Girl at War: A Novel

A quick but powerful read about a girl from Zagreb during the Bosian War that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. The first section is a memory of what life was like in for Ana and her family in Zagreb at the very beginning of the war. In the next section, during which Ana is a college student in New York City, she's asked to give a presentation about children in war at the UN. Her feeling that the presentation is a communication failure is one of the main threads of the novel--that you can't explain what war is like--to do so takes the length of a book, and even then, a survivor is constantly ruminating, searching for connections, both drawing nearer to and shying away from the past. The UN speech sets Ana on a journey to return to Zagreb after a decade in America, to seek out the people she knew there and to explore the tapestry of scars the war has left on her soul.

The straightforward prose in Ana's voice feels like the only way to broach the loss and bloodshed that Ana experience. The effect is moving, and deeply emotional.

As a Croatian American with family on Croatia during the Homeland War, this book hit home me. At every turn I thought about my family and if they had these same or similar experiences as Ana. The scenes in the book were so vivid that I had to wonder if the author had actually experienced them herself. Exceptional book written from the perspective of a child.

This is a story centered around the Yugoslavian Civil War told by a young Croatian girl. I always enjoy a novel that teaches me something new. I knew very little about this war. It is shocking to think about how recently it occurred and how these people in modern times were forced to live and fight to survive. One of the most poignant moments for me was the children of this war-torn area playing "war" with their friends for entertainment. The game was horrible and so disturbingly normal for them. Beautifully done! A great debut for Novic!

What really attracted me about the book at first was Sara's writing style. It's so smooth and beautiful and flows easily. That together with the heartbreakingly beautiful story kept me from putting this down. Truly amazing piece of fiction.

Impressive narrative of the impact of war in peoples' lives and particularly in children's. Important to remember that the Balkans war happened only twenty years ago in european civilized countries and seemed impossible to happen until it actually did. Congratulations Sara for a very good first book.

Ana tells her story speaking for every child confused and emotionally damaged by the devastation of a war brought to their doorstep. My husband is from Hungary. He fought in the '56 revolution as a 15 yr old freedom fighter. He shot a soldier and was shot twice by a Russian invading his homeland . Ana leaves her country but must return and confront the memories in her head she had chosen to avoid and bury. Ana is real for me in this novel as real as the stories in my husband's head.

Really great book! I had very little knowledge about the war in the Balkans so found this subject very interesting. So much sadness and hope all rolled up together in a book that I found hard to put down.

Sara Novic has combined the experiences of many people, her research of events, and her considerable literary skills to write a book that gives us an insight into the life experiences of young people caught up in the terrible events in Croatia n 1991-92. Very well written.

Such an excellent story. The author give you insight to the life of a child of war and a child soldier. One day the main character is playing with her best friend; a few days later she is in the middle of a genocidal war. The story begins as the character, Ana, is an adult in American attending college in NYC. When asked to speak at the UN about children of war; old memories resurface and haunt her. She follows her heart with bravery and out of necessity for her own peace. It is a thought provoking story; one everyone should read before charging into another conflict. The effects are more than just military.

Powerful reminder of the effect of war on children from the child's point of view. This is a quick read and character development is rather slight but you can still feel Ana's longing for home and her bitterness toward those with "normal" lives.

Book #74 Read in 2016
Girl at War by Sara Novic

This was a good historical fiction read. Ana grew up during the war in Crotia. Loss and devastation was part of her childhood. Fast forward ten years and Ana is a college student in New York City. She is drawn back to her homeland. Will it give her closure to return there? This was a well written read with interesting characters. The ending was a little abrupt for me and left me wanting more.

Great first part when we are following a compelling girl watching the start of a war. Ends with a bang. But I was disappointed by the rest of the book as an older version of the same girl returns to the country she left and tries to reconcile with her past. The book loses momentum and I had no interest of continuing to read it. 3 stars for a superb first part!