5 Stars from me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was the latest read from my book club – and I am so glad for these choices which push me outside of my comfort zones of crime thrillers! Not a book I would have picked up under my own steam but oh boy was I hooked!
Within a storyline that suggests fear, darkness and the horrors of war, this book brings forth a tale of beauty, friendship, art, faith and love.
I appreciated the gentle undertone highlighted throughout that what we think we hold dear – our possessions, our nice things, our trinkets, heirlooms, best china and luxury items – are in reality utterly meaningless and unimportant.
Some lovely touches in here, for example when the power comes back on for a fleeting in hour in the middle of the night – what each person prioritises to do with that time.
This isn’t so much a book about war as it is about humanity and what it is that gives us hope, what drives us to get up each day and carry on even when the world around us is literally falling apart.
Black Butterflies is a thoughtful and inspiring story – I did have one rant that I moaned about at book club but I don’t want to give any spoilers! However, most of the others loved the thing that bothered me so maybe you will too…
Blurb: Sarajevo, spring 1992. Each night, nationalist gangs erect barricades, splitting the diverse city into ethnic enclaves; each morning, the residents – whether Muslim, Croat or Serb – push the makeshift barriers aside.
When violence finally spills over, Zora, an artist and teacher, sends her husband and elderly mother to safety with her daughter in England. Reluctant to believe that hostilities will last more than a handful of weeks, she stays behind while the city falls under siege. As the assault deepens and everything they love is laid to waste, black ashes floating over the rooftops, Zora and her friends are forced to rebuild themselves, over and over. Theirs is a breathtaking story of disintegration, resilience and hope.
Read and Rated 