I read to understand things I don’t know. I was a very young child during the Bosnian-Serbian War, so I know very little about it. I was a bit daunted heading in, but the author laid everything out beautifully. I truly loved the friendship that developed between these two women and how gut-wrenching it was to watch their childhood dreams shattered.

Country of Red Azaleas was a story of two women’s friendship over the span of their lives. From war to separation of continents, these two women have been through it all. Lara and Marija were best friends with Marija being the wilder one. Lara, on the other hand, was more conservative. Many adventures happened in Marjia’s life as a reporter, where she ends up covering the war. Lara marries an American professor and moves to Washington, DC. Eventually the two lose touch and Lara is concerned that Marjia did not survive the war.

Full Review at: https://mybookaddictionreviews.com/?s=country+of+red

Lara and Marija, one Serbian, one Bosnian, forge a deep and lasting friendship in their childhood, spending time in both Belgrade and Sarajevo, but are subsequently separated by the outbreak of the Bosnian war which devastates their homelands and their lives. Lara goes to America whilst Marija stays behind in Sarajevo and faces all the horror that unfolds. Through her experiences we glimpse the genocide and see how dreadful events affect ordinary people who might otherwise have led peaceful and fulfilling existences. There’s much to be said for this mainly compelling story of the two women’s lives and their abiding friendship but overall its flaws outweigh its virtues. The main problem is Lara herself, who by anyone’s standards isn’t a very sympathetic character. Marija is by far the more interesting person but we see little of her until we meet her again (careful, spoiler alert here…..) at the end of the book when she somehow arrives in America and can afford a rather flamboyant lifestyle. Lara seems shallow by comparison and far too much of the book is spent describing her extra-marital affair and the breakdown of her marriage, which has little relevance to the general narrative. Yes, it’s a powerful story about the devastation brought about by terrible and cruel wars and the breakdown of countries, and demonstrates how the political affects the personal, but as the characterisation is often superficial it’s difficult to care very much or get involved. Nevertheless, it rattles along at a good pace and is certainly readable, but perhaps needed a heavier editorial hand.