The Long Lunch, the Man of Constant Sorrow and the Remains of the Cheese

The Long Lunch, the Man of Constant Sorrow and the Remains of the Cheese

Three tragically amusing short stories revealing the pitfalls of marriage, friendship and romance after forty.

The Long Lunch - A slightly scandalous tale revealing the trials and tribulations of online dating for women over forty

…You’re divorced and over it. Been over it for a while, and you’re ready to meet someone new NOW. Someone completely, utterly new. A person from a different walk of life, preferably well-heeled, with no commitments, and no baggage ‘cause you deserve nothing less after all you’ve been through. But where do you meet a person, a real man, like that? It could be tricky ‘cause you’re in your mid-forties, and haven’t dated for nigh twenty years. Regardless, you have started looking. At work, and around your neighbourhood where, you realize, there’s simply no-one around worth the effort. So you widen the search, you’re contemplating going cyber where you could join a dating site. Apparently it’s great — you’ve heard, but not from anyone you know. Still, all those testimonials can’t be wrong; this just might be worth a try …

The Man of Constant Sorrow - A very public and altogether sordid tale of a 40th birthday celebration taking place at the races

… So. Your bestie is turning 40. Today. It’s half past two on a Saturday arvo and you and her and six other of her besties are piling into a maxi taxi, which seems pretty clean but still quite short of the splendor of the stretch limo you originally planned. However, the Event has been scaled down; four women were unable to make it due to family commitments of the usual Saturday afternoon kind, regardless of the six weeks’ notice. So. Out with the limo — ‘cause it would cost too much split between just seven people — and in with the maxi taxi, which is full to bursting with … mayhem you quietly observe, noting the time and thinking it’s a bit too early for the champagne. But champagne it is …

The Remains of the Cheese - A savory tale of bedroom secrets, moral dilemmas and the reckless consumption of far too many bottles of very cheap champagne

… You have this friend you meet with once a week. You’ve been friends for years, met a long time ago when you were both first-time mothers at a local playgroup. You just happened to enter the community hall at the same time, bumped into each other at the door. The kids were wearing the same outfit (Thomas the Tank Engine, a t-shirt and shorts ensemble with a hat thrown in) and it was as good a conversation starter as any. The kids have since grown apart, found new friends at their school but you’ve stuck at it despite your fickle kids who, let’s face it, haven’t been the focus of your friendship for years now. Playgroup dead and buried, you’ve kept up the deal on the strength of the wine and cheese evenings you take turns to host at each other’s houses when your husbands are out …

The Tale of A Worthy Albeit Slightly Flatulent Young Man, and No Other Stories

The Tale of a Worthy Albeit Flatulent Young Man and No Other Stories

A fragrant account of one man's struggle to succeed against incredible odds. (Inspirational)

Cursed with a stupid name and an embarrassing condition — TMG/CEFD (Too Much Gas/Continual Excessive Flatulence Disorder) otherwise known as F.L.A.T.U.L.E.N.C.E Disorder (Fetid, Loud, Abominably Turbulent & Utterly Lethal, Extremely Noxious Current (wind) Expulsion Disorder) commonly referenced as FLATULENCE, Jesus Kryst was a thoroughly unfortunate man. Farting uncontrollably all the time, Jesus suffered ridicule, bad luck and persecution, and was about to throw in the towel when he discovered the power of the fart and turned his life around.

This fragrant and inspirational account of one man’s struggle to succeed against incredible odds is sure to bring a tear to your eye and a scented hankie to your nose. Illustrated by the author whose vivid imagination and sledgehammer wit has become legendary to her fans (4), The Tale of a Worthy Albeit Slightly Flatulent Young Man is well worth the $0.99 download fee. Enjoy!

Solicited testimonials:

Aromatic and pungent … Fan Number 1

A tour de force to be reckoned with ... Fan Number 2

The truth reeks … Fan Number 3

Deliciously putrid … Fan Number 4

A stinking tale … A randomly approached reader who is NOT a fan

Featured in the collection of amusing short stories titled The English Patient, Dr Zhivago and the Purposeful Stride, and Other Stories now available to download from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple and everywhere else on the net for a very reasonable price.

