Instruct: Classify a review as either positive or negative.
Query: A wry look at Soviet life through Middle Eastern eyes

Chegem is an idyllic, Muslim, peasant town in Abkhazia, an autonomous republic on the north coast of the Black Sea. Sandro of Chegem is a tamada (or captain of table) and renowned adventurer and storyteller. Through Sandro's adventures and the doings of the people of Chegem, Iskander spins a series of interwoven tales which wryly, wittily, and satirically compare the incongruities of Soviet life with the simpler values of peasant life. The result is subversive and poignant. The writing is superbly graceful, in the tradition of Middle Eastern storytellers. Iskander has a deep understanding of human nature and a satirist's ability to bring humor from human foibles.