Valeria's Last Stand

"It was as though she had stepped into her familiar yard when the sun was at a certain angle, and there, right in front of her, at the base of a tree she had looked at countless times, a precious stone that had always been there glinted and caught her eye." ~ Marc Fitten, Valeria's Last Stand The very moment I cracked the spine of Valeria's Last Stand I knew I was in for something magical. Marc has an uncanny ability to weave words and beguile his reader until real life and novel become seamlessly intertwined. His main characters, Valeria, the Potter, Iboyla, the Mayor and the Chimney Sweep are larger than life and fleshed out so vividly and intimately that by the end of the book it was if I had walked alongside them for the duration of their journey and could only hold my breath as their lives exploded and unfolded between the pages. Like the blooming of a inestimable orchid, Valeria's tale unfolds its precious petals so languidly that one can't help but slip a finger between the pages in hopes of speeding up the story; and yet, each sentence, each page, is rife with new magic and impossible to skim over; the reader becomes a willing captive. Valeria's Last Stand is a gem of a novel that gives the reader a penetrating perspective of a backwater Hungarian village and it's assortment of colorful and unsuspecting inhabitants. Known for their complacency and contentedness to remain anonymous and unchanged, the villagers find themselves suddenly upended as one single act of whim on Valeria's part metamorphoses them all, forcing them to take stock of their lives, their desires, and their dreams. Marc's story flows, one character's story from another, until every breath is interconnected. The tumult and discord the villagers are forced to face will likely lead them all to ruin, their tiny, perfect life speared open by a single caprice of one of their most curmudgeonly inhabitants...or will it? You will have to read Valeria's Last Stand and find out, I promise you, this book is a keeper!

... and not with that horrified, can-this-author-be-for-real type of inquisitiveness, but with the delight one rarely finds with a new author. The characterization of those who people Zivatar, as well as the pages of this book, is phenomenal. I can only hope we get LOTS more from Mr. Fitten, and SOON. I love Valeria--she is so totally believable, and so much fun to follow! The mayor--well, he deserves a book to himself! What a total hoot!

In this astonishing, brilliant first novel, the author creates a village peopled by vivid and unforgettable characters. Although it's set in Hungary in the 1990s, in a place bypassed by history and set in its ways, the book makes it all seem familiar, warm, and entirely believable. Simply stated, after a lifetime of mundane work and gossip, the town potter and the village hag fall in love, and Zivatar is never the same after that. Even the coming of the railroad and of EU-era progress seems of less import. That this is from a young American author is even more remarkable. Nothing rings false or out of synch in his village, particularly a village that no passing army, in over a century of tumultuous history over the horizon, thought Zivatar worth sacking or even notice. His characters seem likeable in their own irritating ways and they interact in a story that, in its quirky way, goes from grumpy beginnings to hilarious complications and a wild denouement. If this is indeed the start of trilogy then those will be worth looking forward to. Certainly, this book stands on its own as a delightful and well-crafted story. Highly recommend.

This is a great book! It takes place in small town that, though set I believe sometime in the 80s, seems timeless. I pictured them the whole time in early 19th-century garb and driving old model-Ts and stuff for whatever reason. It follows the soap-opera-esque love affairs of the town's potter (give no other name in the book), the town's sourpuss old maid, and the town's buxon bar manager. When Valeria (the sourpuss) suddenly falls for the potter, the order of the whole town is upset. And when a grumpy chimney sweep comes to town (especially grumpy because he can't stand the fact that chimney sweeps are seen as lucky) to try and make some money and find a rich old lady to settle down with, things get more complicated. Will the potter choose the woman who all approve of and who is nice to spend time with, or the woman who inspires the artist inside him? (You can probably pick.) Also complicating matters are an apprentice who's too dumb to realize someone's in love with him and a mayor who's too dumb to realize his business prospects and love life aren't as under his control as he wishes they were. I generally don't like chick-lit, and I don't know if this qualifies as that or not, but I really enjoyed the book. Things work out just how you want them, but it's very well-written and doesn't seem at all hokey. The climax of the story is tragic, amusing, and perfect. A great fast-moving fun read. Note that it can get a little bawdy at times! A modern folk-tale at its best, that is supposedly to be a part of a trilogy following different people around the same time/area. I might have to check those out!

I have always wanted to read a book set in Hungary because Hungarians are so darn cool, at least they are as an immigrant group in Northern California - that has been my experience. So here it is; an American writer who has lived in Hungary, a Hungarian setting, romance starring the elderly, the crotchety, the late middle-aged... turnips, chimney sweeps - what's not to like? The title and the age of the characters suggests no sequel. Too bad. Fitten has the right stuff. I look forward to reading other work from his direction. Meanwhile I think I will look for some bona fide Hungarian literature. Any suggestions?