 Let me know what you thought, cheers xo

The Silly Adventures of Shloppy the Plop & Edmund the Cat, Book 1

Click here to download at Amazon 

Shloppy is a plop. Edmund is a cat. Shloppy and Edmund are best friends. Shloppy likes to sing and Edmund likes to eat. Shloppy and Edmund spend a lot of time together doing funny things. They go fishing. They climb trees. They jump over houses. Sometimes they go exploring in the forest. Best of all, they like to skate and learn new tricks, and show them here, in this seriously cute cartoon series for seriously cute but still extremely cool kids.

The Silly Adventures of Shloppy the Plop & Edmund the Cat is a comic book series directed at primary school boys from 6 years of age. Featuring humorous storylines and easy-to-understand age-appropriate dialogue and illustrations, the series aims to attract children who are reluctant readers. Written and illustrated by Ivana Hrubá, an experienced early childhood teacher, the series offers a bridging experience for the early reader whose reading skills and attention span are not sufficiently developed for reading chapter books. Featuring two main characters, Shloppy the Plop, a very cute mythical creature with mannerisms, behaviours and interests of a typical young boy, and Shloppy’s best friend, a cat called Edmund, the short, humorous stories depict everyday situations most children experience during the course of their daily lives, as well as imaginary adventures all children can relate to.

The English Patient, Dr Zhivago and the Purposeful Stride, and Other Stories

Short Fiction: The English Patient, Dr Zhivago and the Purposeful Stride, and Other Stories

A collection of amusing short stories about the human condition revealing the absurdity of our existence.

Stories appearing in this collection are:

The English Patient, Doctor Zhivago and the Purposeful Stride

The College Girl and the Older Man

I Was Young Once

The Influential Life of Speckly Jim

The Fleeting Nature of True Friendship

The Waiting Room and the Supermarket Trolley

The Dog and the Parrot

The Long Lunch

The Man of Constant Sorrow

The Remains of the Cheese

The Proposal

The Imaginary Lover

Any Man

Suffer the Little Children

The Cautionary Tale of a Young Doodler

The Tale of Desperately Boring Mike

The Tale of the Tall Lady and the Feisty Midget

The Pungent Tale of the Open-Toe Sandal

The Tale of a Worthy Albeit Slightly Flatulent Young Man


Please note: the novels 'The English Patient' and 'Dr Zhivago' are NOT included in this collection of short stories; in fact, they have nothing to do with it.

The Cautionary Tale of a Young Doodler and Other Stories

The Cautionary Tale of a Young Doodler and Other Stories

A collection of letters to Dear Ned, an Agony Aunt with an eye for the bizarre, the unfortunate, the misshapen, and the plain silly.

The Cautionary Tale of a Young Doodler:

P. Casso, an unremarkable young man in charge of phone enquiries in an art gallery, spends his working hours in a pleasant daze doodling aimlessly at his desk until a random drawing lands him in such an unexpected awkward situation, the young man is compelled to write to Dear Ned for advice.

The Tale of Desperately Boring Mike:

Dear Ned is called upon to help desperately boring Mike, a young man who, by his own admission, is desperately boring and consequently has trouble attracting the opposite sex. Will Dear Ned be able to help? He might if he can stay awake long enough to read the entire letter …

The Tale of the Tall Lady and the Feisty Midget:

Dear Ned has to arbitrate when a romance goes awry after a tall lady engaged to a feisty midget with a suspicious mind and unresolved anger management issues begins to doubt their future together.

The Pungent Tale of the Open-Toe Sandal:

When a maid of honour gets demoted to a banquet hall usher at her sister’s wedding due to her foot odour problem, the unfortunate lady turns to Dear Ned for advice, thinking he might be the only one able to help with the embarrassing situation. But could this be the straw that broke the camel’s back for Dear Ned?

To find out the answer to this and the other ‘conundrums’ Dear Ned is facing in this here volume of amusing albeit silly stories, download them NOW and let us know how you liked them. Cheers, Yours Truly

The Interview

In July 2008 Ivana Hruba appeared on the popular television show: Ned's Pearls of Wisdom The Television Show. The interview in its entirety (4.20 mins) is transcribed below. 

