Leaving Katya edition by Paul Greenberg Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Leaving Katya edition by Paul Greenberg Literature Fiction eBooks 
From their first date on a white night on the Neva, Daniel continually asks himself, "Is Katya sexy or just Soviet?" He questions his instincts, and wonders whether the woman he fell for in Leningrad is the love of his life or just another part of what his father calls the Russia Phase.
Leaving Katya edition by Paul Greenberg Literature Fiction eBooks
OK, I know this story first hand, literally. I was stunned by the author's grasp of the details, of his ability to state bluntly the utter banality of so many of the things American men find so irresistable about Russian women. However, the story itself is as dry as dust. Greenburg's attention to the codification of the American-man-meets-gorgeous-Russian-woman-and-falls-madly-and-irrationally-in-love story is noble, but as the relationships themselves, the story is completely lacking in literary merit. It's old hat now.Product details
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Leaving Katya edition by Paul Greenberg Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
I read this novel around 2001. I had a Russian girlfriend at the time, who lived in the US. I was at a loss to figure her out and wondered why. After reading this book I saw the similarities, the romance and the heartbreak and realized that the bittersweet feeling I had in crossing cultures were not mine alone.
I have since become enganged to a woman I met in Moldova during one of my many trips taken since then to the former Soviet Union.
I am not a novel reader generally. I have thousands of books and of them perhaps ten are novels. But this one was worth reading.
Leaving Katya is a poignant memoir of a young American's struggle with his Russian girlfriend (and later, temporarily, his wife). This short and entertaining story is both funny and sad, a bittersweet lesson on the difficulties in a cross-cultural relationship.
As someone who has gone through his own "Russian Phase," I can only say that author Paul Greenberg has done a wonderful job of presenting the enigmatic and mysterious nature of these magnificent women. The Russian culture encourages their young women to trade sex and affection for monetary and social gain. Many of these women have tremendous educations that go for naught in the chauvinistic Russian society. I would agree that it's not so much the fault of the Russian women but of their environment. But a spade is a spade, and a hooker is a hooker.
When these common opportunists get a chance to cash in over here in America, they can become relentless. It's like turning a starving kid loose in a candy store. Of course, these young gold diggers don't see it that way, which creates the cultural problem faced by Greenberg's young protagonist.
Katya could never come to grips with the abject poverty she unexpectedly faced when she came to New York to live with Daniel. It was gratifying to see that Daniel actually became quite successful after Katya decamped for Russia. I guess there is justice after all.
Greenberg's dialogue, his situations, his settings and his sense of Russian history are all believable and accurate. I live in New York City and can assure you that he captured the essence of our great metropolis perfectly. And Greenberg adheres to the literary Holy Grail by writing about what he knows. All this goes to make his story credible and instructional.
I was also impressed by the way the relationship between Daniel and Katya just slipped away, especially when readers like myself were hoping for reconciliation. Not all relationships end suddenly and dramatically and not all relationships get patched up. The author deserves credit for recognizing this. The real tragedy in this story is that Daniel and Katya loved each other and could probably have resurrected their relationship.
This book is obviously autobiographical and represents a large part of the author's life. What can he now do as a sequel? The problem with memoirs like Leaving Katya is that your life can't always continue to provide the material you need to write.
I am quite sure that I'm not alone in wishing Paul Greenberg continued success in his writing career...
Russophiles will enjoy this novel--- those not so interested in Russia and its people might not find it as interesting. The novel is well-written, albeit a bit vague. I think the biggest problem I had with the novel was the vagueness of the main character, Daniel.
The character seemed slightly unreal, which is odd, since the novel is supposed to be semi-autobiographical. His lack of self-awareness, and drive was just depressing. It seemed like he had no thoughts on what was going on in his life. Perhaps that is the character the author wished to portray, but I found his indifference irritating. It, in fact, made the novel a bit difficult to read.
The insights into the Soviet Union, and subsequently Russia were the most interesting to me. Viewing this nation from the perspective of an American was certainly interesting. I will be visiting Russia shortly, and it will be interesting to compare Daniel's visions with my own.
Leaving Katya is a quick read, and the author characterizes Katya well, while she is not the main focus of the novel. If the author were as clear with Daniel's character, perhaps I would have given it a 5 star rating.
Overall, I found it an enjoyable, quick read. I read it in about a day, and found it to be interesting, captivating at some points, and overall a good read.
6/13/02
I read the story back in 2001 when it first came out and I can't believe I haven't reviewed it then! I was born and grew up in Russia (then USSR) and spent most of my adult years in the West so when I read this book, I was mind blown. I could never think that a north american male would be able to capture the nuances of the Russian mentality! And it's not meant as a detriment - as someone who is married to a westerner, sometimes, it blatantly obvious that they do not understand us and vice versa. I was also happy that Katya was not portrayed as someone who was after the green card, and her "all along I wanted you" was exactly what I predicted she would say. Thank you Paul for a sincere, albeit painful story - this kind of pairing is not too uncommon. I wish my husband read it, alas he is not a fiction reader.
Well written book about a new Yorker who marries a Russian woman. Not quite a love story but a fast paced bittersweet tale
OK, I know this story first hand, literally. I was stunned by the author's grasp of the details, of his ability to state bluntly the utter banality of so many of the things American men find so irresistable about Russian women. However, the story itself is as dry as dust. Greenburg's attention to the codification of the American-man-meets-gorgeous-Russian-woman-and-falls-madly-and-irrationally-in-love story is noble, but as the relationships themselves, the story is completely lacking in literary merit. It's old hat now.
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