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Goodbye, Kiev - Thomas Almond
Goodbye, Kiev
Thomas Almond
ISBN: 9781606109946
PublishAmerica
Reviewed By Linda Waterson
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
At some point or another, we all pine for that special someone who will one day come into our lives and ease the lingering pain of being alone…our only fear: that when they finally come along, they’re too good to be true…
Such is the case with Tom, a veteran firefighter looking to mend the broken pieces of his heart after an unpleasant divorce. Of all places, he selects the countries of the former Soviet Union to seek his ideal mate – and, as unlikely as it may seem, he soon finds the new love of his life, Lyubov, through a Russian matchmaking agency. Everything about Lyubov convinces Tom that she’s the woman of his dreams, and, after traveling to her native Kiev to meet her in person, the two of them soon fall head over heels in love with one another and begin a whirlwind romantic affair that culminates in her joyfully accepting his heartfelt marriage proposal.
Just as quickly as they brought Tom and Lyubov together, though, circumstances soon begin to drive them apart. For reasons unknown to Tom, Lyubov suddenly starts to put distance in-between them, and she eventually cuts off contact with him completely. Not one to give up on true love so easily, Tom relentlessly pursues Lyubov, determined to discover precisely why she longs to withdraw from him – and what he ultimately learns about her shakes not only the foundation of their burgeoning relationship, but his own personal belief system as well. In the wake of the devastating, life-altering news, Tom is forced to decide if his love for Lyubov is truly strong enough to endure even the most daunting of challenges.
Goodbye, Kiev is a touching memoir penned straight from the heart of someone entirely familiar with the thrilling highs and abysmal lows of love. Thomas Almond’s semi-autobiographical account of the simultaneously rewarding and arduous trials of relationship-building will resonate with readers of all ages even remotely familiar with such universal matters of the heart. We are taught from a young age that we must fight for the things that we truly desire, but few among us are able to sustain the requisite resolve to endure the various challenges that threaten to impede us along the way. Through the example of Tom’s life, Almond provides the reader with a sterling example of the benefits of such tenacity, and he also skillfully displays that – even if the result that we receive is different than what we desired – we are still ultimately richer for having embraced the experience.
Moving, heart-rending, and spiritually fulfilling, Goodbye, Kiev is a recommended, quite satisfying read.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Thomas Almond (Goodbye, Kiev)
Apex Reviews: Thomas, thanks so much for joining us for this interview. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
What is it that leads Tom to search for love specifically in the countries of the former Soviet Union?
Thomas Arnold: A number of things from Tom’s life bring him to search for love in the former Soviet Union. First is that, from the time of his youth, he has had a keen interest in International ice hockey. A hockey player himself, he grew up in an era of the Cold War and an era of domination of the great Soviet Union hockey teams. As a youth, he has a great interest in learning more about this vast country that produced these hockey players and teams. But in this time there was very little information available about the Soviet Union, and his curiosity remained unfulfilled through the years. Years later, he finds himself working at a fire station in a neighborhood with many Russian-speaking immigrants. He decides to take the personal challenge to learn the Russian language to not only help with his work but also to begin to satisfy his childhood curiosity about the now former Soviet Union. It is during his learning the language and about the former Soviet Union that he will encounter a life-changing event.
While reading about Russia on the Internet, he encounters a link to a Marriage Agency in Russia. He finds something that resonates with him after looking at several such websites. Yes, the photos of these women are beautiful, but something even deeper occurs to him. Tom is divorced and has not really given getting remarried again much thought. But as he reads their profiles, they speak to him of something different, of something from a time past in America, of something he always felt was right for him and yet, until now, thought lost. He spent some length of time educating himself about the world of International dating and of the women of the former Soviet Union. Finally came the question: with all he knows, does he in his heart believe this is for him? Does he believe this is where he will find that lasting love and happiness?
AR: How is it that Tom and Lyubov are able to connect so quickly and naturally with each other?
TA: First of all, Tom and Lyubov communicated for a long time before they actually met. It is rather unusual for a man and woman to communicate for so long before meeting. Tom wanted to be sure before taking the step of traveling to Ukraine that he had found the right girl. At least be as sure as it is possible without actually meeting in person. It gave them an opportunity to learn much about each other, to move past the “I am this old, and I like these things,” and “I am this tall,” etc. to learn more about each other in a deeper personal way. To share each other’s dreams of the future and past experiences. Later, through videos, they became alive to each other, and they could see each other move while they talked. Tom took much from the very fact that Lyubov agreed to communicate so long before meeting. By the time Tom stepped on the plane in Portland to begin his journey to Kiev, he felt he knew Lyubov quite well, and when he landed in Kiev he already held her in his heart. It was apparent early on in their meeting that Lyubov had similar feelings about Tom. Neither of them felt as strangers when they met.
