Scan barcode
maria_reads's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lauren_endnotes's review
4.0
"There is a freedom in which one is unseen. Such is the life of a widow. When the days of mourning are gone, the grief has become tiresome to one's surroundings...they must live with becoming grey in the eyes of the world..." (pg 81)
• A CHANGE OF TIME by Ida Jessen, translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken, 2015/2019. Archipelago @archipelagobooks
We meet "L" through her diary entries in the early 20th-century rural Denmark. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that L's husband, a prominent community doctor Vigand Bagge, is on his deathbed.
L's diary retraces her life and marriage to Vigand, who is portrayed as an emotional void, neglectful, and cruel. Through 22 years of marriage, L's identity has been worn down by Vigand (we do not even learn L's name until the last quarter of the book!), in many ways rendering her invisible to herself and to society. When he passes away, she enters a new chapter - a change of time - to reanimate and renew her own identity, and to step out of the dark loneliness she has endured for decades.
.
.
"Bitterness is a very soft and comfortable armchair from which it is difficult indeed to extract oneself once it is decided to settle in." (pg 143)
.
.
A quiet and layered emotional story of grief, devotion, and restraint. Highly recommended for all, but especially if you like the "quiet /small life" works of John Williams, Hernán Diaz, Willa Cather and others.
• A CHANGE OF TIME by Ida Jessen, translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken, 2015/2019. Archipelago @archipelagobooks
We meet "L" through her diary entries in the early 20th-century rural Denmark. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that L's husband, a prominent community doctor Vigand Bagge, is on his deathbed.
L's diary retraces her life and marriage to Vigand, who is portrayed as an emotional void, neglectful, and cruel. Through 22 years of marriage, L's identity has been worn down by Vigand (we do not even learn L's name until the last quarter of the book!), in many ways rendering her invisible to herself and to society. When he passes away, she enters a new chapter - a change of time - to reanimate and renew her own identity, and to step out of the dark loneliness she has endured for decades.
.
.
"Bitterness is a very soft and comfortable armchair from which it is difficult indeed to extract oneself once it is decided to settle in." (pg 143)
.
.
A quiet and layered emotional story of grief, devotion, and restraint. Highly recommended for all, but especially if you like the "quiet /small life" works of John Williams, Hernán Diaz, Willa Cather and others.
wanderinggnome's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My aunt handed this to me after dinner the other night - I read a few pages, put it down for three weeks and then today picked it up and finished it in two hours. An excellent and quick winter read.
abby_writes's review
5.0
A quiet, melancholy book, interspersed with moments of coziness and natural beauty, written in the form of a schoolteacher’s journal in the months after her husband dies. She asks, what is love / community / passion, eventually reaching a conclusion for herself. It’s the exact kind of story I love.
currerbell's review
4.0
I was drawn to this book because of the Hammershøi piece on the cover - I love his paintings for their atmospheric quality, and it turns out that this is the perfect depiction of Jessen's novel. It is difficult to evaluate a translation (am I impressed by the author or the translator?) but I really enjoyed the sparse, simple narrative and the beauty of barren, rural Denmark. Just like Hammershøi's paintings, the writing here is full of subtlety and grace.
fearandtrembling's review
4.0
An intensely quiet, private novel told in diary entries as a schoolteacher in Denmark in the 20th-century deals with her husband's passing and sifts through her memories. The language is luminous and precise, rendered in a beautiful translation by Martin Aitken. The narrator herself is prickly, odd, thoughtful, and unique, and her relationship with her husband reveals itself slowly. Rural Danish society is slowly brought to life. A small gem.
michellaberger's review against another edition
4.0
På en måde gik jeg ind til denne bog, med en klar idé om hvad den indeholdt. Det indeholdt det jeg regnede med, og alligevel var den så meget andet og så meget mere.
Da historien starter er fru Bagge ved at miste sin mand, Vigand Bagge. Han er indlagt på hospitalet med en uhelbredelig sygdom. Alle ved at det er et spørgsmål om tid, så alt fru Bagge kan gøre er at vente.
Det her er en fin og stille historie, om en ældre kvinde som pludselig skal skabe sig en ny tilværelse i slutningen af 1920'erne og starten af 1930'erne. Men hvordan skaber man et nyt liv, når mand, hus og rutiner pludseligt hives væk under en? Ida Jessen har skrevet en reel historie. En stille fortælling, som sætter sig i en og som er vildt behagelig at læse.
Da historien starter er fru Bagge ved at miste sin mand, Vigand Bagge. Han er indlagt på hospitalet med en uhelbredelig sygdom. Alle ved at det er et spørgsmål om tid, så alt fru Bagge kan gøre er at vente.
Det her er en fin og stille historie, om en ældre kvinde som pludselig skal skabe sig en ny tilværelse i slutningen af 1920'erne og starten af 1930'erne. Men hvordan skaber man et nyt liv, når mand, hus og rutiner pludseligt hives væk under en? Ida Jessen har skrevet en reel historie. En stille fortælling, som sætter sig i en og som er vildt behagelig at læse.
peixinhodeprata's review
4.0
Imagine that you are watching a Scandinavian movie with its slow pace and introspective mood and you will have the sense of what is reading this book.
Through the diary entries of a former school teacher we get a sense of how time changes, how we change with it, and how the world around us also evolves. There's this time element across the book, through the different seasons that follow each other, the comings and goings of people in our life, and the changes in everyday life.
I really enjoyed reading it, and recommend it to all those that enjoy good introspect books, that make us wonder.
Through the diary entries of a former school teacher we get a sense of how time changes, how we change with it, and how the world around us also evolves. There's this time element across the book, through the different seasons that follow each other, the comings and goings of people in our life, and the changes in everyday life.
I really enjoyed reading it, and recommend it to all those that enjoy good introspect books, that make us wonder.
harrietnbrown's review
5.0
A luminous little book that stays with you long after you finish reading it.