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danbydame's review against another edition
4.0
This was surprisingly satisfying. Considering it was written in the 40s, set mostly in the 19th century, and written in English by a Danish author, I found the stories pulled me in and the language sped me along.
These stories can best be described as fairy tales without the magical aspect. Really, Cinderella is a very interesting story without the fairy godmother, pumpkins and mice. And it turns out that Cinderella had better find a prince because a merely well-off upper middle class nouveau riche would not be able to keep her happy.
I definitely recommend to Sue T, Jessica (when she is looking for something more mainstream) and maybe Emma.
These stories can best be described as fairy tales without the magical aspect. Really, Cinderella is a very interesting story without the fairy godmother, pumpkins and mice. And it turns out that Cinderella had better find a prince because a merely well-off upper middle class nouveau riche would not be able to keep her happy.
I definitely recommend to Sue T, Jessica (when she is looking for something more mainstream) and maybe Emma.
cmbohn's review against another edition
2.0
This was a collection of short stories, some with fantasy elements, some with a bit of romance, but all having the same sort of wistful feel to them. All the characters seem to be dissatisfied with life. Some of the stories are resolved, some are not.
I had a hard time reading these stories. They didn't seem to have a definite theme, and even the plots were hard to describe. My favorite story was "The Heroine."
I had a hard time reading these stories. They didn't seem to have a definite theme, and even the plots were hard to describe. My favorite story was "The Heroine."
amalia1985's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
‘’You have drunk with Sunniva now,’’ she said. ‘’You have drunk down a little wisdom, so that in the future all your thoughts shall not fall like raindrops into the salt sea.’’
The Sailor - Boy’s Tale: A sailor-boy meets a strange falcon, kisses a girl and kills a man for love. A mystical tale of a boy reaching manhood.
The Young Man with the Carnation: A young writer in search of inspiration comes across a company of sailors whose tale of a woman’s search for the perfect Blue opens his eyes and understands that his wife is his Muse.
The Pearls: A pearl becomes a metaphor for the wonder, insecurity and fragility of marriage.
The Invincible Slave-Owners: The sorrows of young love through misunderstandings and secrecy.
The Heroine: A myseterious woman becomes the symbol of pride, resilience and dignity as the Franco-Prussian war unfolds…
The Dreaming Child: Life brings a lonely woman and an abandoned child together in a story that starts as a Dickensian tale that turns rather eerie until its powerful closure.
Alkmene: The arrival of a young girl in a parsonage turns the household upside down and seals the fate of a boy who desperately searches for affection.
The Fish: King Erik of Denmark muses on Religion and the unattainable, seeing himself as the old Wanderer without knowing that he is soon to meet his end at the hands of a jealous husband. A haunting story for a midsummer’s night that reminded me of Oscar Wilde’s tales.
Peter and Rosa: The wind and the North Sea become the scenery of a young couple’s star-crossed love.
‘’The low, undulating Danish landscape was silent and serene, mysteriously wide-awake, in the hour before sunrise. There was not a cloud in the pale sky, not a shadow along the dim, pearly fields, hills and woods. The mist was lifting from the valleys and hollows, the air was cool, the grass and the foliage dripping wet with morning dew. Unwatched by the eyes of man, and undisturbed bu his activity, the country breathed a timeless life, to which language was inadequate.’’
Sorrow-Acre: A lyrical ode to the nature, history and legends of Denmark, told through the bitter story of a woman and her son.
A Consolatory Tale: This story could have been narrated by Scheherazade to the ones who long to open the caskets of Life and Death…
Blixen’s characters search for love, for a place to belong, for the great unknown. The seam the wind, the Northern land, the mysticism and lyricism echo through her hauntingly unique writer. Although much more earthly than her Seven Gothic Tales, this collection is a fable for daily life and the proof that the physical and the spiritual are one.
‘’I have now reconciled the heart of man with the conditions of the earth. I have persecuted, I have shown him how to get himself spat upon and scourged, I have taught him how to get himself hung upon a cross. I have given to man that solution of his riddle, that he begged of me, I have consigned to him his salvation.’’
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librarywonders's review against another edition
4.0
I actually read the danish version of this collection.
Blixen was pretty brilliant - the tone in these, and all of the layers in these stories(!)
Blixen was pretty brilliant - the tone in these, and all of the layers in these stories(!)
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
3.0
Like many Americans (I suspect), my introduction to Isak Dinesen was via the film version of Out of Africa. I actually never saw it until an adult, but my mother bought the film tie-in copy of Out of Africa and Shadows On the Grass which I read cover to cover two or three times in high school -- and my Dinesen obsession was born.
This collection of eleven short stories has the feel of a 19th-century fairy tale collection; while reading, I found myself musing if these stories were the ones Karen recounted to Denys while they were in Kenya. Some were pure magic while others were meditations on religion, family, or obligation. There were delightful passages in every story, wryly funny and very true, such as:
For those who are new to Dinesen, this is an excellent introduction as she is a writer of more than just memoir; those who have read Out of Africa have gotten a taste of the dreamy, meditative way she tackles life, and these stories are an extension of that.
This collection of eleven short stories has the feel of a 19th-century fairy tale collection; while reading, I found myself musing if these stories were the ones Karen recounted to Denys while they were in Kenya. Some were pure magic while others were meditations on religion, family, or obligation. There were delightful passages in every story, wryly funny and very true, such as:
"Jensine would never have married a man whom she did not love; she held the god of love in great respect, and had already for some years sent a little daily prayer to him: "Why doest thou tarry?" But now she reflected that he had perhaps granted her prayer with vengeance, and that her books had given her but little information as to the real nature of love." (page 109, from "The Pearls")
For those who are new to Dinesen, this is an excellent introduction as she is a writer of more than just memoir; those who have read Out of Africa have gotten a taste of the dreamy, meditative way she tackles life, and these stories are an extension of that.
lukaseichmann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5