This was a pretty good, short but suspenseful book. It was hard to keep the different POVs straight at first, but I liked seeing everyone eventually come together and everyone getting what they deserved. Emilia’s plot was probably my favorite part of the story, and I really like how…unremarkable her sexuality was. Her and Kalina being in love, getting together, and everyone being accepting of it was really nice.

Massive content warnings for sexual assault by a parent (in the past as a child and in the present) and rape/attempted rape as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Miford House Press for the digital ARC, all opinions are my own.

First and foremost, thank you for let me be your first reader through this ARC. But unfortunately, I couldn't finish the book because somehow this book is too complicated to me. Every chapter talks about different characters, it's too overwhelming for me to connecting the dots and confusing too.

I couldn't make more than a quarter of the book. But as I ever learn Polish, somehow I get familiar with the names of the characters.

I'm so sorry to not meet your expectation as an ARC reader but hopefully this book will meet more suitable readers. Good luck!

This is a quite powerful novel that manages moving between the busy plot threads and perspectives quite well, and it is a hard and thought provoking look at life in Poland during the Iron curtain, but it's missing that special something that would really elevate it.

I'm sad to say I did not love this book. It had promise, but the execution was lacking.

This was a very confusing read, and I felt like I was missing context for the majority of the book. The idea and plot seemed really interesting, but the actual execution was so strange. The way the storylines developed felt really disjointed, and all the characters' introductions and subsequent developments were so rushed.

All that said though, there was still something about it that kept me reading instead of DNFing or rating it lower even. I was intrigued despite myself, and it was at various points entertaining. I just think the writing and tuning of the story could've been improved.

I fell completely for Emilia. I am embarrassed for myself.
and so admire her incredible personal strength. I learned
more from this exceptional debut novel than in anything
I have read this year.
We all just deserve life’s small treats, and we must
remember that having to struggle and fight was
not all that lone ago~ and many are still fighting.
My thanks to Milford House Press, an imprint of
Sunberry Press, for this download copy of the
book for review purposes.

I really enjoyed this. It was an interesting dive into that period. I find this era fascinating and scary!

I felt that it was slow at some points but nothing that’s really bothered me.

I would recommend it to other. Thank you for letting me read 😊

This was a really interesting book. It moved a little slowly at first, but that's/c of all the Polish names and words I stumbled over. It felt a bit like unraveling a cold war cat and mouse story. A telephone operator listening in to these coded messages that made no sense, man looking for a large sum of hidden American dollars and the cops, whose side they're on, you don't know, looking for this man.

The flow moved nicely, revealing bits of the various characters backstories and current stories in a way that explained what part they played in this dangerous world. I found all the characters to be likeable and the ending was nice. It pulled the story together and had a happy feel to it.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Controlled Conversations took me a few chapters to get into, but once I was hooked, I found it easy to love this book.

Set in Soviet-controlled Poland in 1982, the story introduces several characters, each navigating their own yet interconnected stories. Emilia, a switchboard operator, inadvertently overhears a mysterious phone call and starts suspecting they are coded messages hinting at something secretive going on. Antek, a shipyard worker and the treasurer of Solidarity, embarks on a task that could jeopardize his life. Roman, a secret police major desperate to leave Poland, is willing to do the unthinkable to achieve his dream. Together with his assistant, Zenon, Roman is determined to track down Antek who has the key to Roman's future. Each character has unique motivations that inform their actions throughout the book.

A bit of background knowledge about the Solidarity Union in Poland enhances the understanding and enjoyment of the book, but it is not necessary. This story beautifully represents the essence of life on the brink of resistance and revolution, both politically and personally. Legodzki masterfully captures the atmosphere of distrust, leaving me gasping as characters' motivations and backgrounds were unveiled.

The book has multiple points of view, switching between the main characters, and includes both present-day narratives and flashbacks. Initially, this structure can be a bit confusing, but it ultimately contributes to the story's richness. Lagodzki's almost poetic writing style transforms the book into a vivid experience rather than just reading a story. The narrative also spans several genres, blending a thrilling spy story with young adult vibes.

I highly recommend Controlled Conversations, especially for fans of historical fiction.

Interesting however a little slow at times
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc

Controlled Conversations by Karol Lagodzki dives into Soviet-controlled Poland with a compelling mix of espionage and forbidden love. Emilia, a telephone switchboard operator, overhears a coded message that entangles her in a web of political intrigue and personal risk. Her story is interwoven with those of Antek, a resistance fighter, and Roman, a secret police major, painting a vivid picture of life behind the Iron Curtain.

