Albania in 1990 and is in turmoil as freedom seems to have arrived. But thousands try to flee as there is no work and horrid pyramid schemes ruin people’s lives.
A personal view of life for Lea and her family a novel that gives an insight into life in Albania during the 90s.

"Free" is a memoir, novel, treatise not to be missed. Thoroughly enjoyable, this reads as an atmospheric, well-observed, wry memoir of the author's childhood in Albania, a country where the Communist paradigm had an extreme implementation and whose collapse, when the first-person narrator is in her early teens, questioned her whole past and informed her future life in ways which no-one can find uninteresting. But this text is far more than just a personal memoir. What makes it truly intriguing is how the author, a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics uses her story and that of her family and the world around her to explore political concepts and positions in a "practical" manner... the situations are in turn surrealist, funny, poignant, sad, hopeful and hopeless... I was totally hooked. Precisely because of its exemplary aims and the clever discussion of issues, I want to read it again. "She [her grandmother] liked to repeat the bit of Robespierre's speech that said that the secret of freedom is in educating people, while the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant."

Deeply thought-provoking, I have enjoyed the humour, the dissecting of issues, the look at family relationships and power games tremendously. An intelligent exploration of contemporary politics and ideas not in dry theoretical terms but in everyday life and lives.

With many thanks to the publishers via NetGalley for allowing me to read this excellent memoir and political treatise to boot.

"It wouldn't be exploitation without consent. It would be violence"

The story follows a young Lea, learning about daily Albanian life, when the Berlin wall falls, regime change comes and life changes quickly. 1990 was a year like no other for Albania and the migration, rise of pyramid schemes, civil unrest and structural reforms are presented from a very personal perspective.

I anticipated an Albanian memoir from which I could learn more about an area of the world and a history that I know little of, yet what I found what something, much, much more. Lea is an incredible writer who engages the reader and takes you on a journey with her. I found myself equally infuriated, as she recalled stories of her family talking in code and her frustrations in not understanding the meaning until later on - an experience recreated in the novel as the reader must reach halfway through the book to also 'crack the code'. But it was worth it, as I was covered in goosebumps and eagerly devoured every breakthrough and realisation. Perhaps what makes the book so good is the totally unexpected twists that surely aren't real - but are.

I've never been excessively enthusiastic about philosophy or ideologies, yet the passion and manner Lea discussed them with has left me with a desire to learn more. The way in which she engaged with the ideologies, analysed them and directly applied them whilst seeking more answers was exhilarating and highlighted the importance of true self awareness of our surroundings - not just believing we are 'free' because we are told so.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, absolutely 5/5.

To my shame I knew very little about recent Albanian history, and especially about the transition from an isolated socialist/communist country to the (mostly) democratic nation that it is now.

Ypi's view point is fascinating to read about - as a child she was protected by the worst of the repressive regime but then as a teenager saw the worst side of reforms, including the misguided labelling of Albania's internal affairs during the 1997 civil war.

The writing is wry and Ypi balances her childhood memories with her adult views well and this book really does deserve it's p[ace on the Baillie Gifford longlist - I hope it makes the shortlist and that it reaches a wide audience.

*3.5 stars *

It’s always fascinating to read of other cultures, and Lea Ypi’s memoir of growing up in Albania is no exception. Albania was the last Stalinist state in Europe, and as such, very little was known about it. That all changed with the creation of independent political parties, bringing about the fall of communism, just a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
If some Albanians thought they were already free, they were about to discover what real freedom meant. It would be a time of many firsts, as the Ypi family traveled to Greece, the birthplace of Lea’s grandmother, and a time when Lea’s parents finally dared to admit that their country had been an open-air prison for almost half a century. They wouldn’t have dared express such an opinion previously!

Sometimes sad, sometimes amusing, Lea Ypi’s memoir brings both communist and post communist Albania vividly to life. It’s a country I knew very little about, so it was both interesting and informative, and well worth the read.

This book is brilliant. Lea Ypi's personal story really opens your eyes to life in Albania. At the beginning, when the author is a young girl, the tone is light-hearted, and she seems to be making fun of the situation. As the book progresses, it gets deeper and darker, and you are hit by the horror of the situation in Albania. Lea Ypi makes some very strong arguments about the West's relationship with poorer countries, especially those in Eastern Europe, including the ownership of the discourse around political ideologies. Highly recommended.

A few years ago, I took a holiday in Dubrovnik. Local tour companies were offering day trips to Albania: a long day trip, passing through Montenegro and into one of the least well-known countries in Europe. I resisted. Honestly, I didn't need to put myself through such a long journey just for the kudos of being able to say I'd been there. Albania still holds that sense of difference. Whether it's the remnants of the most authentically Stalinist regime in the world (a regime that looked down upon other communist regimes for being a bit soft) or the fascination with the underworld crime that's been so well publicised by films in which various members of Liam Neeson's family are abducted, you can't deny that Albanis is not like other places.

Lea Ypi knows more than most about that difference. And she writes well - if a little dully in places - about her childhood and coming of age at one of the most interesting times in Albania's history. About half the book precedes the end of the Stalinist regime, the rest covers life after, life through the Albanian Civil War, and eventually her decision to leave the country.

