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    Vaclav & Lena: A Novel
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    Vaclav & Lena: A Novel
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    Vaclav & Lena: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Vaclav & Lena: A Novel

    Written by Haley Tanner

    Narrated by Kirby Heyborne and Rebecca Lowman

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    NAMED BY THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION AS A 5 UNDER 35 AUTHOR

    Vaclav and Lena seem destined for each other. They meet as children in an ESL class in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Vaclav is precocious and verbal. Lena, struggling with English, takes comfort in the safety of his adoration, his noisy, loving home, and the care of Rasia, his big-hearted mother. Vaclav imagines their story unfolding like a fairy tale, or the perfect illusion from his treasured Magician's Almanac, but among the many truths to be discovered in Haley Tanner's wondrous debut is that happily ever after is never a foregone conclusion.

    One day, Lena does not show up for school. She has disappeared from Vaclav and his family's lives as if by a cruel magic trick. For the next seven years, Vaclav says goodnight to Lena without fail, wondering if she is doing the same somewhere. On the eve of Lena's seventeenth birthday he finds out.

    Haley Tanner has the originality and verve of a born storyteller, and the boldness to imagine a world in which love can overcome the most difficult circumstances. In Vaclav & Lena she has created two unforgettable young protagonists who evoke the joy, the confusion, and the passion of having a profound, everlasting connection with someone else.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 17, 2011
    ISBN9780307932723
    Unavailable
    Vaclav & Lena: A Novel

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    Reviews for Vaclav & Lena

    4/5

    198 ratings47 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Love story about Russian immigrants - a boy who wants to be a magician & girl who may or may not be his "lovely assistant". Interesting characters & dialog.
    • 5/5
      Magical! Brilliant prose. Amazing story.

      My favorite passage. Vaclav and Lena are suddenly separated at ten years old.

      "The power of saying good night each night to Lena is great. On the first night that Lena was gone, Vaclav said good night to her, put the good night out into the scary, lonely darkness, and meant each word in a very specicific way. Good night. Good night. He wanted her to have a good night. Not a scary night. Not a dangerous night. Not a cold or lonely or nightmare-filled night. He filled the words with all his love and care and worry for Lena and launched them out to her, and like homing pigeons, he trusted them to find her, and he felt, that night, that his words would keep Lena safe, that if he thought about her and cared about her and showed this to the universe, then bad things would not happen to her. Vaclav was not asking an omnipotent god to grant him a wish. He was stirring in himself his own very true emotions, his pure feelings, and pushing them, birthing them into the universe, giving flight to a powerful energy that he trusted would do what as a child he was powerless to do.
      Each night thereafter, he had carefully sent this good night into the universe for Lena, and each night after that, he had known if he did not take this precaution, that if he forgot or neglected or was insincere in his wish or in his mind or in his heart, that the good night might not come to Lena, and that would mean that Lena might have a bad night, and for Vaclav this meant that her life might be in danger."
    • 4/5
      This book didn't catch me in the very beginning, but I'm so glad I kept with it! Once I read a bit further, I couldn't put it down. Beautiful and touching while at the same time heartbreaking, this book truly moved me. And in my humble opinion, that's quite an accomplishment in the world of today's fiction.
    • 4/5
      This was a reading group book and I wasn't thrilled by the cover or the blurb beforehand. But I actually quite enjoyed it. It has a fairy tale quality to it and like all good fairy tales, there is a darkness at the centre. Vaclav and Lena are clear as characters but apart from the mother, Raisa everyone else is merely a cipher. Raisa is a fabulous character, uncertain in a new world and yet ultimately always wanting to do what is best for her son and Lena.
