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josefinessen's review against another edition
2.0
Jag vill gilla dessa böcker men tyvärr är det lite för trögt för mig (och kanske lite för mycket historia).
bidufta's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
angrywombat's review
3.0
I really wanted to give this a better rating, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought about it, the more this book disappointed me.
The biggest problem is the writing style. The vast majority is straight descriptive text. The author spends nearly all his time telling us what is going on, rather than showing us. The characters seem to melt into each other, and it gets hard to recognise them. Only in a few key places do the character even have dialog. This is really sad because those few times are awesome, and I really wanted to get to know Arn and his companions so much better. I loved hearing about how the thralls and nobles lived in turn of the millennia Sweden, along with their opinions on religion and strange customs.
I just wish it didn't read so much like a dry textbook for so much of the time.
The biggest problem is the writing style. The vast majority is straight descriptive text. The author spends nearly all his time telling us what is going on, rather than showing us. The characters seem to melt into each other, and it gets hard to recognise them. Only in a few key places do the character even have dialog. This is really sad because those few times are awesome, and I really wanted to get to know Arn and his companions so much better. I loved hearing about how the thralls and nobles lived in turn of the millennia Sweden, along with their opinions on religion and strange customs.
I just wish it didn't read so much like a dry textbook for so much of the time.
captainjemima's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is translated from the Swedish, 'Vägen till Jerusalem'. I came to read this as a total newbie to Scandinavian history, I don't usually read anything with a Christian theme, and I don't read historical fiction very often either.
The story starts with Magnus and his wife Sigrid, who gift some land to the Church after Sigrid has a vision from the 'Holy Spirit'. They go on to have a second son called Arn, who at a young age shows great prowess for archery. One day he is climbing in a tree and falls. The people say he is dead, but Magnus and Sigrid pray fervently until he, apparently, comes back to life. They swear that they will make sure Arn is made a servant of God to repay God for this miracle. Arn is sent to the cloister at a young age (shortly before his mother sadly passes away) and proceeds to train in skills including weaponry, philosophy, logic, reading literature, preparing food, and horse-riding. Soon, the brothers at the cloister think that Arn needs to know more about the outside world, as he is such an innocent, honest, God-fearing young man. He goes home to his father Magnus and his older brother Eskil, and soon proceeds to learn about the world of the people of Scandinavia.
I was very intrigued by the Swedish culture of the 1100s. I initially enjoyed learning about the cultural ways of doing things, such as ways of building social and living areas, or their way of keeping food fresh and making decisions on important matters. It was even interesting to learn about life in the cloister. However, the interest did not last long...
Every time I picked up the book to read some more, I would read the stupid quotation on the front from Tom Holland, a British writer and historian. It says, "Thrilling and inspiring, bloody and romantic; utterly of its time and utterly modern". Every time I read this quotation I would think to myself, "Where is the thrill and romance I've been promised?". The narrative was written rather drily. I can't tell whether this was because it was a bad translation, or whether it was just a boring book. I started not to care about the story, until the very end when the romance actually appears. I know that this novel is part of a series, so maybe the author had that in mind as he wrote. He may have intended to use this first book as an introduction and origin story of Arn. I just didn't enjoy it. I found it slightly educational and interesting, but there was nothing to keep me going through the story. It took me several weeks to read it, just because I was reluctant to pick it up. Most of the time I felt like I was reading a dry history book, telling me the facts of the time and place.
There was very little in the way of engaging dialogue or touching insights into the characters' personal lives. Those parts were my favourites because I could attempt to get to know the characters. Unfortunately, the reader cannot cultivate a relationship with the characters when their emotional selves are shown on only a few occasions. I enjoyed Arn's relationships with people in the cloister, and his bond with his foreign horse, and I even felt slightly excited by his interactions with Cecilia. These moments were just few and far between, and I felt rather bored.
I have not decided whether I will read the second book or not, yet. I kind of want to know what happens to Arn, now that the end of this book became a tiny bit exciting. I actually cared about what Arn might do next, in the last 100 pages or so. However, the dry writing-style is going to put me off for a long time, I feel.