AR: Given how deeply he's in love with Lyubov, what compels Tom to begin an affair with Marina?
TA: There were several factors that lead to this situation. Tom had returned to try to meet with Lyubov and find out why she seemingly wanted to end their relationship. Tom had finally been successful in meeting with Lyubov once, but had gained no insight into the situation during that meeting. On top of that, he was meeting nothing but frustration in setting up a second meeting with her. He had been in Dnepropetrovsk for some time now and had managed only one meeting with Lyubov; the rest of the time he is alone. Being alone in a foreign country and playing the role of solitary tourist was wearing on him. He battled back and forth within himself, between his uncertain relationship with Lyubov and his intense loneliness. He had a possible solution. The agency had offered for him to meet some other ladies. What at first offer was unthinkable to him became thinkable under the weight of loneliness and frustration. Finally, he thinks, perhaps naively, what can it hurt to meet a lady, go out to dinner, and, most of all, have some conversation with someone other than himself?
Of course, as things go, he winds up being confronted with many problems to deal with, including foremost his own feelings about Lyubov and the realities of their present relationship and his feelings for her.
AR: What convinces Lyubov to finally reveal to Tom the truth about her condition?
TA: I think we can surmise two possible reasons for her revealing the truth of her condition. First is her stated reason in that she finally herself has become fully aware of the seriousness of her situation. Secondly, I, like the readers, can only guess that maybe by the fact that Tom has come back to meet her with no assurances they would meet, he has continually tried while in Dnepropetrovsk to meet her, maybe his sincerity and the strength of his love has come through to her. Maybe any inhibitions she had about revealing the truth to him have subsided enough to take the chance. Maybe the Ukrainian trait of not wanting to burden others with their problems has given way somewhat to the desire to have a man who truly seems to loves her to go through the upcoming ordeal with.
AR: What becomes of Sasha, Lyubov's young son?
TA: Let me just answer this question by saying this little tidbit: this story may not be over yet.
AR: Even though they're grown, there's little mention in the story of Tom's two children. Does he not have regular contact with them because of his divorce?
TA: I think we can assume he did. This question, however, brings up the possibility of looking into some of my thinking process about this book that readers may find interesting. I thought about adding more about Tom’s personal life, but eventually I felt that I did not want to take away from the main storyline by including a lot of dialogue about interactions with Tom’s family, friends, coworkers, etc., unless it added to or supported the main story. I also had some other decisions to make along the way. First, how technical do I want to get about Lyubov’s condition? I did not want this to become a medical journal, so again I erred on the side of not including things that did not directly deal with the story. The next decision was, how do I handle the state of present day medical care in Ukraine? This was a very difficult decision because I could have easily made it part of the storyline. But ultimately I felt that too much emphasis on this might take away from focus on the relationship between Tom and Lyubov. I still think that was the right decision, but that was a tough call. I did, however, in places in the book give the reader some idea of the medical system there today. Lastly, I had to make a decision on how much do I tell about Ukraine that is not central to the story? In the end, I decided that this was an important aspect of the book. I felt that providing information about Ukraine, a country my experience tells me most Americans do not know much about, would enhance the story and be interesting to the reader. So without turning the book into a travel brochure, I decided to include as much as I could without distracting from the main story. In the end, my living in Dnepropetrovsk and my growing affection for the city and its people played a major role in the final story. Anyway, I hope maybe the readers find this information interesting.
AR: Please share more with our readers about the wonder and splendor of the Ukraine.
TA: I could write a whole book here to answer this question, but I won’t. I will just mention some of the highlights. If I had to pick one word to describe Ukraine, it would be “contrasts.” Not only visually but also in life there. I was often amazed as I took pictures there of how often I would be looking at something very old right next to something very modern. Life, at least by most American’s standards, is very difficult, yet the people, I think, are far less stressed than most Americans are. They have this uncanny ability to accept life as it is and make the best of it and find a way to be happy. It is a country of contrasts between urban and rural areas. Most of the larger cities are not all that different from American cities. I mean, architecture and language are different, but they have many stores, shopping centers, and restaurants, like here. There are even Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, to name a few stores in Ukraine. But rural areas are like a trip back in time. Farmers cut and stack hay largely by hand. Horse and wagon is a common way of transporting goods. Most homes do not have indoor bathrooms. The only noticeable sign of modern life is cell phones and TV dishes. It is a country of great beauty, and yet there is much pollution, and in many places great amounts of garbage, especially near larger population centers. If readers are interested in learning more, I would invite them to visit my website and my blog on the website. I have posted and will continue in the future to post some of my experiences and thoughts about my time in Ukraine.
