Un libro da leggere per conoscere un periodo della nostra storia poco noto e spesso censurato . La storia e’ atroce (io ho sofferto leggendolo) e nonostante cio’ , l'autrice riesce a raccontarla con una prosa scorrevole che a tratti diventa quasi fiabesca. Da leggere ( )

Skylark Farm is an autobiographical novel about the author's family during the Armenian genocide. The book begins with a bucolic description of the old country: Armenian Turkey in the years preceeding World War I. But intruding on this idyllic scene are the first rumors and hints of impending disaster. In addition the author intersperses flash forwards of the tragic ends of many of her family members.

Disaster finally strikes, and when it does, it is sudden, brutal, and total. The descriptions are difficult to read, being graphic and violent. Hope, however, is present in the form of a gypsy "wailer" (a woman hired to mourn at funerals), a beggar, and a Greek priest. These three friends of the family risk their lives to help, and some of the family members are saved.

Although I hesitate to offer criticism of such a personal novel, it would have been very helpful to me as a reader if there had been a family tree at the beginning of the book. I spent a considerable amount of time flipping back and forth trying to determine the relationships between characters, and between the characters and the family members of the author, some of whom appear in the book. In addition, I found the flashforwards of the fates of the characters somewhat distracting from the plot. But these are minor points.

A tale of genocide, betrayal, redemption, family solidarity, and survival, Skylark Farm is an important addition to the literature of the Armenian massacre. It is not easy reading but it adds to our understanding, not only of this tragedy, but of all acts of genocide. "At bottom--and he's also ashamed of this, as it if were a military inefficiency--the colonel knows the advantages of tolerance, understands that the darkest day for a country is the one when, in order to feel united, it feels the need to eliminate a defenseless segment of its population." The darkest day indeed. ( )