The story starts with Magnus and his wife Sigrid, who gift some land to the Church after Sigrid has a vision from the 'Holy Spirit'. They go on to have a second son called Arn, who at a young age shows great prowess for archery. One day he is climbing in a tree and falls. The people say he is dead, but Magnus and Sigrid pray fervently until he, apparently, comes back to life. They swear that they will make sure Arn is made a servant of God to repay God for this miracle. Arn is sent to the cloister at a young age (shortly before his mother sadly passes away) and proceeds to train in skills including weaponry, philosophy, logic, reading literature, preparing food, and horse-riding. Soon, the brothers at the cloister think that Arn needs to know more about the outside world, as he is such an innocent, honest, God-fearing young man. He goes home to his father Magnus and his older brother Eskil, and soon proceeds to learn about the world of the people of Scandinavia.
I was very intrigued by the Swedish culture of the 1100s. I initially enjoyed learning about the cultural ways of doing things, such as ways of building social and living areas, or their way of keeping food fresh and making decisions on important matters. It was even interesting to learn about life in the cloister. However, the interest did not last long...
Every time I picked up the book to read some more, I would read the stupid quotation on the front from Tom Holland, a British writer and historian. It says, "Thrilling and inspiring, bloody and romantic; utterly of its time and utterly modern". Every time I read this quotation I would think to myself, "Where is the thrill and romance I've been promised?". The narrative was written rather drily. I can't tell whether this was because it was a bad translation, or whether it was just a boring book. I started not to care about the story, until the very end when the romance actually appears. I know that this novel is part of a series, so maybe the author had that in mind as he wrote. He may have intended to use this first book as an introduction and origin story of Arn. I just didn't enjoy it. I found it slightly educational and interesting, but there was nothing to keep me going through the story. It took me several weeks to read it, just because I was reluctant to pick it up. Most of the time I felt like I was reading a dry history book, telling me the facts of the time and place.
There was very little in the way of engaging dialogue or touching insights into the characters' personal lives. Those parts were my favourites because I could attempt to get to know the characters. Unfortunately, the reader cannot cultivate a relationship with the characters when their emotional selves are shown on only a few occasions. I enjoyed Arn's relationships with people in the cloister, and his bond with his foreign horse, and I even felt slightly excited by his interactions with Cecilia. These moments were just few and far between, and I felt rather bored.
I have not decided whether I will read the second book or not, yet. I kind of want to know what happens to Arn, now that the end of this book became a tiny bit exciting. I actually cared about what Arn might do next, in the last 100 pages or so. However, the dry writing-style is going to put me off for a long time, I feel.
sol_2's review against another edition
3.0
Short review:
Asså, läste ut den här ca 00.10. It was a trope man.
Detta var min första bok av Jan Gulliou och utöver hans vardagliga kommentarer i tidningar och på övriga medier var det mitt första riktiga möte med hans verk över huvud taget.
Berättelsen är fantastiskt och man lär sig verkligen att älska Arn som en karaktär. Arn är ung, oskyldig och ren. Hans misstag beror inte på illvilja eller slughet - det handlar om att han inte förstår bättre.
Jag måste dock påpeka att det tog mig en låååång stund att verkligen komma in i berättelsen. Detta är en slow burner och Gulliou skriver verkligen allt han kan tänka på att läsaren skulle kunna undra över kring karaktärernas inre.
Anledningen till den låga rankningen är helt och hållet pga att det tog mig såpass lång tid att ta mig in i berättelsen.
Rating: 3,75/5 stjärnor.
Asså, läste ut den här ca 00.10. It was a trope man.
Detta var min första bok av Jan Gulliou och utöver hans vardagliga kommentarer i tidningar och på övriga medier var det mitt första riktiga möte med hans verk över huvud taget.
Berättelsen är fantastiskt och man lär sig verkligen att älska Arn som en karaktär. Arn är ung, oskyldig och ren. Hans misstag beror inte på illvilja eller slughet - det handlar om att han inte förstår bättre.
Jag måste dock påpeka att det tog mig en låååång stund att verkligen komma in i berättelsen. Detta är en slow burner och Gulliou skriver verkligen allt han kan tänka på att läsaren skulle kunna undra över kring karaktärernas inre.
Anledningen till den låga rankningen är helt och hållet pga att det tog mig såpass lång tid att ta mig in i berättelsen.