In the studio of the famous television show 'Ned's Greatest Reads', Ned, the host, leans seductively toward the author Ivana Hruba seated across the table from him.

Ned (squinting at the cue card in his hand): “So I’m reading here that you’re pretty, witty and very, very talented.”

Ivana: (smiling and casting demure glances like a virgin bride): “Don’t you believe everything you hear, Ned. I wouldn’t say I’m very very talented. Just talented, really.”

Ned (nodding): “I see. It says here that you write, paint, draw cartoons, decoupage, crochet clothes for your dogs and your cat, trim trees into geometrical shapes, dress garden gnomes as characters in Shakespearean plays, fluently gesture in fifty-five languages, make really tiny landscapes in really tiny glass bottles using only toothpicks and moss, organize baby wardrobes for a modest fee and … (here Ned squints closely at the print out) … make nice smelling candles to sell at your local church. That’s very impressive, Ivana.”

Ivana (looking very pleased): “It is, Ned. And I also play the guitar.”

Ned (with just a hint of irony): “Aha. You wouldn’t be a singer too, by any chance, would you?”

Ivana: (a slight blush suffusing her attractive cheeks): “Well, funnily enough, I was in a band for years.”

Ned: “Singing?”

Ivana: “Lead.”

Ned: “Naturally.”

Ivana: “Naturally.” (Here Ivana beams, winking at Ned and raising her brows just so.)

Ned (taking the hint) affords himself an indulgent smile: “And you were successful, I take it?”

Ivana (grinning expectantly at the thought of delivering a witty punch-line): “Well, we made just enough to keep me in waitressing.”

A slight pause follows during which Ned starts to look worried and Ivana eventually stops grinning.

Ivana (tossing her hair playfully): “I’d like to point out that I am no longer in that line of work.”

Ned: “Oh? What made you give it up?”

Ivana: “Popular demand, really.”

Ned: (laughs heartily): “Sorry to hear that. It must have been tough when nobody showed up.”

Ivana (looking pointedly around the empty studio): “I wouldn’t know about that. We had lots of people come to our shows. Loads, really.”

Ned: “So it was a good show then?”

Ivana: “Oh, yes. Well worth the two dollar cover charge. We had queues every night we played.”

Ned: “Really? At the door?”

Ivana: “Well … (looks undecided for a moment then decides to tell the truth) … perhaps I should explain. There were queues at the toilets every pension night because we only played every second Thursday and they wouldn’t let us use the stage so we just set up by the wall between the Ladies and the Men’s but the drummer couldn’t really fit the drum kit in that tiny narrow space so the kit basically barred the toilets on both sides and people had trouble getting in.”

Ned (after a pause during which he stared intently at Ivana sitting across from him): “Right, right. Interesting. So, why didn’t you keep going if you were that popular?”

Ivana: “I wasn’t really comfortable with that kind of exposure. It was too much. People were taking photos and everything.”

Ned (perking up): “What? You did nude photos?”

Ivana (gasping theatrically): “Me? I never!”

Ned: “Why not?”

Ivana: “Nobody asked, if you must know.”

An awkward pause follows during which Ned contemplates why it was that Ivana wasn’t asked to pose nude and Ivana contemplates why Ned would be wondering about that when there are great literary tomes to talk about. The hush is broken when Ned eventually mutters): “Sooo, let us speak about the novels. I would imagine your work is worth a lot to you.”

Ivana: “Well, Ned, I don’t think about it in monetary terms. It’s not viable, really.”

Ned: “Of course, not. You can’t really put a price on those things, can you?”

Ivana: “Oh, I could.”

Ned laughs a wee bit too loud. Leaning slightly forward, he winks at Ivana: “Tell me how much you got for the books.”

Ivana sighs, looking resigned if slightly uncomfortable because she knows she has no choice but to answer - after all, she had promised to give a ‘warts and all’ interview: “Well, I won’t go into details, dear Ned, but I can tell you that the money I’ve already received is well in line with the immense talent I possess and the high profile I enjoy.”

Ned: “Yes, I’ve heard you’re huge on social networking websites. It says here you’ve got about five hundred friends on Ned’s Greatest Reads.”

Ivana beams proudly and casts more demure glances: “Actually, it’s a bit more than that. 538 in total.”

