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May 01, 2023
Chrissie
marked it as maybe
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*Under the Glacier 1 star
*Independent People TBR
*The Fish Can Sing TBR
Autobiographical trilogy
*På tunet därhemma 3 stars
*Ung var jag fordom 3 stars
*Greklandsåret 3 stars ...more
An Icelandic treasure. You didn't know you would care about a crofter's life, sheep, black coffee and the heath, but you will.
From the intro by Brad Leithauser:"Independent People presents the most gripping depiction I've ever encountered of the gradual daily contraction of a human soul and its eventual salvation ...more
From the intro by Brad Leithauser:"Independent People presents the most gripping depiction I've ever encountered of the gradual daily contraction of a human soul and its eventual salvation ...more
The writing in this novel is lovely, smart and often witty and the history of Iceland is intriguing. There are moments in this book that are so enchanting that I found myself thinking it would be a 5 star read for me. Unfortunately though, I was just as often bored. I love books with lengthy passages describing the time and place -- such as the books by Thomas Hardy. But this one is filled with characters I do not like and the long passages describing land, sheep and food were often dull.
Epic in an everyman against the world/ defining national myth sort of way, and more about the self-standing man who has staked his future on sheep than about the sheep themselves, as the translator intimates initially. His unwavering commitment to act (and speak!) as if no one and nowhere else existed serves throughout as his most endearing quality, as well as the source of all his success and failure and Shakespearean-quality repartee.
I read over half this book and then read a synopsis because I couldn't take it much longer. It is the most depressing book I've ever read and the main character is the most despicable character I've ever encountered in a book.
...more
Apr 09, 2009
Christian
marked it as 2019
Aug 06, 2012
Zuly
marked it as to-read
Oct 27, 2013
Laura
marked it as to-read
Oct 23, 2014
Hollyy
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Oct 30, 2014
Navi
marked it as to-read
Dec 31, 2016
Kristen
marked it as to-read
Feb 05, 2018
Idit
marked it as to-read
Nov 20, 2018
Jim Townsend
marked it as to-read
Nov 22, 2018
Kate Thompson
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2019
Rachel
marked it as to-read
Nov 07, 2021
Karigan
marked it as to-read
Mar 20, 2022
Kate
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2023
Melissa
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2023
Manybooks
marked it as to-read
Oct 27, 2023
Laura
marked it as to-read
May 26, 2024
Brianna
marked it as to-read
