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Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv

A Novel

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

"A bittersweet relic of a sunnier age . . . . A joyous caper . . . playful and ebullient, shot through with magical twists and supernatural turns."Observer

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize, a Murakami-esque ode to the revered cultural capital of western Ukraine, filled with a charming cast of eccentrics who together make up the beating heart of the city.

Strange, almost magical, things are afoot in Lviv. Seagulls circle overhead while the passing breeze carries a briny whiff, even though the coast is far away. A ragtag group of aging hippies gather around a mysterious grave in Lychakiv Cemetery. Among them are an ex-KGB officer and the old subversive he once spied upon. Soon, Captain Ryabtsev and Alik Olisevych band together to uncover the source of the city's "anomalies."

Meanwhile, across Lviv, Taras, a cab driver, ferries kidney-stone patients over cobblestone streets in his ancient Opel Vectra. He's wooing Darka, a woman who works nights at a currency exchange. The young lovers don't know it, but their fate depends on the two lonely old men, relics of a bygone era, who will stop at nothing to save their city.

Blending Shakespearean comedy with Andrey Kurkov's unique brand of black humor and vodka-fueled magic realism, Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv, is a postcard from a more optimistic era. Populated by a delightful cast of oddballs, Kurkov's novel is an affectionate snapshot of a country finding itself and reclaiming its lost dreams twenty years after Soviet rule.

Translated from the Russian by Reuben Woolley

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 24, 2024
      NBCC/Barrios Prize winner Kurkov (Grey Bees) blends magical realism and absurd comedy for a charming portrait of 2011 Lviv, Ukraine. Among the endearing characters are Taras, a cab driver who specializes in helping people find relief from their kidney stones by offering bumpy rides; his kindly friend Oksana, who works at a homeless shelter; and Alik, a frequent visitor to the shelter who’s not actually homeless. Alik, an aging hippie, meets ex-KGB captain Ryabtsev, a self-described “secret hippy sympathizer,” who apologizes to Alik for spying on him and the city’s other longhairs back in the ’60s. Both remain big fans of the late Jimi Hendrix, and in one hilarious scene, they argue over who was responsible for obtaining one of Hendrix’s hands after his death in 1970 and burying it in Lviv. Later, Ryabtsev recounts how the city was built on an ancient seabed and claims the sea is making its return, as evidenced by the recent appearance of flocks of seagulls and salty breezes, prompting Alik to band with Ryabtsev to save Lviv. Entertaining hijinks ensue, and their mission culminates in a satisfying denouement. Kurkov’s fans will soak this up.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Andrew Byron's voice sets the scene of a historic city with a culture steeped in both Europe and the East. His performance is transporting, embedding listeners in the city of Lviv, Ukraine. This fascinating place and its impact on its residents is the heartbeat of this quietly moving audiobook. Deeply drawn characters, including aging hippies, a former secret policeman, and a hairdresser, engage in their everyday lives with dreams and some regrets, while sharing a reverence for Jimi Hendrix. Making its debut in an English translation after publication over a decade ago, Kurkov's audiobook resonates more than ever. Byron captures the mood of the city's early morning streets, opulent opera houses, and coffee shops. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

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  • English

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