Ned: “Right, right. Interesting. Soo … (Ned nods thoughtfully, swiveling slightly in his swivel chair) … would you say you’re close to these people?”

Ivana (hesitantly): “Well … we’re friends, you know.”

Ned: “Aha. So if you came face to face with one, you’d be okay with that?”

Ivana: “Oh, yeah. I’d be all right. I carry me Mace on me at all times.

Ned picks up a stack of loose papers he had been gathering into a pile during the interview and taps the pile into a neat stack.

Ned: “Well then, Ivana, it’s been a pleasure.” (He beams at the author, extending his hand towards her in a gesture of good-bye.)

Ivana (confusedly): “Huh? So soon? Can we talk about me books?”

Ned: “Sorry, love. We’re out of time.”

 

A Decent Ransom

Click here to download at Amazon.com

Phoebus Klein is a vulnerable young boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He is a good, gentle soul living a sad and isolated existence deep in the heart of Pristine Mountain. Poor, friendless and with no real prospects of getting on in the world, Phoebus has but one ally, his older brother Kenny, who dreams of infamy of biblical proportions. When Kenny comes up with a plan to kidnap a woman for ransom, the innocent Phoebus is forced to take part in the crime. Put in charge of the beautiful young woman, Phoebus does his best to keep her happy while waiting for the ransom to be paid. However, not everything goes according to plan …

‘A Decent Ransom’ is a story of human weakness and yearning. Essentially a tale of redemption, the contemporary, fast-paced thriller blends pathos with trickery and intrigue, drawing the reader into the private world of a vulnerable fifteen-year-old boy, who believes himself to be the keeper of a kidnapped woman. Against all odds, the two forge an alliance with dire consequences for some.

The plot begins when two brothers from the wrong side of the tracks kidnap a beautiful young woman, unleashing a chain of events that irrevocably change the lives of everyone involved. The narrative, unfolding through multiple perspectives, gives the reader an insight into the minds of the four main characters as they carefully navigate their way through this unique situation, taking advantage to pursue their own goals. The players, each struggling to stay a step ahead, create a web of deception in which the pursuit of happiness becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse. It is only when disaster strikes that they begin to question their moral stance and desperate deeds are committed by all as they struggle to become someone other than themselves. As opportunities to make the right choice dwindle, each person's true nature is exposed. In a final twist, the unconventional resolution raises the question of nature versus nurture and how the two intertwine in each of us.

Reviews:
'A Decent Ransom' is a deliciously twisted story told by multiple narrators; these shifting perspectives keep the pace quick and the reader guessing. Bold, quirky and outrageously entertaining. Booklist, Sept 15, 2008 issue

Finely layered and compelling, this is a well-written thriller about the rich inner landscapes that can exist in bleak surroundings. Hruba does particularly well developing the relationship between Phoebus and the kidnapped woman. He looks after her and protects her through to the end, even though he is aware that she has an agenda he doesn't agree with to get revenge on her husband.In 'A Decent Ransom' the fates of all the characters, driven by madness, greed, love, revenge and hope for something better, come together within a clever plot that moves with humour and pathos to a satisfying conclusion in this well crafted and totally absorbing story. Bernadette Gooden, Matilda Reviews, May 2009

‘A Decent Ransom’ is not only a wholly well spun tale of a bungled kidnap caper which is not what it initially appears to be, but it is also an exercise in creative writing that places Hrubá in a high echelon of contemporary writers. One of the many aspects of Hrubá’s writing that marks her as an artist of note is her ability to create a varied cast of characters – from young teenagers to old men sugar daddies and used loose women, immigrants with issues particular to their backgrounds to average middle class couples in brittle relationships, older relatives with perversions, to women with neuroses/psychoses who converse with their alter egos. Rarely have characters bristled with life as vibrant as the strange folks involved in ‘A Decent Ransom’. After many twists and turns in the plot, brought to brilliant life by the fact that we are privy to the thoughts and vantages of each of the characters, the story winds to a surprising and satisfying climax. Grady Harp, February 2009

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part 3: Australia)

Click here to download at Amazon.com

Part III: Australia

An almost biographical but definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl’s turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan’s footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine’s heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta’s humorous insights into Vendula’s loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of ‘freedom fighting’ friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel’s back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet Onion where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a happy kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

