Review of A Secret Life
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Timothy Gye
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Review of A Secret Life
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Secret Life" by Mina Bancheva.]
"A Secret Life" by Mina Bancheva is a story about a woman named Yana and how the communist government utilizes oppression, threats, and other cunning methods to acquire control over its inhabitants. Yana was a victim of Bulgaria's communist-run government. They were unhappy that she had left the country without being able to regulate or intervene in the process. This book is divided into three parts that are all engaging. The first portion is more like an escape for Yana—the trip to freedom. escape and break free from bondage. Yana had to make significant compromises in order to fly out of the country without arousing any suspicion. She had to spend two nights with a man named Comrade Ivanov in exchange for a visa. Yana had to sacrifice her loved ones in order to achieve independence and a better life. She travels from Bulgaria's main city, Sofia, to Cardiff, the largest metropolis and whale capital. She meets Mary after two years. Yana has a friend named Mary; they met and became friends in Sofia after Mary was invited to arrange an exhibition.
Part two of this novel depicts Yana's compromise of becoming an informant for the communist government. She had no option due to her depression, and her actions were beginning to harm her and her relationships with her loved ones. She had to become a part of the ideology she had grown up opposing, a system that had taken her father's life and made her family's lives difficult. Nonetheless, she spies and informs in secret, jeopardizing innocent people's liberties. Yana had little alternative except to comply and participate or risk endangering her loved ones. It's strange that she feels stuck while departing her nation in quest of freedom and a better life. The selfish part of her, which is willing to do anything and leave everything behind in order to start over and live a new life in a free and different environment, is constantly at odds with her loving and caring self, who does not want to leave her family or her place of origin, her motherland. Yana has become accustomed to fear, having lived with it for the majority of her life. Yana imagines having two selves. One is for love, and the other for fear. Twin Souls is constantly in conflict, and in an unusual way, as she describes it. She believes her fate was to be born in a country at odds with itself, never free of persecution. She made it her destiny to seek a happier and better life abroad; in the process, she became lonely and a stranger to herself.
There is nothing I detest about this book except for a minor spelling issue in the names of a few characters. The inaccuracy had no effect on my reading experience. Aside from that, everything in "Secret Life" is spot on, from the thorough descriptions of the individuals and locations to the indication of dates and times of events. The wealth of material in this book is easily digestible for readers. This well-organized book demonstrates the author's attention to detail and devotion to creating a work that is clean, accessible, and understandable.
Finally, "A Secre Life" receives five out of five stars for its knowledge and information about ongoing events in countries ruled by the oppressive communist system of government, as well as for raising awareness about the oppression, fear, and intimidation faced by citizens living under such rules and how it affects their loved ones or those around them. This book is highly recommended for nonfiction readers and those living under oppression, terror, and control of any kind, whether from the government or a higher force, as well as to let them know they are not alone in their struggles.
******
A Secret Life
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"A Secret Life" by Mina Bancheva is a story about a woman named Yana and how the communist government utilizes oppression, threats, and other cunning methods to acquire control over its inhabitants. Yana was a victim of Bulgaria's communist-run government. They were unhappy that she had left the country without being able to regulate or intervene in the process. This book is divided into three parts that are all engaging. The first portion is more like an escape for Yana—the trip to freedom. escape and break free from bondage. Yana had to make significant compromises in order to fly out of the country without arousing any suspicion. She had to spend two nights with a man named Comrade Ivanov in exchange for a visa. Yana had to sacrifice her loved ones in order to achieve independence and a better life. She travels from Bulgaria's main city, Sofia, to Cardiff, the largest metropolis and whale capital. She meets Mary after two years. Yana has a friend named Mary; they met and became friends in Sofia after Mary was invited to arrange an exhibition.
Part two of this novel depicts Yana's compromise of becoming an informant for the communist government. She had no option due to her depression, and her actions were beginning to harm her and her relationships with her loved ones. She had to become a part of the ideology she had grown up opposing, a system that had taken her father's life and made her family's lives difficult. Nonetheless, she spies and informs in secret, jeopardizing innocent people's liberties. Yana had little alternative except to comply and participate or risk endangering her loved ones. It's strange that she feels stuck while departing her nation in quest of freedom and a better life. The selfish part of her, which is willing to do anything and leave everything behind in order to start over and live a new life in a free and different environment, is constantly at odds with her loving and caring self, who does not want to leave her family or her place of origin, her motherland. Yana has become accustomed to fear, having lived with it for the majority of her life. Yana imagines having two selves. One is for love, and the other for fear. Twin Souls is constantly in conflict, and in an unusual way, as she describes it. She believes her fate was to be born in a country at odds with itself, never free of persecution. She made it her destiny to seek a happier and better life abroad; in the process, she became lonely and a stranger to herself.
There is nothing I detest about this book except for a minor spelling issue in the names of a few characters. The inaccuracy had no effect on my reading experience. Aside from that, everything in "Secret Life" is spot on, from the thorough descriptions of the individuals and locations to the indication of dates and times of events. The wealth of material in this book is easily digestible for readers. This well-organized book demonstrates the author's attention to detail and devotion to creating a work that is clean, accessible, and understandable.
Finally, "A Secre Life" receives five out of five stars for its knowledge and information about ongoing events in countries ruled by the oppressive communist system of government, as well as for raising awareness about the oppression, fear, and intimidation faced by citizens living under such rules and how it affects their loved ones or those around them. This book is highly recommended for nonfiction readers and those living under oppression, terror, and control of any kind, whether from the government or a higher force, as well as to let them know they are not alone in their struggles.
******
A Secret Life
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Original Wisdom by Donna Bond