AR: Precisely how much of the story is based on your own real-life experiences?
TA: This is an interesting question and kind of goes to the heart of the book. As I wrote in my “to the readers” section at the beginning of the book, this is a fictional story that has its origins in a true experience for me. There is a lot of gray area in the real story, so it is difficult for me to know where the truth ends and fiction begins. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of writing this book. Having the fiction writer’s freedom to stay close to a true incident, at other times just toy with the truth, and in other occasions just leave all to my imagination. My wife, Olga, is an avid knitter. She takes different colors of yarn and weaves out of it a beautiful sweater. When I wrote my book, I weaved in and out of truth and fiction and made a beautiful story. Best of all, I think I left this wonderful gift for the reader. That gift is to use their own minds, their own imagination as to what is maybe true and what is maybe not. And it does not matter if they are right or wrong. It only matters that they take the journey and enjoy it.
AR: How has your publishing experience been with Publish America?
TA: What can I say? I researched different publishers and decided to submit it to them, and they agreed to publish it. I will be forever grateful to them for giving me the chance to share my story with others.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing plans?
TA: I very much want to write again and am working on a couple projects. Of course, how well Goodbye Kiev does will go a long way toward determining my future as a writer. I enjoy it, and I think I am good at it. Time will tell if others feel the same way.
AR: Do you have a website where our readers can learn more about you?
TA: Yes, I do have a website: http://thomascalmond.webs.com. I want to invite everyone to visit. I think they will enjoy the constantly updated information there, a pictorial view of my story, the aforementioned blog, and an opportunity to let me know what you think of my website or book or converse about Ukraine. I also have special offers running on purchasing the book directly from my website. I very much welcome visitors to leave me a note. I very much look forward to hearing from you.
AR: Also, how can they contact you directly?
TA: The best way to contact me is through my website, or they may contact me directly at forest55trees@yahoo.com.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
TA: My final thought is that I hope you will read the book, and, most of all, find enjoyment in it. I am, of course, very proud of how the story turned out, and it is most important to me to share it with as many people as possible. Thank you, Apex Reviews, for giving me the opportunity to discuss my book with you and your readers!
AR: Thanks again, Thomas, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
Thomas Almond
ISBN: 9781606109946
PublishAmerica
Reviewed By Linda Waterson
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
At some point or another, we all pine for that special someone who will one day come into our lives and ease the lingering pain of being alone…our only fear: that when they finally come along, they’re too good to be true…
Such is the case with Tom, a veteran firefighter looking to mend the broken pieces of his heart after an unpleasant divorce. Of all places, he selects the countries of the former Soviet Union to seek his ideal mate – and, as unlikely as it may seem, he soon finds the new love of his life, Lyubov, through a Russian matchmaking agency. Everything about Lyubov convinces Tom that she’s the woman of his dreams, and, after traveling to her native Kiev to meet her in person, the two of them soon fall head over heels in love with one another and begin a whirlwind romantic affair that culminates in her joyfully accepting his heartfelt marriage proposal.
Just as quickly as they brought Tom and Lyubov together, though, circumstances soon begin to drive them apart. For reasons unknown to Tom, Lyubov suddenly starts to put distance in-between them, and she eventually cuts off contact with him completely. Not one to give up on true love so easily, Tom relentlessly pursues Lyubov, determined to discover precisely why she longs to withdraw from him – and what he ultimately learns about her shakes not only the foundation of their burgeoning relationship, but his own personal belief system as well. In the wake of the devastating, life-altering news, Tom is forced to decide if his love for Lyubov is truly strong enough to endure even the most daunting of challenges.
Goodbye, Kiev is a touching memoir penned straight from the heart of someone entirely familiar with the thrilling highs and abysmal lows of love. Thomas Almond’s semi-autobiographical account of the simultaneously rewarding and arduous trials of relationship-building will resonate with readers of all ages even remotely familiar with such universal matters of the heart. We are taught from a young age that we must fight for the things that we truly desire, but few among us are able to sustain the requisite resolve to endure the various challenges that threaten to impede us along the way. Through the example of Tom’s life, Almond provides the reader with a sterling example of the benefits of such tenacity, and he also skillfully displays that – even if the result that we receive is different than what we desired – we are still ultimately richer for having embraced the experience.
Moving, heart-rending, and spiritually fulfilling, Goodbye, Kiev is a recommended, quite satisfying read.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Thomas Almond (Goodbye, Kiev)
Apex Reviews: Thomas, thanks so much for joining us for this interview. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
What is it that leads Tom to search for love specifically in the countries of the former Soviet Union?
