Author: tanushok

Diane Setterfield “The Thirteenth Tale”

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Once upon a time, there was a writer. She was both famous and incredibly mysterious. In all her interviews, she never gave a truthful answer about herself or her family. Instead, she would tell a new, wonderful story each time. Just before her death, she invites biographer Margaret Lea to visit, promising to tell the true story of her life.

And she does tell it. It’s a tale as intricate as the plots of her other books, perhaps even surpassing them.

It’s a rather dark story, reminiscent of Jane Eyre (a book mentioned several times in the novel) and Consuelo. Yet it’s told in such a way that one cannot doubt it could have truly happened. Margaret Lea, and therefore the reader, has no reason to doubt.

The story ends, the lives of all the characters are recounted, and the mysteries are revealed. Only two questions remain unanswered. The old writer herself didn’t know the answer to the first. The second question isn’t even a question, but rather a small box filled with childhood treasures. Its appearance at the end of the book could signify something simple, or it could suggest that everything told was just another fairy tale and nothing more. But we’ll never know the answer—the writer has passed away.

The book is often described as a new Gothic novel and a revival of classic English literature from the Brontë era. I think the book will appeal to those who love the atmosphere of mysteries and secrets in decaying English estates, where both servants and masters have their own secrets, hidden safely within the old mansion, and the story spans multiple generations.

A film adaptation was released in 2013. I only saw the trailer, which captures the novel’s spirit well. However, I had pictured Margaret Lea as much younger.

Diane Setterfield “The Thirteenth Tale”buy

Reflections on the “Neapolitan Novels”, Friendship, Violence, and Social Mobility

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I started reading the Neapolitan Novels after being bombarded with rave reviews about the book. And I must say, I was not disappointed. Though the book didn’t grab me right away. The saga follows the lives of two friends, from their childhood to old age, spanning from the 1950s to the early 2000s. And this friendship is quite strange—it’s filled with envy and competition. It’s more akin to a codependent relationship between a man and a woman (let me clarify, this is about psychology, not about any kind of romantic love, which isn’t part of the dynamic between these friends). It’s the kind of relationship where they can’t break apart, but being together for too long is unbearable. The two are bound by elastic cords that can’t be snapped. And if they do part ways, it’s only to crash back together with twice the force. They compete with each other throughout their lives, yet it doesn’t stop them from helping one another.

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Motherhood Age

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Recently, I stumbled upon discussions about the “right” age for motherhood, with some people arguing that once you’re past a certain age, it’s too late to have kids. It’s a very relevant and controversial topic. Some people defend a woman’s right to choose, while others use a celebrity’s health issues as fuel for the debate. Personally, I believe there are both advantages and disadvantages in any scenario.

Several factors influence the question of “at what age should you have children?” I am convinced that social norms play a significant role. In post-Soviet countries, for instance, the age of marriage and first childbirth tends to be relatively young. I suspect that this is largely shaped by factors such as average income, the proportion of this income that goes towards child-related benefits, and the length of maternity leave.

In many other countries, maternity leave is much shorter than in Belarus, and the cost of childcare (nannies, daycares) is very high. As a result, many women prioritize their careers, choosing to have children only after they feel financially stable. They also marry later in life. One of my German friends once said, “When I had my baby at 26, I felt like I dropped out of my social circle. Hardly anyone successful has kids that early. My friends are living very different lives.”

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Top Science Fiction

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I rarely write reviews on the books I’ve read. But sometimes I get the urge to create a list of the best ones. This list is subjective, and it’s definitely not complete—there’s surely something I’ve forgotten. I tried my best to avoid spoilers. So, here’s my list of the best in science fiction and other fantastical genres.

James Corey, The Expanse series

This is an amazing series. There’s a continuous chain of events, but each novel stands on its own as a complete work. It’s been a long time since I’ve come across such solid science fiction. The world is incredibly well thought out, particularly the relationships between people within the Solar System. They have started to consider themselves different races: Martians, Earthers, and the inhabitants of the Asteroid Belt. There’s hatred, contempt, codependency, and a fragile peace between them. Against this backdrop, an external enemy emerges—one that isn’t immediately obvious, and internal forces try to use it to their own advantage…

It’s very rare for an author (or authors) to manage to keep an entire series interesting, but this is one of those cases.

