, too, that a haircut can be a tribute to the movies you love as well as a path to your freedom; and how owning a dog always brings unexpected experiences. In this poignantly humourous collection, reality mixes and interferes with an imaginative world in so many surprising ways.
About the author:
"You Will Have a Black Labrador" is Nino Gugunishvili’s recently released collection of short essays. She is also the author of a women’s fiction novel, Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock, published in English and Russian. She resides in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Author's Giveaway
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Thanks so much for hosting and for a wonderful review that absolutely made my day!
ReplyDeleteI am new to Nino Gugunishvili but I will certainly give this book a read. Thanks for the intro.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, dearest Audrey! I really hope you enjoy reading it! Thanks for stopping by, and if you have any questions I'll answer them gladly!
ReplyDeleteSounds great
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy! 😊
ReplyDeleteI would love to read your book.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteDear Bridgett, thank you! I hope you'll read it someday soon and most of all I hope you'll enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, sounds like a good book!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Julie! I’m glad you liked it!
ReplyDeletethis looks really interesting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by 🙏🎈
ReplyDelete@Nino Gugunishvili
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! I really enjoyed your essays. I liked Tbilisi and I tried to add images to the texts; a great experience!
Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI would really like to take a look at this book! Creative nonfiction is my favorite genre, and I ~love~ essay collections.
ReplyDelete--Ann B.
Huge thanks to all of you!
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteExcellent share!
ReplyDeleteFor the author:
ReplyDeleteIs there any particular essay that you found most enjoyable to write? Or, do you have a personal favorite essay from the finished collection?
Thank you,
--Ann B.
Thank you, Ann, for a wonderful question. I think the essays about the family were both the most enjoyable and the most difficult to write but I love all of them dearly:)
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds like a light hearted read. I must say that I am very interested in reading more!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amy, it's so wonderful to hear! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a book that celebrates the significance in the small, ordinary, and everyday things, and that is something that I really appreciate.
ReplyDelete--Ann B.
Thanks, Ann, I think it does, and I hope you'll enjoy reading these stories :)
ReplyDeleteFor the author:
ReplyDeleteIs there a common thread, or any particular thematic element, that weaves throughout all or some of the essays?
--Ann B.
Thanks for the interesting question Anna, I think one of the main themes of this book is about family, love, friendship, culture, or traditions, and more generally discovering who you are through different experiences.
ReplyDeleteThank you for answering my questions. Congrats on the book release! ❤️
ReplyDelete—Ann B.
My pleasure ��
ReplyDelete