    • 4/5
      Do you believe in soul mates? Not the kind glorified in romances but a deep down to the bone connection that goes beyond love to your very existence and without which you might as well forget how to breathe? Haley Tanner's touching and melancholy debut novel, Vaclav and Lena, captures this kind of intense and focused connection, one forged in childhood, enduring separation, and able to pick up again as if nothing (and everything) had changed. Both Vaclav and Lena are just children when the novel opens, living in the heart of the Russian community in Brighton Beach. They are the closest of friends, two Russian-American children who attend the same ESL class at school and who are as inseparable as only two otherwise lonely children can be. Vaclav dreams of being a famous magician and having Lena be his lovely assistant and the two of them meet in Vaclav's apartment to practice their act and to be cared for by Vaclav's indomitable, doting, and overprotective Russian immigrant mother, Rasia. But underneath this sweet childhood friendship, there are much darker tones. Vaclav is an only child and much treasured but Lena is an orphan, unwanted and uncared for by her aunt who is a strip club dancer and prostitute. Little Lena is neglected and ignored and has learned to lie and steal and keep secrets, even, or perhaps especially, from those who would care for and protect her. When Rasia witnesses something she cannot ignore, Lena disappears overnight from Vaclav's life, leaving him bereft and yearning for her. Always in his thoughts, he superstitiously still wishes her a good night every night, for the entire seven years she is gone from his life, from the age of ten to seventeen. The years of being apart change both Vaclav and Lena as they grow and mature separately. And the narrative follows them through this time of absence, fleshing out not only what goes on in their respective lives in the intervening years but also filling in Lena's babyhood and the early experiences that shaped her into the little girl who was for the child Vaclav as necessary as breathing. And then the narrative moves on again and focuses on the teenaged Vaclav and Lena, their rediscovery of each other, and the endurance of their connection as they come together once again. And it at this point that Vaclav, ever mindful of his love's fragility, spins some real and tender magic in Lena's new and much changed life. The novel is a triptych with its three distinct phases in the relationship of our eponymous characters. And impressively, the narrative voice changes in each of the three sections. In the first, much of the dialogue is written just as Russian immigrants to this country would construct sentences given Russian grammar. In the second, there is a coming of age, a maturing voice as both Vaclav and Lena assimilate into American culture in ways that Vaclav's parents have been unable to do fully. And in the third, they are both typical teenagers and yet so very different because of their awareness of who they are and how they fit together. Some of the portrayals of Russian immigrants and culture is cliched but the poignancy of immigrants trying to achieve the American dream through their children (in this case specifically through Vaclav) balances these moments out. And while this tale of soul mates and an abiding love might sound lighthearted, the novel tackles some incredibly dark and terrible topics: abuse, neglect, and abandonment among them. Vaclav and Lena are generally well drawn and while they are precocious beyond their years in the beginning, they end by coming across as much more age appropriate. The ending itself was unexpected but completely in character given how thoughtful and protective Vaclav was from the age of five onward. Tanner has crafted an ultimately engaging novel here.
    • 4/5
      A bit of a slow start, but loved it as a whole. Heartwarming and heartbreaking. An amazing glimpse into the world of Russian emigrates.
    • 5/5
      It took me a few pages to get used to the writing style, but once I did I could hardly put it down. The characters are incredibly endearing and the novel is full of lovely little moments of poignant awareness.
    • 3/5
      I'm not sure what I expected from Vaclav and Lena...a love story, I guess, one that made me smile in the end. It's not what I got. The tone is melancholy and the story that unfolded was hard to read. Not because it was badly written but because you want these two characters to persevere. The beginning starts off with a young Vaclav and Lena, and sets up their friendship and dreams. You get the feel of how close they are, yet can sense something is not right with Lena. As the story goes Lena becomes whole, we find out how much life she has already experienced, and not a good one, at a young age. The second half you meet up with teenage Vaclav and Lena, and you get the answers that aren't there in the first half.I enjoyed Vaclav and Lena, it was sad and the characters stay with you. It's a short read, one I recommend.
