Zabelle

by Nancy Kricorian

Book Overview

Zabelle begins in a suburb of Boston with the quiet death of Zabelle Chahasbanian, an elderly widow and grandmother whose history remains vastly unknown to her family. But as the story shifts back in time to Zabelle's childhood in the waning days of Ottoman Turkey, where she survives the 1915 Armenian genocide and near starvation in the Syrian desert, an unforgettable character begins to emerge. Zabelle's journey encompasses years in an Istanbul orphanage,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802143806
• ISBN13: 9780802143808
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Thought-provoking and provocative

I thought this book was excellent. As I was reading it, I thought about my grandmother, and how close she came to dying in the Syrian desert. What made it especially meaningful was that the town Zabelle grows up in is the one my family is from - it is now gone. I wish everyone could read this book, as it is a compelling tale of a major event that no one seems to know, or care, much about.

A fascinating and wonderful story

THe minute I started reading "Zabelle" all I could think of was what happens to her next. What a remarkable lady what a beautiful life story. I am so glad Nancy Krikorian decided to narrate her life so all of us could share and in someways make "Zabelle" a part of our lives forever. If Nancy Krikorian's goal was to eternalize "Zabelle", well I think it worked, whoever gets the opportunity to read this Novel will never forget Zabelle and each time they remember her their faces will light up with a smile becasue durig those few moments each and everyone of us went back in time and re-lived the life, hardship and joy of our ancestors.

A page turner - and I'm not even Armenian!

Talk about a page turner! I have no Armenian background, and I read this book in a day. Not only did I learn a lot about another culture, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Zabelle as she made the most of the cards that were dealt to her. Kricorian's narrative is so descriptive and realistic, it was easy to feel it was all true. (Was it??) It also made me pause as I thought of today's Eastern European refugees...

compelling characters with a beautifully written story

Our Armenian literature is so sadly based in the horrors of the genocide. Understandably so. However, this novel was refreshingly kind to the reader in allowing us to follow Zabelle's life as a survivor of the horrors. This book allows the reader to laugh and live with Zabelle, who survived the unspeakable. Author is very approachable. Although we had never met, after sending her a letter praising her book, she personally responded. Any book tours to SF planned?

Armenian Stories from Long Ago

Zabelle is really an amazing story. I am a Bulgarian-Armenian American teenager growing up in Washington, but the story of Zabelle was really touching. Zabelle is a character that transcends time and space, and hers is a story that was shared by many other Armenian American women coming to the New World after the Genocide of 1915. My favorite episode from Zabelle was when she quarelled with her mother-in-law, the domineering Vartanoush Chahasbanian. Really, a domineering mother-in-law is one of those things that Armenians all over the world know about. The story of Zabelle is truly one of the best novels on Armenian American women, and perhaps the only one currently available, that spoke to me directly and Ms. Kricorian did an excellent job of making the words speak for themselves. I enjoyed reading this book greatly and it encourages me to read other books about Armenian Americans. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!