While the novel’s historical backdrop and multiple perspectives are intriguing, the character development falls a bit short. Emilia’s journey is engaging, but other characters lack depth, making it hard to fully connect with their stories. It’s a captivating read with a unique setting, though it doesn’t completely deliver on its potential.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Controlled Conversations by Karol Lagodzki is a third person multi-POV literary historical set in Poland during the Iron Curtain. Emilia is a switchboard operating harboring several secrets, Antek has recently escaped from prison and got a request for a divorce from his wife, and Roman is a secret police major hunting Antek down. All three of their stories are connected by twenty thousand American dollars and what they want to do with it.

There is a lot of story and a lot of different characters to keep track of, but it doesn't feel overwhelming. We do switch back and forth between POVs, but Lagodzki grouped the POVs together in a way that slowly revealed how they are all connected and made the story's style feel accessible. Emilia's POVs tended to be my favorite as hers carried an air of hopefulness and looking towards the future. Roman’s, however, are more about how his humanity seemed to slowly leave him

The book doesn't hold back on depicting how difficult life was in Poland during the Iron Curtain. Emilia mentions how many people keep their real thoughts to themselves even at home for fear of their children ratting them out to the Soviet party whereas Emilia would be more in danger of her mother being the one to rat Emilia out. Twenty thousand USD would be enough to get Emilia and Kalina, her childhood friend and maybe something more, to Japan and help them start a new life away from the Soviet Union. Roman’s POV, meanwhile, often involves terrorizing citizens until he gets what he wants, including threatening to kill Antek’s pregnant ex-girlfriend until she gave him Antek's location.

A lot of the names are spelt the traditional Polish way instead of Anglicizing them, which I appreciate and respect. While I am not familiar with how the Polish alphabet sounds, I can always Google it to figure it out and Anglicizing names doesn't always produce the correct sounds much like transferring English names into another language doesn't always produce a perfect 1-to-1. It serves to add a layer of authenticity and pushback against the global domination of English.

Content warning for depictions of sexual assault and fatphobia

I would recommend this to readers looking for narratives about life behind the Iron Curtain, fans of historicals with literary prose, and those looking for a multi-POV historical that takes place in a more recent time period

Honestly, this book reads more interesting in the synopsis other than in the execution itself, in my opinion.
At first I was intrigued, but then I just got bored by the lack of connection with the main character.
Also, I was expecting more development out of the phone operator character.
Not a bad reading. It just didn't meet my expectations.

It was an okay read, but it didn’t fully meet my expectations. I was drawn in by the premise of a suspenseful story centered around a phone operator, expecting more action and intrigue based on phone calls. However, the narrative strayed from this focus, missing opportunities for suspense.

While the different character plots were interlinked, it was hard to connect with them. The character development felt shallow, making it difficult to invest emotionally in their stories. It would have been interesting to have shorter novellas concentrating on each character, which could have provided more depth and led up to this book.

Overall, the story had potential but fell short in delivering the thrilling, character-driven experience I had hoped for.

Thank you to the NetGallery and Karol Lagodzki for allowing me to read this book ahead of its release.

An okayish read that wasn't as ambitious as I'd hoped.

The story maintained an air of tension throughout, with an ominous feeling of impending doom. However, the climax was disappointing; it felt anticlimactic and failed to raise the stakes significantly.

The narrative is told from multiple points of view, but I didn't form a strong connection with any of the characters. The story shifted focus from one character to another, with previous characters fading into the background once their perspective was no longer in focus. This palimpsest approach meant that just as I began to connect with one character, another's point of view would take over, erasing the connection I had formed. The only character who made a notable impact was the villain, Roman. The others left minimal impressions.

The title, "Controlled Conversations," suggests that the phone operator would play a significant role in monitoring conversations and reporting suspicious activities, implying that resistance would be a major theme. However, the story primarily focused on the romantic relationships between characters, making the title feel misleading. If I had adjusted my expectations to focus solely on the relationship aspect, I might have rated it higher. The blurb suggested more action than was delivered.

Given the emphasis on relationships, I expected more depth in that aspect. Instead, we are simply told that the characters love each other, followed by intimate scenes, without seeing the buildup or any reflections on how they fell in love. We are expected to accept these relationships without any substantial development.

Despite my complaints, I was thoroughly engaged until the end. The author did justice to the Polish setting, so I have no complaints in that regard.

2.5 stars! (Rounding up to 3 because I was engrossed throughout.)

Special thanks to NetGalley, Karol Lagodzki, and Sunbury Press for the DRC of this book. Much appreciated!

A very intriguing story with a gripping characterization of the era! I find it very refreshing to read a story set in Poland in that time period and it got me very curious to learn more about what Poland was going through during that time.

Ultimately didn't feel as if I was the right audience for this. The writing, plot, and lessons taught throughout were all written very well but I felt lost and confused more than half the time.