    • 4/5
      I liked the simple style of writing that provided many details and sounded as if it were the characters speaking in their newly learned english. i felt that much of the thoughts were too sophisticated for the ages of the children, but because i was interested in the content, i tried to not be distracted by that fact. this book provided a realistic look in to immigrant life, and the problems many must deal with. It covered 12 years in the lives of vaclav and lena whose families moved to brooklyn from the former soviet union.
    • 4/5
      This was a book that started with such tremendous promise for me. I fell in love with the characters, the story was compelling, the writing absolutely magical.And then - the second half of the book. Deeply, deeply disappointing. Something akin to a romance, with an easy and predictable ending.
    • 4/5
      This is a book with a powerful voice, a voice so strong that I kept reading even when the story failed to grab my attention in the first couple of chapters. And I am so glad I kept reading because this was a moving, heartbreaking, and tender story. Vaclav and Lena meet when they are about six years old. They both live in Brooklyn New York, they both are the children of Russian immigrants, and they both take mandatory ESL lessons at school. They forge a friendship that stands the test of time and separation.What I found most appealing about this book is the realistic depiction of the relationships, most specifically the relationship between Vaclav and Lena and Vaclav and his mother. These relationships aren't perfect, but something about their messiness makes them all the more true and meaningful. Worth reading.
    • 5/5
      I read this book despite the fact that it appeared to center around a magician and his magic. I love to read about historical magicians, but I find most modern-day magic shows abhorrent - a prejudice of mine.Yes, Vaclav and Lena is about a kid magician with a magic act, but it's also about his best friend, Lena, and their extended world of families and school and the larger Russian immigrant community in Brooklyn. I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of these things, but it's fiction so I don't really care about that.I loved this book. It's tender, magical, sweet. It's sad, brutal, and heartbreaking. It's characters are flawed and sometimes unlikeable, but when considered more deeply their flaws are easy to understand. I could put myself into every character's shoes and that's good writing.A beautiful, but tragic story about love that may never be, all the obstacles there are to forming and keeping human connections, the big hard world that can grind you down, and the people who lift you up in their lives and around their dinner tables, providing continuity when you can't find it on your own. Excellent read.
    • 4/5
      Set in Brooklyn in the late 1990s, Vaclav and Lena is the coming of age story of two young Russian immigrants. Vaclav and Lena spend most of their free hours after school together under the watchful eye of Rasia, Vaclav's mother who begins to think of Lena as a daughter. When Rasia walks Lena home each evening and sees the poor living conditions Lena is exposed to, her heart nearly breaks. Eventually, she cannot bear to see Lena raised this way and turns Lena's aunt into DHS. The resulting separation is difficult for both Vaclav and Rasia to handle, but they manage to go on with their lives, until one evening seven years later when Lena calls Vaclav. The phone call turns Vaclav's whole world upside down and results in a joyful reunion that is fraught with complications. While the plot is maybe somewhat predictable, a twist occurs now and again, that keeps the reader involved. I loved how Tanner recreated the broken and often erroneous language of individuals learning English and developed the everyday conflicts involved in "living" another culture. She also did a wonderful job of portraying the conflicting emotions of Rasia in a truly "motherly" voice that any parent could recognize. This definitely wasn't a deep book, but one in which the reader could escape into the story while contemplating basic elements of human thought and emotion. The author's style is simple yet effective. An interesting debut novel from author Haley Tanner.
    • 4/5
      A deceptively complex book that is an easy read. The complexity is of the characters and their story, not how it's told. The narrative is what keeps you reading as much as the drive to understand what is happening and why. A literary novel that is an easy recommendation to those who enjoy books that will touch the heart and soul on many levels.Haley Tanner's first novel is a credit to her storytelling ability and I hope to see more of her work in the future.
    • 5/5
      Vaclav and Lena are two childhood friends. Both are immigrants from Russia but both have very different lives. I didn't want this book to end but I couldn't wait to discover what happened to them both.
