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madanburg's review against another edition
3.0
Tragicomic & interesting, but it suffered some from my high expectations. One central character (the priest) really couldn't hold my attention during his discursive monologues, which diffused the otherwise nice narrative tension between the amnesiac soldier and the doctor who attempted to return his identity to him. I've been meaning to read this for a while, and I'm glad I finally did, because I do love linguistic playtime, but it won't stick with me like I'd expected / hoped.
eveliina's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A beautifully written semi-historical novel: the text is clearly written by an author (a linguist by trade) who has a true love for language.
asta's review against another edition
As a half Finn, who grew up with a strong identification with Finland but without a solid grasp of the language, I loved this book.
clutterclip's review against another edition
3.0
The plot of this book was not fantastic. You were just thrown into the life a some random people in wartimes without introduction or ever finding out for reel who the people were. What made me finish this book was the language. Wow! The scientific yet poetic way language is described with beautiful thoughts made this book for me. It was linguistics on a higher level, and I would highly recommend other linguistics to read this book for a chance to rediscover the love for language that draw people in.
catdad77a45's review against another edition
2.0
More like a 2.5 ... the prose (even in translation) is very good, but the plot (and plodding climax) never lives up to the intriguing premise. Mainly I was bored and should have abandoned this early on, as I was sorely tempted to do. Might have worked much better as a short story than a bloated 187 pages.
wmorrow's review against another edition
5.0
Crushingly sad, in the way that makes you want to roll it around you like a blanket and lie in it, let the sorrow wash over you and fill all the empty spaces inside you with more emptiness. Beautiful prose. Credit both to Marani's amazing writing and Landry's stunning translation.
This book is not meant for plot but for the ultimate character study, for what it means to be someone, what it is to have an identity or feel lost, to lack an identity. It is a look into the mind of a man who has lost his past and must start fresh, but in this way it reveals the struggle we all face: the struggle against our pasts, with our futures, to discover some unifying identity, some self in which to cling. We are all Sampo Karjalainen. If only he had known.
"What others remember of us is in fact nothing more than the effect that we have had on them. We spend our lives brushing up against our fellow humans without ever really knowing them. Even the knowledge we build up of those people and things which are dearest to us is purely matter-of-fact; we know them as the entomologist knows the butterflies he has pinned onto a sheet of balsa wood. We can describe the colour of their eyes or hair, we know them from a distance as they walk through a crowd, their features are instantly recognizable, as is their characteristic smell, or voice. Their absence makes us feel as though some part of us is missing. Yet they are never truly ours: Our wish to possess them in fact destroys them, denies them a life of their own. In our vain desire to soften the mystery of death, we seek to possess, to soak up as much love as we can, without realizing that in this way we are killing all that we think we love."
This book is not meant for plot but for the ultimate character study, for what it means to be someone, what it is to have an identity or feel lost, to lack an identity. It is a look into the mind of a man who has lost his past and must start fresh, but in this way it reveals the struggle we all face: the struggle against our pasts, with our futures, to discover some unifying identity, some self in which to cling. We are all Sampo Karjalainen. If only he had known.
"What others remember of us is in fact nothing more than the effect that we have had on them. We spend our lives brushing up against our fellow humans without ever really knowing them. Even the knowledge we build up of those people and things which are dearest to us is purely matter-of-fact; we know them as the entomologist knows the butterflies he has pinned onto a sheet of balsa wood. We can describe the colour of their eyes or hair, we know them from a distance as they walk through a crowd, their features are instantly recognizable, as is their characteristic smell, or voice. Their absence makes us feel as though some part of us is missing. Yet they are never truly ours: Our wish to possess them in fact destroys them, denies them a life of their own. In our vain desire to soften the mystery of death, we seek to possess, to soak up as much love as we can, without realizing that in this way we are killing all that we think we love."
sarahkomas's review against another edition
2.0
Alright, an interesting concept but poorlyish executed. Wouldn't read again. Translation from Italian was very good though1
triin's review against another edition
3.0
A good book for anyone with an interest in Finland. I liked the book before I even started reading it, as I knew it is about identity, learning a new language, Finland connections. It's well written. I can't really recommend it because I liked it for personal reasons. But it's a good book.
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