(2/19/2008)
I was enjoying this book till I found wrong informations about the country of my origin, Slovakia. I feel deeply hurt, disappointed and sad. The first of all, Grozovo is not even in Slovakia.
The author seems to be just ignorant and capable of writing whatever just to make her book more "attractive".
She's describing the journey to Slovakia, to the village that is not there. Complaining about Slovak saying the word "Prosim" (wrongly translated as ... If you please) very often. We are polite nation and this word might be used as "please", "here you are" etc. Wooden wagons? Oil lamps? It's really too much.
the Author's girls are complaining about Slovakians who are not staring at them. And offers the explanation why - because they think twins are evil. Do you (author) really think Slovakians are so dumb? Then she's complaining that people are staring too much. So, what do you want? Don't you think that by describing Slovak nation as the group of uneducated, ugly, stinky people living in villages without electricity and believing in witches in not going to hurt anyone?
Nobody speaks English. Yes, in villages, not many. However, here in Canada, how many people speak grammatically correct English? You go to convenient store and the cashier doesn't understand you. Here. In Canada. How many people here are really educated? You are proving to me that not too many.
The twins are complaining about stinky buses there. What about Toronto? Isn't TTC stinky, dirty and dangerous?
You are almost laughing at old church in Slovakia. Do you know that churches there - especially in the east - are hundreds of years old? How dare could you make fun of it? What is historical building here, in Canada? Some building 50 years old and you are proudly calling it "history".
Your description of St. Cathrine celebration... No, people do not believe in witches. How can you portrait such things? Have you ever been there? Have you ever been thinking about how much you can hurt someone?
I really don't think so.
Honestly, I didn't finish reading this book. Maybe I'll write one about Canadians, about their ignorance, how funny they are when they don't know where Slovakia is situated, so I always say.. I'm from Central Europe. How horribly fat they are, how discriminative, how badly dressed. I hope you - Ms. Lori - will enjoy it