Ivo Andric wrote this book during World War II. It's set in his native Bosnia/Serbia

Whew, I finally finished this. I had mixed feelings about it.

I thought it a really interesting concept to write about the cultural interactions between the consuls (ambassadors / foreign ministers) stationed in the town and how they interacted with the viziers and townspeople of such a difference culture. The book covered only 7 years or so, but it felt very, very long at 396 pages in a pretty small font and trade paperback size. And it didn't have a lot of action, so sometimes it really dragged.

It was filled with quirky, interesting characters but there were so many characters that came and went, that it got hard sometimes to keep track of them. The fact that the author set it in his own hometown means that he could give great descriptions of the places and typical events like market day.

I am counting it as for Bosnia in the Olympic Challenge, where I'm reading books from all the countries that are participating in the Summer Olympics.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I left this propped on the window ledge just inside the front door. Happy reading!