What I like about this book is that it feels very genuine. As children, we are inclined to be what we're told to be; to support the regime, to sing the patriotic songs loudest and long for a bigger picture of our dear leader on the mantelpiece. It takes almost half of the book for us to learn that all is not as it seems in the Ypi house. Her mysterious French-speaking grandmother, the coincidence of the family surname and a long-gone leader by the same name. All starts to fall into place.

Lea learns that freedom is sometimes over-rated and that the end of one regime doesn't always mean paradise from the next. She tells us about the infighting, the politics, the Kalashnikov celebrations, the downfall of the finance 'firms' through a massive pyramid investment scandal, and the wholesale flight of Albanians looking to find safety and fortune in Italy or further west.

Many reviewers comment that this is a funny book. I didn't find that to be the case. Mildly amusing at times, but funny is not the adjective I'd choose. Authentic might be. Unapologetic (not that she has anything to apologise for) might be another. She's just a kid with an unusual family living in historically challenging times.

It's a good account of a period that I have to admit to knowing little about. I think Albania's challenges may have got lost to the general public amongst the horrors of the extended Balkan conflicts. I recall trying to keep on top of it all when the Balkans first started to fall apart, believing that surely there was a good side and a bad side, good countries and bad ones, good ethnic groups and evil ones. What soon became apparent was that there were many many shades of grey in that part of the world. Albania and the plight of ethnic Albanians in other Balkan countries all got way too complicated for many of us to understand. Perhaps though, the account of one person, one ordinary person and her lived experience can be more powerful than a blow by blow account of everything that was happening in the late 1990s.

This isn't horrific. I have read a lot of books from that part of the world at that period and some of them leave me unable to sleep at night. This isn't one of those. You won't read of terrifying or blood-curdling events. it's matter-of-fact, from the eyes of a young person, and I felt an unfiltered honesty in the words. It's about the snob value of an empty Coca Cola tin, about hospitality to strangers and fear of tourists, and about fitting in with some ways and sticking out like a sore thumb in others.

Well worth a read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

‘We lived in the same place but in different worlds. These worlds overlapped only briefly and, when they did, we saw things through different eyes.’

A fascinating account of life in Enver Hoxha’s Albania, and beyond, seen through the eyes of a child and then young woman, contrasting it with that of her parents and grandmother. A closed country, a one-party state, guardedness and family tensions, queuing and shortages, community and coded language all make for the most engaging read.

We are encouraged to give pause and reflect on what ‘freedom’ is. Brought to mind a conversation I had with a hiking guide in Bulgaria several summers ago. Walking past a small, abandoned factory in an-end-of-the-valley mountain village, seeing rusted, decrepit trucks alongside tracks or in fields I naively asked ‘Were things better before?’ to which I received an emphatic ‘Yes!’

The writing flows effortlessly opening up a window on a unique place and time.

Highly recommend.

A vivid and thought-provoking memoir of growing up during the collapse of Albanian socialism.

Ypi captures these pivotal moments in history through a child's eyes, and as a reader you really get a sense of not just how society struggled to rebuild itself, but how each individual fought to rebuild and relearn their values and sense of self. By telling this story from a child's point of view, with all her confusion and curiosity, Ypi manages to strike balance in her portrayal of political upheaval. This is not a straightfoward journey towards freedom: it is also an exploration of what freedom actually means.

Smart, interesting and with a strong sense of humanity at it's heart, Free is a powerful memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lea Ypi and Allen Lane for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. ‘Free’ was fantastic, unlike anything I have ever read. Lea Ypi is fantastic at recounting her youth in Albania, and made me aware of a whole period of history I didn’t really (ashamedly) know much of - I am now throughly intrigued. Ypi’s writing style is realistic and serious, expressing the trouble in Albania at the time, and yet she does so with a humorous edge, truly attesting to the youthful spirit at the heart of this book. A genuinely interesting read and one I will be recommending for a long time to come!

Free by Lea Ypi

Lea tells her biography ( readers will get it ! ) in such a way that you can actually feel her emotions of the time told. At times funny , heartbreak , funny , and also perilous and frightening .
I feel for all people that have had to make a decision to change their lives in such a way Like this . Her writing will stay with me.
A great book.

Thank you to Lea Ypi, Allen Lane publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All written reviews are my own unbiased opinion.

This book was really interesting to read. I love memoirs from the perspective of someone from another country than my own, because then I truly get a feel for what living there is like. Ypi put herself aside to relive some of her painful past in order to tell her readers what life was really like. She was able to paint beautiful pictures of her childhood and family, without coming off the wrong way. Her writing style flowed nicely through the chapters, and I especially liked reading her diary entries at the end of the memoir. Overall this was a fantastic read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I will be posting my review on NetGalley and GoodReads now, and will post on my Instagram, blog, and Amazon on publication day.

At turns hilarious, heart wrenching and terrifying, Lea Ypi has turned out an incredible record of a childhood & adolescence steeped in uncertainty.

I found this book fascinating, partly because I knew nothing about Albania and it encouraged me to do some research and partly due to the wry tone Ypi manages to recount some painful sounding events in.

A brilliant read.