    • 4/5
      This is a heart-tugging tale about the complex, and enduring relationship between two Russian immigrants who meet when they are 5 years old. Vaclav, an aspiring magician, lives with his parents, and Lena, a tiny, skinny girl who is his "assistant," lives with "The Aunt," who neglects her terribly. Lena spends most of her time at Vaclav's house and over the years their friendship grows into a deep attachment. Then something happens that tears them apart.This story is beautifully written, and the characters well-developed so that the reader can feel the longing between them when they are separated. It's a difficult book to put down, and easy to become invested in the story.The letdown for me was in the lack of "payoff" of the story. After a great deal of slow, deliciously painful buildup, things seem to wrap up rather abruptly. Without giving away details, the ending felt too sudden-- as if it weren't supposed to happen yet, and I found myself turning the pages to look for more story only to be disappointed.Overall, this was a moving read with endearing characters and beautiful writing, but the transition from slow build-up to sudden wrap-up seemed to cut its potential a bit short. Still, I certainly look forward to more from this clearly talented author.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. I really liked the characters and the writing. That being said, the characters never quite got to where I wanted them. I wanted to know them a little more and for the story to get a little further. I thought the book was a great idea and I enjoyed the way the author chose to give the characters their voice.
    • 5/5
      "Vaclav & Lena" by Haley Tanner is a beautiful and poignant novel about love that takes root between two immigrant children in the immigrant community of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn - a love that continues to grow over time. Being immigrants, Vaclav and Lena are the odd outcasts trying to find their voices and their place in the world. While Vaclav aspires to be a world famous magician, Lena is his assistant and his muse. While Vaclav resides in a household where he is loved and pampered by his parents, Lena is an orphan who lives with an aunt who mostly ignores and neglects her. While Vaclav knows some English and strives hard to master the language, Lena struggles with it, and stumbles her way through it. Vaclav's doting mother Rasia is still extremely protective of him and tries to instruct him the ways of Russian tradition, all the while trying really hard to be the best "American" mother for her now American son. Even at the tender age of nine there is a special bond between Vaclav & Lena - clearly evident in the way they do everything together, and how even at such a young age plan a life together in the future. Amidst the aroma of borscht, the goal-oriented lists of things that need to be done, and the English spoken in Russian accents, Vaclav & Lena (too young to give it a word or any designation) fall in love. But then one day, when Lena doesn't come to school due to sickness and Rasia, who loves Lena like her own daughter, goes to check on her - when Rasia returns, she tells Vaclav that Lena has been sent to live with a family where she will be happy. Shrouded under secrecy and a thick veil of mystery, Vaclav is never really given a clear-cut answer as to why this drastic measure had to be taken. But he appeases himself by wishing his beloved Lena goodnight every night, and sending all his love out to her through the universe, wherever she may be. Seven years later, Vaclav still wants to be a magician, has a girlfriend and still loves Lena. And we finally see that Lena is also in Brooklyn, and is living with her adoptive mother Emily, who she lovingly called "Em" (short for Emily, and a nickname for Mom, beginning with the letter M/Em). She has grown up but is still struggling with her identity, and her murky past. Fate brings them back into each others life, and before they know it, they are back to sharing secrets, making lists and reveling in each others company. But will they be able to continue being in each others life? Can they escape their past, or come to terms with it, especially when neither is comfortable even bringing it up? Can Vaclav weave some magic to rid his love Lena from the harrowing reality of her history?Haley Tanner's prose is magical, and inspires the reader to not just read but feel the love that exists between Vaclav & Lena. The characterization in this novel is ruthlessly spot-on, and her usage of language (the way the characters speak) as a way to describe them adds to this. This novel has an emotional depth that exceeds the expectations, and I was so deeply affected by the characters and their story that before I could think, I found myself saying a prayer for Vaclav & Lena. This is as much a story about assimilation, trying hard to fit into a place when another part of you has been left in some other country, as it is about love. It is also as much a story about a mother's struggle to protect her son, as it is a story about love. It is as much a story about true friendship, and great respect as it is a story about love. I was fully absorbed in the story, and finished it in a day's time because I could not wait to see what would happen with Vaclav and Lena. Ultimately, Vaclav and Lena have become as synonymous to me as Romeo & Juliet...always remembered together, never apart. I absolutely loved this touching and beautiful story - and I am sure you will love it too.