Thomas Arnold: A number of things from Tom’s life bring him to search for love in the former Soviet Union. First is that, from the time of his youth, he has had a keen interest in International ice hockey. A hockey player himself, he grew up in an era of the Cold War and an era of domination of the great Soviet Union hockey teams. As a youth, he has a great interest in learning more about this vast country that produced these hockey players and teams. But in this time there was very little information available about the Soviet Union, and his curiosity remained unfulfilled through the years. Years later, he finds himself working at a fire station in a neighborhood with many Russian-speaking immigrants. He decides to take the personal challenge to learn the Russian language to not only help with his work but also to begin to satisfy his childhood curiosity about the now former Soviet Union. It is during his learning the language and about the former Soviet Union that he will encounter a life-changing event.
While reading about Russia on the Internet, he encounters a link to a Marriage Agency in Russia. He finds something that resonates with him after looking at several such websites. Yes, the photos of these women are beautiful, but something even deeper occurs to him. Tom is divorced and has not really given getting remarried again much thought. But as he reads their profiles, they speak to him of something different, of something from a time past in America, of something he always felt was right for him and yet, until now, thought lost. He spent some length of time educating himself about the world of International dating and of the women of the former Soviet Union. Finally came the question: with all he knows, does he in his heart believe this is for him? Does he believe this is where he will find that lasting love and happiness?
AR: How is it that Tom and Lyubov are able to connect so quickly and naturally with each other?
TA: First of all, Tom and Lyubov communicated for a long time before they actually met. It is rather unusual for a man and woman to communicate for so long before meeting. Tom wanted to be sure before taking the step of traveling to Ukraine that he had found the right girl. At least be as sure as it is possible without actually meeting in person. It gave them an opportunity to learn much about each other, to move past the “I am this old, and I like these things,” and “I am this tall,” etc. to learn more about each other in a deeper personal way. To share each other’s dreams of the future and past experiences. Later, through videos, they became alive to each other, and they could see each other move while they talked. Tom took much from the very fact that Lyubov agreed to communicate so long before meeting. By the time Tom stepped on the plane in Portland to begin his journey to Kiev, he felt he knew Lyubov quite well, and when he landed in Kiev he already held her in his heart. It was apparent early on in their meeting that Lyubov had similar feelings about Tom. Neither of them felt as strangers when they met.
AR: Given how deeply he's in love with Lyubov, what compels Tom to begin an affair with Marina?
TA: There were several factors that lead to this situation. Tom had returned to try to meet with Lyubov and find out why she seemingly wanted to end their relationship. Tom had finally been successful in meeting with Lyubov once, but had gained no insight into the situation during that meeting. On top of that, he was meeting nothing but frustration in setting up a second meeting with her. He had been in Dnepropetrovsk for some time now and had managed only one meeting with Lyubov; the rest of the time he is alone. Being alone in a foreign country and playing the role of solitary tourist was wearing on him. He battled back and forth within himself, between his uncertain relationship with Lyubov and his intense loneliness. He had a possible solution. The agency had offered for him to meet some other ladies. What at first offer was unthinkable to him became thinkable under the weight of loneliness and frustration. Finally, he thinks, perhaps naively, what can it hurt to meet a lady, go out to dinner, and, most of all, have some conversation with someone other than himself?
Of course, as things go, he winds up being confronted with many problems to deal with, including foremost his own feelings about Lyubov and the realities of their present relationship and his feelings for her.
AR: What convinces Lyubov to finally reveal to Tom the truth about her condition?
TA: I think we can surmise two possible reasons for her revealing the truth of her condition. First is her stated reason in that she finally herself has become fully aware of the seriousness of her situation. Secondly, I, like the readers, can only guess that maybe by the fact that Tom has come back to meet her with no assurances they would meet, he has continually tried while in Dnepropetrovsk to meet her, maybe his sincerity and the strength of his love has come through to her. Maybe any inhibitions she had about revealing the truth to him have subsided enough to take the chance. Maybe the Ukrainian trait of not wanting to burden others with their problems has given way somewhat to the desire to have a man who truly seems to loves her to go through the upcoming ordeal with.
AR: What becomes of Sasha, Lyubov's young son?
TA: Let me just answer this question by saying this little tidbit: this story may not be over yet.
AR: Even though they're grown, there's little mention in the story of Tom's two children. Does he not have regular contact with them because of his divorce?