Rating: 3,75/5 stjärnor.
theodor's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
tt569's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
nejtack's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
alexctelander's review against another edition
4.0
As a medieval historian and a big fan of historical fiction, family members from Sweden have been telling me for years to learn some Swedish so I can enjoy the fabulous bestselling Crusades Trilogy from Swedish author Jan Guillou. I still have yet to improve my language beyond basic Swedish, fortunately this isn’t a problem anymore. The first book in the trilogy, The Road to Jerusalem, which has done very well in Europe also, is now available in English to American readers.
The title may be somewhat of a misnomer, with an emphasis on “road to,” as the main characters never even make it near to the Holy Land. However as this is a trilogy, readers know they’ll get there eventually. In this first book, the year is 1150, and readers are introduced to Arn Magnusson, a boy of noble birth who is sent to a cloister where he learns the ways of the church, as well as some expert training in weaponry and horse riding from a master. Eventually leaving the cloister, Arn is reunited with his family who is expecting a humble monk, find a powerful, but pious warrior. After committing and being charged with a grave sin, he is forced to become a member of the Knights Templar at the end of the book.
On the surface this seems a simple story, and readers may have a little trouble with the many Swedish names and words (a pronunciation guide would’ve been helpful; fortunately I at least know how to sound those foreign letters: å sounds like “awe,” ä with a soft “e” sound like “egg,” ö and ø [ø is the equivalent in the Norwegian and Danish alphabets:] have an “er” sound), but Guillou does an incredible job of analyzing and revealing medieval twelfth-century life in Scandinavia. In the style of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, Guillou isn’t obvious and overbearing with the history, but reveals it through plot and story, allowing readers to make deductions for themselves. And for those who’ve seen the Swedish tre kronor or three crown flag and symbol prevalent throughout Sweden will have their questions answered in The Road to Jerusalem.
Guillou probably could’ve combined the trilogy into once massive book à la Ken Follett, but instead you have a fun trilogy that begins with a strong foundation and background for those not too familiar with the period and area, continuing in the second book, The Templar Knight, due out May 2010.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
The title may be somewhat of a misnomer, with an emphasis on “road to,” as the main characters never even make it near to the Holy Land. However as this is a trilogy, readers know they’ll get there eventually. In this first book, the year is 1150, and readers are introduced to Arn Magnusson, a boy of noble birth who is sent to a cloister where he learns the ways of the church, as well as some expert training in weaponry and horse riding from a master. Eventually leaving the cloister, Arn is reunited with his family who is expecting a humble monk, find a powerful, but pious warrior. After committing and being charged with a grave sin, he is forced to become a member of the Knights Templar at the end of the book.
On the surface this seems a simple story, and readers may have a little trouble with the many Swedish names and words (a pronunciation guide would’ve been helpful; fortunately I at least know how to sound those foreign letters: å sounds like “awe,” ä with a soft “e” sound like “egg,” ö and ø [ø is the equivalent in the Norwegian and Danish alphabets:] have an “er” sound), but Guillou does an incredible job of analyzing and revealing medieval twelfth-century life in Scandinavia. In the style of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, Guillou isn’t obvious and overbearing with the history, but reveals it through plot and story, allowing readers to make deductions for themselves. And for those who’ve seen the Swedish tre kronor or three crown flag and symbol prevalent throughout Sweden will have their questions answered in The Road to Jerusalem.
Guillou probably could’ve combined the trilogy into once massive book à la Ken Follett, but instead you have a fun trilogy that begins with a strong foundation and background for those not too familiar with the period and area, continuing in the second book, The Templar Knight, due out May 2010.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
janlc's review against another edition
3.0
Historien om Arn er spændende, og der må ligge en pæn portion research bag. Bogen er ikke dårligt skrevet, men når man lige har læst Ulysses, hvor ulæselig den end er, og i særdeleshed når man hører Georg R. R. Martins "En sang om is og ild", så bliver det klart at Guillou er en kapabel, men ikke eminent forfatter. Der er helt afgjort forskel. Historien er dog stadig god nok til, at man har lyst til at læse videre om Arn - så det har jeg tænkt mig at gøre.