    • 5/5
      Haley Tanner weaves an endearing story of young, true friendship and love. Two Russian immigrants, Vaclav and Lena, meet at five years old at an arranged playdate. Lena's Aunt Ekaterina literally leaves Lena at Vaclav's doorstep. Vaclav's mother, Rasia, is happy that her son has a new friend and comes to care for Lena as if she were her own.Vaclav's life dream is to become a famous magician and Lena will be his trusted assistant. They do everything together for almost five years. He helps her with her homework, even doing it for her so that they can finish in time to practice the magic act.But Lena is reserved and shy. Her English suffers from no one teaching her and she struggles to make friends. Vaclav may be her only true friend. Rasia walks Lena home every night and is aghast at the squalor of the aunt's apartment. She knows that it is not a home for this girl, but is unsure what to do about it. One day, Lena doesn't go to school and doesn't come to Vaclav's for their arranged meeting to go perform their magic act at Coney Island. Rasia gets worried and goes to Lena's house. She does not return until very late. Vaclav and his father have no idea where she is. Lena's disappearance from Vaclav's life is a question that he does not raise to his mother. But he never lets go. Every night before bed, he says goodnight to Lena aloud. Until her seventeenth birthday. That night, he decides to let her go.The characters are well rounded, even the lesser ones like the father, Oleg and the aunt. Points of view alternate between characters, Lena, Vaclav, Rasia, Emily (Lena's adoptive mother). The two children are each other's best everything. Or as the author describes it, Vaclav is Lena's "somewhere.")44) The bond they developed as children lasts through the years they live separate lives. The ending is an example of true love and respect.
    • 5/5
      Reading book made problems with language.As I started reading Vaclav and Lena, I found my inner reader started to sound like Natasha Badinoff from Rocky and Bullwinkle. The third person narration underscored the Russian accents of the main characters and really drew me in. Just when it began to get a little tedious, the relationships changed and grabbed my attention again. The timeline provided another twist that really moved the story along (at least it moved my reading pace al...moreReading book made problems with language.As I started reading Vaclav and Lena, I found my inner reader started to sound like Natasha Badinoff from Rocky and Bullwinkle. The third person narration underscored the Russian accents of the main characters and really drew me in. Just when it began to get a little tedious, the relationships changed and grabbed my attention again. The timeline provided another twist that really moved the story along (at least it moved my reading pace along, I was desperate for more).The two young, charming characters with their own idiosyncrasies and traumas find comfort in each others friendship. The way they grow apart, grow up and find each other again is full of the same emotion we have all experienced but the story is unique and engrossing.A thoroughly enjoyable read!
    • 4/5
      I know I have read a great book when I lean back in my chair with a satisfied sigh after turning the last page. Vaclav and Lena is one of those books. Haley Tanner created beautiful visions for me of this Russian community in NYC and I could hear the accented English in all of the characters' voices. I especially loved Rasia and her expressions. In her voice, I heard the love and concern of all mothers. Vaclav is an endearing boy, full of magic, hope, excitement and simple joy. Lena is his contrast - small, silent and secretive. Lean survives in her young and difficult life by minimizing her presence in the world and that is so heartbreaking. This love story encompasses all of the characters, not only Vaclav and Lena but also those who surround them. Put this book on your summer reading list. You will not be disappointed.
