My thanks to the publisher for the free review copy!

Earlier this month I made a little visit to Montenegro, with Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursać and Paula Gordon. This is another fascinating title from Istros Books, who focus on publishing works from South Eastern Europe and the Balkans! I'm always fascinated by an insight into a new country's history, and Montenegro was no exception.

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Catherine the Great and the Small takes place from the eighties to the present day. I liked the way it was split in two, with part one set in Montenegro when the capital was still known as Titograd, part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and part two moving forwards in time when Titograd became Podgorica. It was a totally new culture and history to me, and thankfully I had flicked to the end at the start of reading and found some very interesting background information as well as an extremely handy pronunciation guide! That may have been better off at the front, as I definitely found my reading experience improved from reading it beforehand.

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The story follows Katarina, from a young girl to a grown woman. I thought the two sections were quite distinct, and I very much preferred part one, Catherine the Small. I loved reading about Katarina's childhood, coming of age in a socialist country, her intense friendship with Mici. The second part sees Katarina move to London with her husband and children. Usually I love domestic narratives, and I can't quite put my finger on what happened to lessen my enjoyment here. Maybe Katarina's ongoing passion for her ex-boyfriend was a bit too soapy and melodramatic. Either way, it's not bad by any means, and the strong first half and the female relationships within the novel more than makes up for it.

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This book is another good example of an author doing a fine balancing act between a personal story and a political history. Although we're focused on Katarina's trajectory, the shifting politics of her country are always playing out in the background. I'd say the personal definitely outweighs the political, but it was a fascinating little glimpse into life in Montenegro which I would like to learn more about!