Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro: Amazon.ca: Zorka Milich: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

Centenarian women in Montenegro, eh? It may seem a little eclectic, but in fact the recollections of 10 aged women reveal a fair amount about the misty, distant past and the very real present. These women are the living remains of an archaic culture, as Milich says in her introduction (``entering the third millennium A.D., much of tribal Montenegro lingers on as a living reflection of prefeudal Europe''). Although the interviews were conducted in 1990, before fighting in neighboring Bosnia had begun, these seven orthodox Serbians, two Muslims and one Catholic reveal a sometimes surprising mix of hostility and tolerance (the German army comes off well; the ``Turks,'' i.e., Slavic Muslims, don't). All the women, though, are bound by their common hardship: in the patriarchal society they describe, a woman's sole worth is her ability to produce sons; otherwise, she works hard and has no voice. Milich tends to offer her subjects the same few questions, some eliciting dully similar answers--e.g., it becomes obvious early on that nobody kissed before marriage. Other questions (What do you think about your position in society? How about the women warriors tantalizingly mentioned in the introduction? Did any women rebel?) go unasked. Milich, herself of Montenegrin descent, doesn't stint in describing the women's hardship, but she also seems to buy into the idea that this system was an evil necessary to the country's survival (``the embodiment of the Montenegrin male, spawned by a system reliant on strong, brave warriors for its preservation''). Which may be true in part, but it is also undeniable that this bellicosity led to internecine blood feuds that took their own toll on the country.

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5.0 out of 5 stars What Serb Glory is all about!, Sep 22 2003

By

highduke "highduke" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro (Hardcover)

This book consists of interviews with about a dozen CENTENERIAN women (women 100+ years old!) in Montenegro compiled in 1990 by A Serb-American. One woman is a Serb muslim, the other a Catholic Albanian and there's a Muslim Albanian and the rest are Serb women.

The women all think back to the Balkan Wars, WWI and WWII. This book shows what Serbs were really about at the turn of the century and what the forces that invaded Serb Montenegro (Turks, Austrians, Germans) were really like.

You hear detailed stories of wars, death, hunger, torture, decapitation. You think the Balkans are a scary place on the news now? Listen to a dozen women 100+ YEARS OLD tell you about how bad it was when they were young.

Only in this book, you get to hear about the cruelty inflicted ON SERBS not by Serbs for a change. Those called "Turks" are in fact Serbs whose ancestors converted to Islam, today's "Bosnian Muslims" and "Austrians" refers to Croats and these same
"Turks" who - together with the Austrians descended on Serb Montenegro in WWI.

The book also talks about how patriarchy made life a grueling nightmare equally for all the women: Serb, Muslim, Catholic Albanian and Muslim Albanian women. You honestly have to read it to believe that women were actually treated this way by husbands and other family members. It is the ugliest side of Balkan life told by those who experienced it personally. The women are so candid, frank and forthright that you really get into their head and sort of grasp the outdated mentality with which they saw the world until their very last days. These women were young when the greatest technological marvel their mountaineer society could ever see was the wonder that is the sowing machine.

Made me so proud to be a Serb.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Warrior Women, Sep 9 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro (Hardcover)

This is an exraordinary book that reminds women everywhere of the unbelievable struggle of our ancestors to survive. The women in this book could have been from anywhere in a different time, enduring the worst that the world had to offer, yet they emerge from these pages with a unique strength and dignity in spite of it all. I'd highly recommend this book, not simply as an athropological study, but to anyone seeking where they came from. Because this is a book about the history of us all.

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Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Warrior Women, Sep 9 2003

By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro (Hardcover)

This is an exraordinary book that reminds women everywhere of the unbelievable struggle of our ancestors to survive. The women in this book could have been from anywhere in a different time, enduring the worst that the world had to offer, yet they emerge from these pages with a unique strength and dignity in spite of it all. I'd highly recommend this book, not simply as an athropological study, but to anyone seeking where they came from. Because this is a book about the history of us all.

5.0 out of 5 stars History Lived, Feb 13 2011

By downsizingsgt - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro (Hardcover)

I purchased this book the day before my family and I left for Montenegro to visit my father-in-law's birthplace. It made the history of that former Yugslovian country come alive. To think that those women were over one hundred years old when they were interviewed in the early 1990's. They had lived through a terrible time and experienced much sadness and a great deal of suffering. The pictures are amazing. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in history or nonfiction.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What Serb Glory is all about!, Sep 22 2003

By highduke "highduke" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro (Hardcover)

This book consists of interviews with about a dozen CENTENERIAN women (women 100+ years old!) in Montenegro compiled in 1990 by A Serb-American. One woman is a Serb muslim, the other a Catholic Albanian and there's a Muslim Albanian and the rest are Serb women.

The women all think back to the Balkan Wars, WWI and WWII. This book shows what Serbs were really about at the turn of the century and what the forces that invaded Serb Montenegro (Turks, Austrians, Germans) were really like.

You hear detailed stories of wars, death, hunger, torture, decapitation. You think the Balkans are a scary place on the news now? Listen to a dozen women 100+ YEARS OLD tell you about how bad it was when they were young.

Only in this book, you get to hear about the cruelty inflicted ON SERBS not by Serbs for a change. Those called "Turks" are in fact Serbs whose ancestors converted to Islam, today's "Bosnian Muslims" and "Austrians" refers to Croats and these same
"Turks" who - together with the Austrians descended on Serb Montenegro in WWI.

The book also talks about how patriarchy made life a grueling nightmare equally for all the women: Serb, Muslim, Catholic Albanian and Muslim Albanian women. You honestly have to read it to believe that women were actually treated this way by husbands and other family members. It is the ugliest side of Balkan life told by those who experienced it personally. The women are so candid, frank and forthright that you really get into their head and sort of grasp the outdated mentality with which they saw the world until their very last days. These women were young when the greatest technological marvel their mountaineer society could ever see was the wonder that is the sowing machine.

Made me so proud to be a Serb.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars

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Oral History Series: A Stranger's Supper: An Oral History of Centenarian Women in Montenegro [Hardcover]

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