Three Apples Fell from the Sky is a book written in 2015 by Armenian-Russian writer Narine Abgaryan, which cleverly uses the magical realism style. When I saw that the main character’s name was Anatolia, I wanted to buy the book without thinking and read it, and I’m glad I did. Set in a remote mountain village in Armenia, Three Apples Fell from the Sky is one of the most memorable novels with its fascinating characters.
Three Apples Fell from the Sky takes place in a fictional village called Maran. Fifty-eight-year-old Anatolia thinks she has a terminal illness and will die very soon. She cleans her house, feeds the animals, takes the clothes she will wear in her grave out of her closet, and falls asleep to death. However, she does not die, and she does not understand what her illness is. This is how Three Apples Fell from the Sky begins. From the very beginning, it is clear how interesting the book will be and that the characters in the village of Maran are a joy to read.
Three Apples Fell from the Sky reveals what it’s like to live in a small village far from civilization. Inevitably, there are villagers in very close relations with each other, endless rumours and things to do, shared meals, people lost and gained in Three Apples Fell from the Sky. And in the middle of all this, we read that the two most headstrong characters of the village come together, and the events that take place afterwards come into the focus of the whole village.
Three Apples Fell from the Sky tells the story of Maran Village, which has been affected by war, epidemic and famine for many years and could only preserve its name with a few elderly residents because of the loss of its young people in various ways. And of course, the book conveys the stories of all the characters, each more colourful than the other, to the reader using magical realism beautifully. If you want to read a novel that almost feels like a legendary folk tale, you’ll love this one. Enjoy!
Three Apples Fell from the Sky
Three Apples Fell from the Sky: An unforgettable story of friendship and feuds in a remote Armenian mountain village
In an isolated village high in the Armenian mountains, a close-knit community bickers, gossips and laughs. Their only connection to the outside world is an ancient telegraph wire and a perilous mountain road that even goats struggle to navigate.
As they go about their daily lives – harvesting crops, making baklava, tidying houses – the villagers sustain one another through good times and bad. But sometimes all it takes is a spark of romance to turn life on its head, and a plot to bring two of Maran’s most stubbornly single residents together soon gives the village something new to gossip about…
Three Apples Fell from the Sky is an enchanting fable that brilliantly captures the idiosyncrasy of a small community. Sparkling with sumptuous imagery and warm humour, this is a vibrant tale of resilience, bravery and the miracle of everyday friendship.
Narine Abgaryan
Narine Abgaryan born in Berd, Tavoush Province, Armenia) on January 14, 1971, is a Russian writer of Armenian origin, a blogger. In 2011 N. Abgaryan was a nominee of “Big Book (award)” and Laureate of “Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award”, Russia, in 2016. She is the author of bestsellers «Manyunya», «People Who Are Always With Me», «Three Apples Fell from the Sky», «Simon» and others. In 2020 The Guardian named her among the brightest authors of Europe.
Narine Abgaryan was born in the town of Berd, Tavoush Province, Armenia, to a family of a doctor and a teacher. She is the oldest among the five children: her brother Hayk, sisters Karine, Gayane and Sona. Her paternal grandfather was an Armenian refugee from Western Armenia, and her grandmother was an Armenian, a native of Eastern Armenia. Her maternal grandfather was also an Armenian, a native of Karabakh, and the grandmother was Russian, a native of the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. She has a son Emil Mednikov born on Nov.26, 1995.
In 1988 Narine Abgaryan finished High School #2 in her home town of Berd, Armenia. She also attended the music school there where specialized in the piano. Then in 1993 she graduated from Yerevan Brusov University of Languages. She majored in Russian language and literature teaching. and moved to Moscow. There she worked as an accountant and a seller.
Her journey to fame and acknowledgement started when she became a blogger in Life Journal. The stories about a little girl called Manuynya fascinated writer Lara Gall, and she introduced the author to the editor of Astrel-SPb Publishing house. The autobiographical novel «Manyunya» received «The Manuscript of the Year» Russian national literary award. Later the author went on writing the trilogy about the girl called Manyunya. In 2012 “Simeon Andreich. Manuscript in Scrawls” was published, illustrated by Victoria Kirdiy.
In 2014 «Chocolate Granddad» was published, being co-authored with Valentin Postnikov. It is the only book that the writer herself calls a children’s book. In August 2015 Narine Abgaryan was called one of two laureates of the Alexander Grin Literature Award “for her outstanding contribution to the national literature development”. In March 2020 her novel «Three Apples Fell from the Sky» was translated into English and published by Oneworld Publications.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