    • 5/5
      The Good Stuff * Unique and charming story from a new, but extremely gifted novelist - trust me this will be on some award winning lists this year * Breathtakingly real characters, these are so richly developed and so very real * Powerfully emotional, teared up a few times, so sad and so hopeful at the same time * Complex and conflicted real life emotional portrayal of children of immigrant parents * The relationship between Vaclav and his mother is beautiful and so honest. I really enjoyed the parts of the story that come from her point of view, it gives the story even more depth and understanding * Traumatic scene written very sensitively * Vaclav is just a beautiful character but also very real and enabling * Dryly funny at times * Love the imagination of the young Lena and Vaclav * Wise observations of love, friendship and family - warts and allThe Not so Good Stuff * A little slow at times and it was a tough one for me to get into a first, but glad I persevered * Have a sudden urge for Borscht and I don't like Borscht Favorite Quotes/Passages"IT is not safe, for Vaclav, out in the world, with his eyes open to everything and his heart beating right on his sleeve, with his dreams in his hands, ready to show and tell.""Rasia thought that this Houdini person probably drove his mother to an early grave, worrying her with all his death-defying feats and doing Chinese water torture, and was not someone Vaclav should be so interested in. But Vaclav wanted to hear a story about a little boy who came to America and became a big, brave, magical man, and this she understood.""Watching him, you would think that he changed his clothes, maybe into a tuxedo with tails, but you would look and be surprised that he is still wearing the same jeans and T-shirt."What I Learned * Some interesting facts about magic, magicians and Coney IslandWho should/shouldn't read * This is not for those who need a quick paced storyline * For those who like something just a little different and real4.5 Dewey'sI received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review -- Thanks Jess you were right on!
    • 4/5
      This was a sweet, touching book about two children and a mother who loved her child. Vaclav is a nine-year old boy. Lena a nine-year old girl. Both children, we assume are lonely because of being Russian, being different. Vaclav wants to be a magician - knows he will be a magician. Lena believes that Vaclav is magic. Raisa, Vaclav's mother worries as many mothers do whether her child is lonely, or too naive, or too focused on the magic. Throughout the story you feel Raisa's influence - her love of Vaclav and her need to protect him play a pivotal part of the plot. We don't realize until the end how much what she does makes a difference in both Vaclav and Lena's lives.After Lena disappears that fateful day when they were 9 Vaclav doesn't see her for 8 years. When they meet again at 17 they are drawn to each other as they were when they were 9 - but with emotions of teenagers. Vaclav still knows he is going to be a great magician but can Lena still believe in the magic is the question.This is a story of true love and happy endings and magic and the love of a mother and how that love can make a difference in a person's life. This is a book I would recommend for anyone who needs some uplifting in their lives.
    • 2/5
      This was my first early review book. It is appropriate for young readers. There are 2 children from Russia - Vaclav in a loving family with a protective mother and Lena living with an aunt who has no love for her. They are Vaclav & Lena the magic act. They are separated around the age of 8. Lena adopted into another mother's home. Reunited at the end of high school they become magic again. Vaclav makes the magic happen. And they live happily ever after. This novel was a short easy read - good entertainment - not well researched or developed. Great hight school or junior high reading.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an ARC through Shelf Awareness. I immediately wanted to read it, because it sounded like such a sweet story, but it goes a lot deeper than just a romance between two people. Vaclav and Lena were first forced together when they were young, neither one really having any friends. Their imperfect English held them back from fully connecting with the American kids they went to school with. However, when they were together, they knew that the other would accept them unconditionally. It was easy to how much Vaclav adored Lena and that he would do anything for her. It was obvious that Lena cared for Vaclav as well, but her shocking and appalling home life made her extremely introverted; it was as if she had a wall up, even around her best friend, Vaclav. I could sense that there was something darker going on in Lena's home life that wasn't coming to light at the beginning, something more awful than just being left to fend for herself all of the time. My heart broke when Lena disappeared from Vaclav's life. She was his world, his sun and she was simply ripped