TA: I think we can assume he did. This question, however, brings up the possibility of looking into some of my thinking process about this book that readers may find interesting. I thought about adding more about Tom’s personal life, but eventually I felt that I did not want to take away from the main storyline by including a lot of dialogue about interactions with Tom’s family, friends, coworkers, etc., unless it added to or supported the main story. I also had some other decisions to make along the way. First, how technical do I want to get about Lyubov’s condition? I did not want this to become a medical journal, so again I erred on the side of not including things that did not directly deal with the story. The next decision was, how do I handle the state of present day medical care in Ukraine? This was a very difficult decision because I could have easily made it part of the storyline. But ultimately I felt that too much emphasis on this might take away from focus on the relationship between Tom and Lyubov. I still think that was the right decision, but that was a tough call. I did, however, in places in the book give the reader some idea of the medical system there today. Lastly, I had to make a decision on how much do I tell about Ukraine that is not central to the story? In the end, I decided that this was an important aspect of the book. I felt that providing information about Ukraine, a country my experience tells me most Americans do not know much about, would enhance the story and be interesting to the reader. So without turning the book into a travel brochure, I decided to include as much as I could without distracting from the main story. In the end, my living in Dnepropetrovsk and my growing affection for the city and its people played a major role in the final story. Anyway, I hope maybe the readers find this information interesting.
AR: Please share more with our readers about the wonder and splendor of the Ukraine.
TA: I could write a whole book here to answer this question, but I won’t. I will just mention some of the highlights. If I had to pick one word to describe Ukraine, it would be “contrasts.” Not only visually but also in life there. I was often amazed as I took pictures there of how often I would be looking at something very old right next to something very modern. Life, at least by most American’s standards, is very difficult, yet the people, I think, are far less stressed than most Americans are. They have this uncanny ability to accept life as it is and make the best of it and find a way to be happy. It is a country of contrasts between urban and rural areas. Most of the larger cities are not all that different from American cities. I mean, architecture and language are different, but they have many stores, shopping centers, and restaurants, like here. There are even Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, to name a few stores in Ukraine. But rural areas are like a trip back in time. Farmers cut and stack hay largely by hand. Horse and wagon is a common way of transporting goods. Most homes do not have indoor bathrooms. The only noticeable sign of modern life is cell phones and TV dishes. It is a country of great beauty, and yet there is much pollution, and in many places great amounts of garbage, especially near larger population centers. If readers are interested in learning more, I would invite them to visit my website and my blog on the website. I have posted and will continue in the future to post some of my experiences and thoughts about my time in Ukraine.
AR: Precisely how much of the story is based on your own real-life experiences?
TA: This is an interesting question and kind of goes to the heart of the book. As I wrote in my “to the readers” section at the beginning of the book, this is a fictional story that has its origins in a true experience for me. There is a lot of gray area in the real story, so it is difficult for me to know where the truth ends and fiction begins. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of writing this book. Having the fiction writer’s freedom to stay close to a true incident, at other times just toy with the truth, and in other occasions just leave all to my imagination. My wife, Olga, is an avid knitter. She takes different colors of yarn and weaves out of it a beautiful sweater. When I wrote my book, I weaved in and out of truth and fiction and made a beautiful story. Best of all, I think I left this wonderful gift for the reader. That gift is to use their own minds, their own imagination as to what is maybe true and what is maybe not. And it does not matter if they are right or wrong. It only matters that they take the journey and enjoy it.
AR: How has your publishing experience been with Publish America?
TA: What can I say? I researched different publishers and decided to submit it to them, and they agreed to publish it. I will be forever grateful to them for giving me the chance to share my story with others.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing plans?
TA: I very much want to write again and am working on a couple projects. Of course, how well Goodbye Kiev does will go a long way toward determining my future as a writer. I enjoy it, and I think I am good at it. Time will tell if others feel the same way.
AR: Do you have a website where our readers can learn more about you?
TA: Yes, I do have a website: http://thomascalmond.webs.com. I want to invite everyone to visit. I think they will enjoy the constantly updated information there, a pictorial view of my story, the aforementioned blog, and an opportunity to let me know what you think of my website or book or converse about Ukraine. I also have special offers running on purchasing the book directly from my website. I very much welcome visitors to leave me a note. I very much look forward to hearing from you.
AR: Also, how can they contact you directly?
TA: The best way to contact me is through my website, or they may contact me directly at forest55trees@yahoo.com.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
TA: My final thought is that I hope you will read the book, and, most of all, find enjoyment in it. I am, of course, very proud of how the story turned out, and it is most important to me to share it with as many people as possible. Thank you, Apex Reviews, for giving me the opportunity to discuss my book with you and your readers!
AR: Thanks again, Thomas, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!