„Žene mogu biti heroji.“

Željno iščekivana nova knjiga Kristin Hannah ujedno je i odabir našega @hocu book cluba ovaj mjesec. Moram priznati da sam se nakon Njezine bitke malo pribojavala nove Hannah, pogotovo još jedne ratne Hannah, ali ne samo da sam preživjela, nego sam se jedva odvajala od knjige i teška srca okrenula posljednju stranicu.

“Rat je bio pun rastanaka i oproštaja, a većina pozdrava nije se ni dogodila; uvijek ste ili došli prerano ili ste zakasnili.
Kao s Finleyjem.
Rekla je zbogom bratu dugo nakon što su mu riječi više išta mogle značiti. Ovaj ju je rat naučio jednu stvar: nikada nema dovoljno vremena za ljude koji su ti važni.”

Autorica nas ovaj put vodi u Vijetnam, ali iz perspektive jednog od najplemenitijih zanimanja – perspektive medicinskih sestara. Snažne, ustrajne i požrtvovne, te žene spasile su tisuće života, a ostale u sjeni bombi i razaranja.  I iako im se činilo da je povratak kući spas od užasa, tamo ih je čekao jedan novi užas u svom prikrivenom obliku, mir koji to nije, mir u kojem su se našle sa svim svojim nemirima u sebi, bez ikakve pomoći u trenutku kada je njima bila najpotrebnija. Autorica je vrlo zorno prikazala kako je izgledao život nakon povratka i koliko je država tu zakazala. Prikazala je i snagu tih žena, i njihov put prema oporavku. I iako mi se srce slamalo veći dio čitanja, na kraju nije bilo onog poznatog osjećaja tuge koji mi obično ostane nakon njezinih romana. Imam osjećaj da sam prošla taj put oporavka zajedno sa svim tim ženama herojima. Hannah je još jednom odradila vrhunski posao istraživši temu svojeg najnovijeg romana, i bez ikakve sumnje mogu reći da je ovo djelo koje me ne samo zabavilo tijekom sati čitanja, već i obogatilo novim saznanjima o Vijetnamskom ratu.

“U ratu nema pobjede. Barem ne u ovome. Postojali su bol, smrt, razaranje; dobri ljudi vraćali su se kući ili nepovratno slomljeni ili u crnim vrećama, bombe su padale na civile, a cijela jedna generacija djece ostala je siročad bez roditelja.
Kako su sve to umiranje, smrt i razaranje mogli biti način zaustavljanja komunizma? Kako je Amerika mogla postupati ispravno ako je bacala sve te bombe mnoge na sela puna staraca i djece i zatim napalmom spaljivala sve što je preostalo?”

Ono što me posebno oduševilo, a i iskreno iznenadilo, je da autorica u niti jednom trenutku ne idealizira rat i razloge ratovanja. Dapače vrlo jasno prikazuje i onu lažljivu stranu politike i rata, svu njegovu uzaludnost, a ponajviše uzaludnost svih žrtava na obje strane, bili to mladi ili stari ljudi.

Odličan roman za sve ljubitelje Kristin Hannah i povijesne fikcije uz preporuku i samoga Billa Gatesa!

“U zemlji koja obožava mladost, mi smo svoju izgubili prije tridesete. Tamo smo naučili prihvaćati smrt i to je u nama zatrlo onaj osjećaj besmrtnosti. Upoznali smo svoju ljudsku krhkost, tamnu stranu nas samih, oči u oči… Rat nam je uništio vjeru, iznevjerio naše povjerenje i bacio nas na stranputicu našeg društva. Još uvijek ne pripadamo u potpunosti. Pitam se hoćemo li ikada.
WINNIE SMITH, Američka kći u ratu”

[english]

The Women – Kristin Hannah

“Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women.”

Kristin Hannah’s eagerly awaited new book is also this month’s pick of our book club. I have to admit that after Home Front I was a little afraid of the new Hannah, especially another wartime Hannah, but not only did I survive, but I could hardly tear myself away from the book and turned the last page with a heavy heart.

“The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn’t quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.”

This time, the author takes us to Vietnam, but from the perspective of one of the noblest professions – the perspective of nurses. Strong, persistent and self-sacrificing, these women saved thousands of lives, but remained in the shadow of bombs and destruction.  And although it seemed to them that returning home was a salvation from horror, a new horror awaited them there in its disguised form, a peace that was not it, a peace in which they found themselves with all their unrest inside, without any help at the moment when they needed it the most. The author vividly presented what life looked like after the return and how much the country failed them. It also showed the strength of these women and their road to recovery. And even though my heart was breaking for most of the reading, there wasn’t that familiar feeling of sadness at the end that I usually get after her novels. I feel like I walked that road of recovery along with all those female heroes. Hannah has once again done a superb job researching the subject of her latest novel, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is a work that not only entertained me for hours of reading, but also enriched me with new knowledge about the Vietnam War.

What especially delighted me, and honestly surprised me, is that the author never idealizes war and the reasons for war. On the contrary, it very clearly shows the lying side of politics and war, all its futility, and above all the futility of all the victims on both sides, be they young or old people.

An excellent novel for all lovers of Kristin Hannah and historical fiction with the recommendation of Bill Gates himself!

“We were the last believers, my generation. We trusted what our parents taught us about right and wrong, good and evil, the American myth of equality and justice and honor. I wonder if any generation will ever believe again. People will say it was the war that shattered our lives and laid bare the beautiful lie we’d been taught. And they’d be right. And wrong. There was so much more. It’s hard to see clearly when the world is angry and divided and you’re being lied to.”