Review: Being Ten Again
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 20, 2014
4 1/2Kafka's House tell the story of a little girl living in Romania during the 1960. The story is well-written and ahs a feel to it that draws you back to when you were young. Playing outside, dealing with the neighborhood residents, young, old, mean, suspicious. In that, it is a very warm, and relaxing tale.i wasn't sure if this was non-fiction, or fiction based on real events. That tells a lot about the writing ability of the author. Popa is a very good writer, and weaves a well-crafted, well-written book. I enjoyed very much the characters. Each was distinct with their own voice, believable, and predictable, but only because you came to know them through the story. The book is written more as a collection of events during the year that Silvia is ten.I felt that the voice of Silvia, written in first person, was not that of a ten year old, but someone older. The child's words and thoughts were much more mature than a ten year old's, as well as that of the three year old sister, who attended kindergarten and spoke as if she was five or six. And although that it less believable for me, it didn't make the story any less enjoyable. Communism was not a central theme in the story but seeped in at times. Kafka's House  while mentioned briefly in the story, made me wonder why the book was so named.I enjoyed reading this book, and I really enjoyed Popa's writing. I would definitely read another book by this author. I'd recommend this to everyone.