Not too long ago, the books were adapted into a TV series. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’ve heard it falls short of the books, with the storytelling altered to suit cinematic needs.

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Maternity Care in Cyprus

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The idea of writing about pregnancy and childbirth in both Belarus and Cyprus came to me after a discussion on Facebook. I’ll try to explain the differences in approach, and everyone can draw their own conclusions.

I’ve had six pregnancies. I managed the first three and gave birth in Belarus. During my fourth pregnancy, we moved to Cyprus. Later, I went to Belarus for a “vacation,” where, at seven months, I gave birth to a stillborn baby. My fifth and sixth pregnancies were managed and delivered in Cyprus.

In Cyprus, healthcare is free for a narrow segment of the population. For everyone else, insurance is necessary. A new system is currently being introduced, but I’ll explain how things were back then.

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Subjectively About Film Adaptations. Part 2

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After my list of the best adaptations, let’s talk about the worst ones—again, from my perspective.

Leading by a large margin in my ranking is World War Z. I absolutely love the book. I consider it the best piece I’ve read on the theme of “we’re all going to die.” The book delves into the psychology of people in critical situations. It shows what makes modern society so vulnerable to global threats. Most people are unprepared to live without the comforts of civilization. Some will exploit others for profit until the last moment, while others will cling to false remedies, believing they won’t be affected, that the government will save everyone, or something else. There are heroes and cowards, and being a coward isn’t always bad. In short, the book is very much about people.

The zombies, too, are described in such a way that it becomes clear why humanity nearly fell: they’re slow but tireless, and they summon other zombies with their sounds. The infection didn’t spread immediately, which allowed the disease to reach global proportions.

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Subjectively About Film Adaptations

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Today, I’d like to talk about books. But not just books—my husband writes a lot about those, and does so interestingly—but about film adaptations.

Film adaptations are tricky. Translating the content of a book into a screenplay can be difficult, even for the book’s author, as cinema is an art form with its own rules and demands. Another challenge is casting actors that both fit the book’s characters and satisfy the director and fans. In the end, we get what we get.

I’ve compiled my personal ranking of the best and worst film adaptations from those I’ve both watched and read the original books. Today, I’ll share the best ones. And just a heads-up, everything is subjective.

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A Housewife Against Society

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Looking around, I’ve concluded that one of the most devalued things in today’s world is the role of a mother and keeper of the home. Saying in polite society that you’re a housewife is like blowing your nose on the tablecloth. At best, they won’t understand you; at worst… Of course, some of the critical remarks are based on real dangers. Many men, when leaving their families, tend to forget about their previous one, and it doesn’t matter if the man was the one insisting that their children shouldn’t go to daycare and that the wife should stay at home. Starting work at 30+, let alone at an older age, is very difficult. But beyond that, being a housewife is not just unfashionable, it’s humiliating. There’s this pervasive notion that a non-working woman will inevitably become uninteresting to her husband, that she is far inferior to the woman who builds a career—not just in terms of opportunities, but also in intelligence and beauty. By default, she’s seen as growing dull, wrapping herself in the kind of robes that seem to say “goodbye, youth,” as if aging faster simply by staying home.

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About school. Part 2

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Continuing my story about our school.

Starting from 10th grade, students begin to choose their subjects. The first selection isn’t that serious. The subjects are divided into blocks, and students must choose one from each block. There are mandatory subjects like Math, English, and others.

After 11th grade, the choice becomes much more serious and important. Students narrow their subjects down to three, though they are allowed to take up to four if they want an additional challenge. The results of these exams will be submitted to universities. Students select subjects based on the requirements of the universities and specializations they hope to apply for in two years.

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About school

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I’m often asked about my children’s school. I’ve written about their education a few times already, but I decided to gather everything in one place.

We moved to Cyprus from Minsk. There, my children finished 6th, 4th, and 1st grades. The eldest attended a gymnasium, while the younger ones went to the local primary school. It was an elementary school, from first to fourth grade. After that, they would have needed to transfer to another school or apply to a gymnasium. The school itself resembled a kindergarten in its layout (it was actually a former kindergarten building). This is important for understanding the kind of learning conditions the children had in Minsk. They were learning English as part of the curriculum. Tima didn’t study it at all (in the first grade). You could say their level of English was almost non-existent.

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