A gripping novel that brings history to life – #HistoricalFiction #Hungary #Review

 

Blurb

What would you do for your country?

In 1955, a group of uncommon people meet by chance. During the final year of Rákosi’s iron fist rule, Imre Nagy’s reforms are repealed, plunging Hungary back into economic ruin.

A university student, a cleaner, a Hungarian soldier and several others find themselves drawn toward each other as their love for their country is tested. In the fall of 1956, political strife deepens as the students begin demanding reform.

How far will they go to save Hungary?

Well-researched, politically charged and fast-paced, 1956 Love & Revolution will lure you into the lives of everyday Hungarians who risked everything for their country.

Excerpt

He was an olive-skinned handsome man with ice-blue eyes that pierced right through her soul. She could see that those very same eyes would most likely be an icy threat to any enemy.

Laszlo took the documents from her hand and shuffled through them. “Elona Molnar. Twenty-one years old,” he held the papers open, inspecting them for authenticity. “Why are you out on the streets at this hour?” His eyes lifted, staring right through her.

“I just finished work,” she said meekly, half-afraid and half-intrigued. “I am a cleaner at the cinema.”

“The Corvin Cinema?” Laszlo pointed to the building behind them.

“Yes,” she answered more assertively.

“You clean there until 4:30 am?”

“It is the only time of day to clean without interruptions. I start at midnight and clean until I am done. My husband didn’t help tonight, so I will need to return tomorrow.”

“You are married?” Laszlo asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes, my husband was tired from working all day,” she replied. “He just got a job as a bakery chef. We both have to work to pay for things.” Elona stumbled over her words, struggling to articulate what she was trying to say. “To pay for everything. There is never enough money and so many bills.”

The first officer leaned over Laszlo’s shoulder to look at the documents. As he did, Elona noticed the uniforms were very different. Two of the men wore blue policemen uniforms, but the Colonel had a very unusual brown uniform with two stars on his collar, one she had not seen before. The man beside Laszlo also wore the same brown uniform but without the star emblems. “You are not AVH,” she said, the relief in her voice evident.

Laszlo spoke first. “No, we are Magyar,” he said in Hungarian. “My two friends are from the local police, and Tibor is a fellow Hungarian Army soldier.”

The shorter policeman, Jozsef, spoke hastily. “He’s not a full colonel. We just call him that because he’s from way back when the Germans left in 1945.”

Laszlo grimaced. “I’m a Lieutenant,” he stated firmly. He didn’t like this information given to a stranger on the street, even if she was just a woman. Silence descended on the group as Laszlo handed the documents back to her.

Review by Lisabet Sarai

Elona Molnar is an ordinary young woman, trying to survive and support her family in 1950’s Communist-dominated Hungary. Her job as a night-time cleaning woman at a cinema barely provides enough to live on. Her father is a political prisoner, her mother an invalid, her shiftless and unappreciative husband unemployed until just recently. When four men in uniform intercept her as she’s returning from work before dawn, she’s terrified that they are the Russian AVH – the enforcers of the oppressive regime – who can arbitrarily arrest anyone they deem suspicious.

Fortunately the men are Hungarian policemen and soldiers, sympathetic to Elona and her situation. Indeed, their leader Lieutenant Laszlo turns out to be a kindred spirit. Elona and Laszlo are strongly drawn to one another, but they both feel they must respect Elona’s marriage vows.

Meanwhile, several of Elona’s friends from university join a growing popular movement agitating for reform and greater freedom. As the revolution gains momentum, crowds of peaceful protesters swarm the streets of Budapest; when they are attacked they defend themselves with stunning courage, and eventually the Hungarian government is forced to make concessions. Alas, the people’s victory is short-lived. The Soviets roll in to crush the resistance, and Elona, Laszlo and their compatriots must make a difficult decision: remain and fight against overwhelming odds, or escape to make a new life in a strange country.

1956 Love & Revolution is a gripping historical novel that brings to life events of which I was barely aware. I grew up during the Cold War, and the Iron Curtain was more than just a metaphor. In the U.S. we knew almost nothing about the struggles and trials of Russia’s Eastern European satellites. Reading this tale was an education, not just about Hungarian history but also Hungarian culture and Hungarian pride. J.A. Boulet’s personal connection with her story adds both immediacy and poignancy.

The author does a wonderful job interweaving of the personal and the political in this novel. When we study history, we’re given an abstracted overview of events, but in fact history is the sum of many individuals’ lives, actions and decisions. Though Elona and Laszlo are fictional characters, they represent the suffering and the aspirations of thousands who managed to flee after the brutal aftermath of 1956.

Ms. Boulet’s depiction of the protesters’ optimism and naïveté reminded me of the demonstrations against growing authoritarianism in Hong Kong a few years ago. I hoped the young people would prevail, but I doubted they could stand up to the might of China – and so it proved. Though I didn’t know the detailed history before reading this book, I felt sadly certain as I followed the tale that the initial success of the revolution would invite fierce reprisals from Hungary’s Russian masters.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this novel. However, I had some problems with the writing, which despite the author’s experience seemed to demonstrate weaknesses common in novices: “head-hopping” and a tendency to “tell” rather than “show”. I can appreciate the desire to present events and reactions from a variety of perspectives, but it’s confusing to switch the point of view character multiple times in a single page. In addition, there were many places where the book simply announced what a character was feeling or laid out a set of events in a dry, step-by-step narration as opposed to describing actions and reactions and allowing the reader to draw her own conclusions. These deficiencies in craft sometimes interfered with the book’s impact.

As an author myself, I am probably overly sensitive to this sort of issue. It’s clear from the other reviews I’ve seen that 1956 Love & Revolution strikes an emotional chord with many readers, especially those whose family history has something in common with that of Laszlo and Elona. Certainly I would recommend the book to anyone who would like a better understanding of Hungary and the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

About the Author

J. A. Boulet is the passionate author of five historical fiction novels. Her newest novel, 1956 Love & Revolution, is a chilling standalone book about the 1956 Hungarian uprising. A highly anticipated release scheduled for June 5, 2023, this is a book that the author holds close to her heart.

J. A. Boulet was raised in the aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution. Her father was a Hungarian soldier who fought bravely during the 1956 uprising. He escaped and was granted asylum in Canada. Ms. Boulet’s mother also fled from the revolution shortly after. The couple met, fell in love and built a family in Saskatchewan.

J. A. Boulet was born decades later. Raised in a refugee family with strong morals has provided J. A. with the foundation to which she has stood behind all her life. Ms. Boulet began writing poetry at a very young age and progressed to short stories and novels easily. She quickly became a history geek and became fascinated with ancestry and the rough path of immigration. J. A. published her first book in 2020 and has since published one to two books annually. She writes with an unsettling realism, grabbing your emotions and refusing to let go. 1956 Love & Revolution is a book you won’t be able to put down.

Follow her on

Website: https://jaboulet.ca/

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/1956-Love-Revolution-J-Boulet-ebook/dp/B0C5B9D76K

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/love_walk_life

Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/jabouletauthor/

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHyJHrncBj09F5119oxt6Vw

Reddit link: https://www.reddit.com/user/NormalFemale

J. A. Boulet will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway