This is a "Victorian Traveller's Balkan Odyssey" (the subtitle). In the early 1900s, Durham took off with an assortment of tribal/clan guides and explored the upper reaches of the Balkans--in particular, Albania. As a woman, she could have expected not to be welcomed or even acknowledged by the people in the various regions (largely delineated now as Christian, Moslem, or Pagan--although a little bit less at that time). However, most areas' residents welcomed her and protected her--even against the "hunting" party of a rival village.

Throughout this book, a travel journal giving so much interpretation through her caring attitude towards the people, Durham recounts time and again the devastation that the tradition of "Blood" had and has on the populace--no matter the region. Male children are born into the expectation that they will kill or be killed for their family's and tribes "honor." "Revenge is all." Women expect arrranged marriages--sold off for their families' benefit--and a short life of constant drudgery and pregnancies.

The reading is slowed by the native words' spellings, etc., but it was a fascinating read. If you ever wondered why that region is a hotbed of national mistrust and attempts at genocide, this certainly sets the historical stage for the modern problems.

The reading level is adolescent and adult. Prof. Opal