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There are currently 24 member reviews
for Iron Curtain
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Catharine L. (Petoskey, MI)
Iron Curtain
3.8 Milena, a Red Princess, living in luxury with limited freedom in an unnamed Communist country in the 1980's, meets Jason, a British poet. This it when it becomes unrealistic. She sleeps with him once, they fall in love in three days, and she follows Jason to England to live in Bohemian poverty, but she is free!
I did enjoy the contrast between the two cultures and the misconceptions of the Soviets and the British. I didn't connect with either character. The only thing in common was sex. The ending didn't resolve the issue of why Milena left in the first place.
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Leslie R. (Arlington, VA)
Well written is not enough
It is difficult to write a review without a spoiler, but then what would you spoil? The reader anticipates the ending from the beginning. A privileged young woman whose father is a powerful figure in a Communist-bloc country (never named) defects for love. If the reader lacks background knowledge about Communist governments in the 1980's, the author's obscure references will not enlighten.
The main character's lack of emotion is like a wet blanket over the story, and her actions are often hard to fathom. Instead of not being able to put this book down, I had trouble picking it back up. Thank goodness for the mother-in-law, who was the only relatable character I found.
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Victoria B. (Little River, SC)
I Wanted to Like It More
Having read Free by Lea Ypi, a story of the collapse of Communist Albania and its effect on its citizens, I was excited to receive Iron Curtain for review. This is the story of a "red princess", a young woman whose father was vice president of her communist country. Milena grew up with great privilege because of her father and his role in the revolution. It was a privilege that few of her countrymen would ever know. In acting as a translator for an English poet, she falls in love with him and is determined to flee to England to be with him. A series of events allows her to act on her desires and so the story goes. To give any more of a summary would be to spoil the ending.
My struggles with the book included grandiose verbiage by the author as well as inconsequential events in the book which did nothing to further the plot or even character development.
Was the book terrible? No. Was it great? No. Would this reviewer recommend it to others? Sadly, no.
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