Review:
What grabbed me, kept me reading Cabbage, Strudel and Trams is the use of language. It’s the language, the descriptions, the play with words, and that Ivana Hrubá not only tells a story in a unique way, but also has fun with what could otherwise be a morose tale in the reading. Hrubá still shares difficult times, doesn’t make less of them, but she makes them lighter to read. After I finished it I took a moment to let the story set in, to absorb it, and I really feel her writing style is the winning factor. I found the story entertaining and humorous, the characters uniquely portrayed and fleshed out enough to be planted in one’s memory, and just enough depth in description of surroundings to paint a picture. I also really enjoyed the use of narration with the story not being told via first person in the sense of Vendula (the person we are following), but instead told by Franta who appears to be an imaginary friend. There are illustrations all through the book to show and emphasize the characters and the story itself. Some of them are quite comical, setting off the wonderful sense of humour, and some are just plain cute. Cabbage, Strudel, and Trams is something I’d recommend to those who have an interest in biography, Communist communities, and what it’s like to immigrate to a new culture, but only if those people appreciate a sense of humour and don’t want something that dwells on the downside.
Dutchie, Bookish Ardour, February 2011

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part 2: West Germany)

 

Click here to download at Amazon.com

Part II: West Germany

An almost biographical but definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl’s turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan’s footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine’s heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta’s humorous insights into Vendula’s loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of ‘freedom fighting’ friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel’s back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet Onion where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a happy kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

Review:
What grabbed me, kept me reading Cabbage, Strudel and Trams is the use of language. It’s the language, the descriptions, the play with words, and that Ivana Hrubá not only tells a story in a unique way, but also has fun with what could otherwise be a morose tale in the reading. Hrubá still shares difficult times, doesn’t make less of them, but she makes them lighter to read. After I finished it I took a moment to let the story set in, to absorb it, and I really feel her writing style is the winning factor. I found the story entertaining and humorous, the characters uniquely portrayed and fleshed out enough to be planted in one’s memory, and just enough depth in description of surroundings to paint a picture. I also really enjoyed the use of narration with the story not being told via first person in the sense of Vendula (the person we are following), but instead told by Franta who appears to be an imaginary friend. There are illustrations all through the book to show and emphasize the characters and the story itself. Some of them are quite comical, setting off the wonderful sense of humour, and some are just plain cute. Cabbage, Strudel, and Trams is something I’d recommend to those who have an interest in biography, Communist communities, and what it’s like to immigrate to a new culture, but only if those people appreciate a sense of humour and don’t want something that dwells on the downside.
Dutchie, Bookish Ardour, February 2011

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part I: Czechoslovakia)

 

Click here to download at Amazon.com 

Part I: Czechoslovakia

An almost biographical but definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl’s turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan’s footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine’s heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta’s humorous insights into Vendula’s loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of ‘freedom fighting’ friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel’s back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet Onion where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a happy kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

Review:
What grabbed me, kept me reading Cabbage, Strudel and Trams is the use of language. It’s the language, the descriptions, the play with words, and that Ivana Hrubá not only tells a story in a unique way, but also has fun with what could otherwise be a morose tale in the reading. Hrubá still shares difficult times, doesn’t make less of them, but she makes them lighter to read. After I finished it I took a moment to let the story set in, to absorb it, and I really feel her writing style is the winning factor. I found the story entertaining and humorous, the characters uniquely portrayed and fleshed out enough to be planted in one’s memory, and just enough depth in description of surroundings to paint a picture. I also really enjoyed the use of narration with the story not being told via first person in the sense of Vendula (the person we are following), but instead told by Franta who appears to be an imaginary friend. There are illustrations all through the book to show and emphasize the characters and the story itself. Some of them are quite comical, setting off the wonderful sense of humour, and some are just plain cute. Cabbage, Strudel, and Trams is something I’d recommend to those who have an interest in biography, Communist communities, and what it’s like to immigrate to a new culture, but only if those people appreciate a sense of humour and don’t want something that dwells on the downside.
Dutchie, Bookish Ardour, February 2011