The Blue Sky in Around the World

Oct 14, 2019 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: around-the-world, asia2019, translated, location-mongolia, small-press, read2019

A fictionalized account of the author's childhood in the transitional period where the Tuvan people started being regulated by Mongolian governments (taxing for wool and forcing children to go to school.) It was interesting to read about the nomadic patterns, community units, sensory communication (using smell in particular!) and living in extreme conditions. There are hints of the author's future as a shaman by the end of the book, and apparently this is the first book of a longer series. ...more

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Jun 17, 2024 Sue Kozlowski rated it really liked it

Shelves: 196-countries, historical-fiction, memoir, z-196-read-mongolia, animals-dogs, animals, buddhism, nature, coming-of-age

I read this book as part of my quest to read a book written by an author from each of the 196 countries in the world. The author of this book grew up in Mongolia.

This was a short, quick read. It is a novel, yet it is based on the author's childhood growing up in the Altai Mountains in the northwest part of Mongolia. I learned a great deal about Mongolia and its people. Galsan's family still lives the same way as their ancestors have lived for thousands of years. They are a nomadic people, living ...more

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May 08, 2017 Andrew rated it liked it

An autobiographical story about a young boy's childhood in the plains of Mongolia. Set probably in the 1950's it is a story of the gradual change in society as modernity impinges on the tribes way of life in what is a tough and challenging environment.
We learn a lot about the society as the family adopt an old woman into their group and Yurt, as his brother and sister have to go off to the enforced school and his relationship with his parents is effected by what happens to his beloved dog.
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Sep 06, 2021 Jo Reason rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star-reads, read-the-world

Quote “Our dog Arsylang was asleep next to the dung heap. He was breathing peacefully. Sunlight streamed onto his dark, downy fur and exploded into rays that glittered and danced on the ends of his hair”.

I learnt all about the difficulties of life on the Mongolian steppe

Originally written in german, with a very good translation to english by Katharina Rout, this is a memoir, the first in a trilogy, it starts with the youngest child in a nomadic mongolian family, but as always, there are some d Quote “Our dog Arsylang was asleep next to the dung heap. He was breathing peacefully. Sunlight streamed onto his dark, downy fur and exploded into rays that glittered and danced on the ends of his hair”.

I learnt all about the difficulties of life on the Mongolian steppe

Originally written in german, with a very good translation to english by Katharina Rout, this is a memoir, the first in a trilogy, it starts with the youngest child in a nomadic mongolian family, but as always, there are some details that are probably made up as it would be difficult to remember so many details of the authors childhood. It is written in the first person from the point of view of the boy, and it is written in a style that you see everything through his eyes almost as if it were written by a boy, not an adult.

There are loads of details of the life of the family, which is herding the animals, around the years 1940’s the transport and communication were difficult within the country.

The setting is of course the Mongolian steppe, one of the most amazing places in the world i have visited, the isolation, cold, difficulty of living, but there is something special about this country, it is a place to cure your soul.

The name of the book, The Blue Sky, is so fitting as the sky is endless in Mongolia.

There is no plot, the author relates life on the steppe and you get a strong sense of family and the harshness of life and death and loss. I enjoyed these parts, details of day to day life from the point of view of the boy

The narration is not excellent and the ending is rather sudden, but as this is a part of a trilogy I am sure the author picks up in the second book where he left off here. The ending is tragic, it is so sad but I could sympathize with the boy.

When I started this book I thought it was infantile and badly written, but thinking about it I decided it is actually very good, it must be hard to write from the point of view of a young boy as an adult and make it seem that a young boy wrote it. I give this book 4 stars.

Video review in Spanish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGCRa...
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