away from him. No goodbyes, no finality. Just left to wonder if he would ever see her again. The first part of the book went between telling the story from Vaclav and Lena's perspectives. I liked that, as it was nice to get a glimpse into what both of them were going through (although like I said, Lena remained somewhat of a mystery). The middle of the book takes place 7 years later and it is split up into two parts: Lena's story and Vaclav's story. This gives a lot more insight into Lena's life, especially in the time when she was very young, before she even met Vaclav. I think the sweetest thing is that even after all of that time, Vaclav still said goodnight to Lena, every single night. He was afraid that if he stopped doing so something bad would happen to her. Even after all of the time they spent apart, she was still the last thing he thought about before he went to bed.Each section of the book is split up into little chapters. I liked the cute, descriptive chapter names (you'll see what I mean when you read it!) and I loved how short the chapters were. They were each like little stories all in their own. The last part of the book reveals a lot of answers I had been waiting for the whole time and that is why I'm not going to go into too much more detail about the book. I do want to share one of my favorite quotes from the book (however, keep in mind that I read the ARC, so things might be different in the finished copy):"Vaclav had already known that she was sitting there before he even saw her. He had felt her looking at him, He had known it was her, had to be her, because he felt, suddenly, the compulsion to turn and look at that bench, to look in her direction, like there were magnets in his eyes and she was a supermagnetized hunk of some other planet, just fallen to earth."This was a wonderful book, showing how love can withstand space and time. It also shows how childhood can shape a person, for better or worse. I definitely recommend giving this book a chance; it's a fairly quick read, especially since I couldn't put it down, and it was impossible not to feel for the characters and fall in love with them. My rating: 4/5 stars
    • 5/5
      Haley Tanner provides a story which draws the reader into the world of the Russian immigrant community in Brooklyn. Against this backdrop, Lena and Vaclav discover friendship and caring for each other as children then face separation. Neither forgets the other during their journey to young adulthood when they again come togerther. This poignant story of the protagonists' caring for each other as well as a mother's love and concern for her son and his friend carries the reader through this seamless narrative in which the characters remain true to themselves as well as to each other. This is a story that once read will remain with the reader as a tale of choices, hope, redemption, and basic concern for the happiness of those who are loved.
    • 5/5
      Vaclav and Lena is the tender love story of two Russian children in Brooklyn. He aspires to become a world famous magician and she wants to be his lovely assistant. They are devoted to each other and together they are one. On the day that Lena disappeared Vaclav's world is shattered. Only the constant perfecting of his art helped him to endure that loss. Lena was destined for a better life, but she always kept the perfect memory of Vaclav deep in her heart. His loving thoughts went out to her every night. Years later a fragile Lena needed to reconnect with Vaclav. Their meeting was poignant, and as Vaclav discovers the truth of Lena's childhood and why she disappeared, he consoled her the only way he knew how. Through the art of illusion and belief of magic and love, he gave to her a happy ending. This is a charming debut novel, and I look forward to future works by Haley Tanner.
    • 5/5
      This story completely sucked me in right from the beginning.A sweet and moving tale of two young children split apart by events out of their control and later reunited. As life long Brooklynite i actually grew up not far from where this story takes place and am a graduate of the high school Vaclav attends. Though a decade older than these characters i went to school with many children who, like Vaclav and Lena, were brought to this country specifically, Brooklyn, with hope of a better future. I look forward to reading more fro this author in the future.
    • 4/5
      I love books that really come to life for me. Reading this book was like watching a movie in my head. The characters are distinctive and the story subtle and beautiful.
    • 5/5
      This is a highly imaginative tale, without giving too much away is very surprising and wonderful. The prose and style are unique and poetic and the characters are brilliant. The disappearance of Lena is imperative to the story and finding out the mystery of that aspect of the story is what made it so wonderful for me to read, but the love aspect and family drama aspect were also very well written. I recommend this book, and will look for future reads from this author.