Name: The Cellist of Sarajevo
ISBN: 9781594483653

Steven Galloway

While a cellist plays at the site of a mortar attack to commemorate the deaths of twenty-two friends and neighbors, a woman sniper secretly protects the life of the cellist as her army becomes increasingly threatening.

The Cellist of Sarajevo

Lila

To go outside is to accept the possibility you will be killed. On the other hand, Dragan knows, the same can be said of staying inside.

A weapon does not decide whether or not to kill. A weapon is a manifestation of a decision that has already been made.

Because she is, at once, sure of two things. The first is that she does not want to kill this man, and the second is that she must.

The Top 10 International Bestseller Snipers in the hills overlook the shattered streets of Sarajevo. Knowing that the next bullet could strike at any moment, the ordinary men and women below strive to go about their daily lives as best they can. Kenan faces the agonizing dilemma of crossing the city to get water for his family. Dragan, gripped by fear, does not know who among his friends he can trust. And Arrow, a young woman counter-sniper must push herself to the limits - of body and soul, fear and humanity. Told with immediacy, grace and harrowing emotional accuracy, The Cellist of Sarajevo shows how, when the everyday act of crossing the street can risk lives, the human spirit is revealed in all its fortitude - and frailty.

you’d think that this author would know what good storytelling is but nope. the pacing is all over the place and i think trying to handle 3 perspective at once was a lot for galloway. the character development is very mixed and honestly unfulfilling for dragan and kenan. especially for kenan, it seemed like the author near the end was like “oh shit, i need to wrap up his ending and have him change in some way” so he wrote a very fast, unsatisfying, and unmemorable ending for him. as for arrow, i kept counting the pages till her chapters because she is the most distinct and intriguing of the three main characters.

another good aspect was that i could tell there was a lot of detail put into the book. that’s really it in my opinion. to learn more about the bosnian war or the siege of sarajevo, i would suggest looking for another book that’s more compelling!

you’d think that this author would know what good storytelling is but nope. the pacing is all over the place and i think trying to handle 3 perspective at once was a lot for galloway. the character development is very mixed and honestly unfulfilling for dragan and kenan. especially for kenan, it seemed like the author near the end was like “oh shit, i need to wrap up his ending and have him change in some way” so he wrote a very fast, unsatisfying, and unmemorable ending for him. as for arrow, i kept counting the pages till her chapters because she is the most distinct and intriguing of the three main characters.

another good aspect was that i could tell there was a lot of detail put into the book. that’s really it in my opinion. to learn more about the bosnian war or the siege of sarajevo, i would suggest looking for another book that’s more compelling!

cellist of Sarajevo

Patrick Book

Very poetic, reminiscent of "100 Years of Solitude" in a way. An interesting presentation of the spectrum of human reactions to on-going war and the ways people cope with conflict and death. His Sarajevo is apparently very detailed and accurate, but it could be Aleppo, Kandahar, or anywhere else with sustained warfare. Unexpectedly powerful.

Snipers in the hills overlook the shattered streets of Sarajevo. Knowing that the next bullet could strike at any moment, the ordinary men and women below strive to go about their daily lives as best they can. Kenan faces the agonizing dilemma of crossing the city to get water for his family. Dragan, gripped by fear, does not know who among his friends he can trust. And Arrow, a young woman counter-sniper, must push herself to the limits - of body and soul, fear and humanity. 'The Cellist of Sarajevo' shows how, when the everyday act of crossing the street can risk lives, the human spirit is revealed in all its fortitude - and frailty.

Pavonini

Forgot to mark as finished. It didn't blow me away, but was decent. I'm sure other people will get more out of it. Maybe I just wasn't in the zone.

Laurel Yoder

I read this years ago, lent it out, and am so upset because all I want to do is read this again. Purchased because I am a cellist myself, read and read and read because of the writing.

Deanna Kendall

I was very moved by this book. As a high school teacher of European History I was very interested in reading the "Cellist of Sarajevo" in the hopes that it would be an insightful and meaningful read for not only myself but my students. I was not disappointed. The four interwoven narratives brought a number of different perspectives and dimensions to a story that is both beautiful and profoundly sad at the same time: how to live in a war. The fact that the cellist could bring a bit of humanity back to war-torn Sarajevo through his music says a lot about the nature of warfare. People long to be touched by something beautiful even when the world as they know it is falling down around them and the future is unknown. Galloway's discussion on the lack or mutation of reason into to justify war is also very compelling and one that I think gives the reader at lot to think about. I look forward to recommending this book to my students.

The Cellist of Sarajevo

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