Scan barcode
pearlgenius's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favourite reads of this year; this memoir of Tove Ditlevsen's life is remarkable. Each part was more engrossing than the last, I found myself wanting to know everything about this woman's life. I did a thorough google search afterwards. Her life growing up in Copenhagen before, during, and after the war was a heartbreaking and yet somewhat relatable story. Maybe not relatable but pensive?? Her descriptions and recollections of her childhood are unique as they aren't the classic happy tale as most remember, but a kind of gloomy look on her life. It's understandable as her life living in poverty and struggling with classism at a young age is something that is outstanding in her memory, which is what makes her section on childhood that much more memorable. Her constant drive for poetry was inspiring, as a young woman in the 20th century she paints a clear picture about the struggle to be taken as a serious poet during that time. But she worked continuously hard through her troubles with family and friends, and became successful. Not to mention, to go through an addiction and write about such a difficult time with such honesty and clarity is a kind of strength and power most people don't have. Her writing is beautiful and the descriptions of her life as she grew up was so immersive I felt like I was there on the streets of Vesterbro. An unforgettable book, and one I think everyone should read.
af666014's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25
I’m not usually one for memoirs, but this was really gripping and read like fiction. Very forthright portrayal of addiction and abortion that I appreciated.
fliss_83's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
maxsabbe's review against another edition
5.0
Heb me nog nooit zo ontredderd gevoeld na het lezen van een boek.
rvdh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction
vickyoyarzun's review against another edition
5.0
Uno de los mejores libros que he leído en mi vida.
Cada vez me iba rompiendo más ver cómo se desarrollaba la vida de Tove, a pesar de haber cumplido sus sueños siempre había una nube negra que la perseguía, la adicción es una de las peores cosas que le puede pasar a una artista...
Adoro lo sincera, irónica y hermosa que puede ser la prosa de este libro, parece que las palabras le fluyen a la autora de forma tan natural como si conversara con un amigo de toda la vida, confiriéndole sus secretos.
Te doy todas las estrellas que quieras Tove
Cada vez me iba rompiendo más ver cómo se desarrollaba la vida de Tove, a pesar de haber cumplido sus sueños siempre había una nube negra que la perseguía, la adicción es una de las peores cosas que le puede pasar a una artista...
Adoro lo sincera, irónica y hermosa que puede ser la prosa de este libro, parece que las palabras le fluyen a la autora de forma tan natural como si conversara con un amigo de toda la vida, confiriéndole sus secretos.
Te doy todas las estrellas que quieras Tove
rachel_o_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.75
The first of the trilogy, Childhood, really drew me in. I found the prose to be beautiful and haunting.
A few of my favorite quotes:
“Childhood is long and narrow like a coffin, and you can’t get out of it on your own. It’s there all the time and everyone can see it just as clearly as you can see Pretty Ludvig’s harelip.”
"Wherever you turn, you run up against your childhood and hurt yourself because it’s sharp-edged and hard, and stops only when it has torn you completely apart. It seems that everyone has their own and each is totally different."
“Childhood is dark and it’s always moaning like a little animal that’s locked in a cellar and forgotten. It comes out of your throat like your breath in the cold, and sometimes it’s too little, other times too big. It never fits exactly. It’s only when it has been cast off that you can look at it calmly and talk about it like an illness you’ve survived. Most grownups say that they’ve had a happy childhood and maybe they really believe it themselves, but I don’t think so. I think they’ve just managed to forget it.”
The trilogy lulled with the middle book, Youth, but an otherwise worthwhile read. I think my love of the writing in Childhood is pulling down my judgement for the rest of the trilogy, although the story progressed and was fleshed out well, showing her flaws and all, I just felt there was something lacking in the writing as the trilogy went on...only in comparison to the first book.
A few of my favorite quotes:
“Childhood is long and narrow like a coffin, and you can’t get out of it on your own. It’s there all the time and everyone can see it just as clearly as you can see Pretty Ludvig’s harelip.”
"Wherever you turn, you run up against your childhood and hurt yourself because it’s sharp-edged and hard, and stops only when it has torn you completely apart. It seems that everyone has their own and each is totally different."
“Childhood is dark and it’s always moaning like a little animal that’s locked in a cellar and forgotten. It comes out of your throat like your breath in the cold, and sometimes it’s too little, other times too big. It never fits exactly. It’s only when it has been cast off that you can look at it calmly and talk about it like an illness you’ve survived. Most grownups say that they’ve had a happy childhood and maybe they really believe it themselves, but I don’t think so. I think they’ve just managed to forget it.”
The trilogy lulled with the middle book, Youth, but an otherwise worthwhile read. I think my love of the writing in Childhood is pulling down my judgement for the rest of the trilogy, although the story progressed and was fleshed out well, showing her flaws and all, I just felt there was something lacking in the writing as the trilogy went on...only in comparison to the first book.