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agge's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
grät
italo_carlvino's review against another edition
4.0
Unto a Good Land is a really good follow up to the Emigrants. Moberg really knows how to convey the pain and struggles of emigration. He takes the time to delve into each character's soul. I am particularly struck by how he handles the character Ulrika. What could have been a one-note-misogynistic stereotype becomes fully realized and in this novel has a very satisfying character arc. Seriously, the conclusion to her story really moved me.
Some negatives come from when the Swedish authors in the 1950s writes about race and native Americans in the 1850s. There are problematic elements, and though one could argue Moberg is simply trying to portray the thoughts of the main characters, the writing can be problematic in this area. Also, the narrative did not feel quite as compelling as it did in the first novel.
But I am all and all well satisfied with this second entry in a thus far great series.
Some negatives come from when the Swedish authors in the 1950s writes about race and native Americans in the 1850s. There are problematic elements, and though one could argue Moberg is simply trying to portray the thoughts of the main characters, the writing can be problematic in this area. Also, the narrative did not feel quite as compelling as it did in the first novel.
But I am all and all well satisfied with this second entry in a thus far great series.
anton's review against another edition
4.0
Jag gillar känslan! Man mår så bra i lunken, det är så gemytligt. Känslan av att bygga upp något eget från scratch väcker något från barndomen. Det är skönt att det går så bra för utvandrarna också (än så länge åtminstone).
chuckri's review
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
febefelicia's review against another edition
5.0
Något av det bästa jag läst, helt klart en ny favoritbok. Jag kan inte beskriva med ord hur mycket jag bryr mig om karaktärerna i den här serien. ÅH! Något jag speciellt tyckte om i just den här boken var en kvinnlig vänskap som växte fram, ungefär det finaste jag läst om. Ser så mycket fram emot att fortsätta med Nybyggarna!
janssonemmaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marciapoore's review
5.0
I have a goal to read all the books in this tetralogy, which is about Swedish emigrants that come to North America and settle in the Minnesota Territory. The first book deals with Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife Kristina in Sweden and the difficult life they led there, which ultimately caused them to emigrate, along with 11 others. The second book starts with their arrival in New York in July 1850 and ends with the one-year anniversary of their departure from Sweden, April 14, 1851. The first book was slow reading, and I found that the second book dragged a bit at the beginning. However, once the Swedish emigrants arrived in Stillwater, Minnesota and began settling near Taylors Falls in the Minnesota Territory, I couldn't put it down. I find books about pioneers fascinating, and I marvel at how these people survived and thrived despite all the hardships they endured.
Six of my great-grandparents emigrated from Sweden (the other two from England), and, although they didn't seek land in an unsettled region of the Midwest but rather settled in Chicago, I still imagine that they had similar struggles. One of the struggles was finding contentment in their new home and not longing for their homeland. Kristina struggled with this more than the others, and one poignant moment in the last chapter is when she finally is able to confide her longing for Sweden to her husband. Karl Oskar admits that he, too, has had that longing come over him, but when he felt that way, he would tell himself, "One day our children will thank us for emigrating to America." He goes on to say that "she [Kristina] must think ahead, of their children, and their children's children in time, of all the generations after them. All the ones who came after would feel and think and say that she had done right when she moved from Sweden to North America." I am sure my great-grandparents felt that longing, and I would like to say to them that I am thankful that they emigrated. We now have five generations born in the USA and are grateful for the life we have here. But we still remember our Swedish ancestors and keep alive their memories in traditions handed down through the generations.
Six of my great-grandparents emigrated from Sweden (the other two from England), and, although they didn't seek land in an unsettled region of the Midwest but rather settled in Chicago, I still imagine that they had similar struggles. One of the struggles was finding contentment in their new home and not longing for their homeland. Kristina struggled with this more than the others, and one poignant moment in the last chapter is when she finally is able to confide her longing for Sweden to her husband. Karl Oskar admits that he, too, has had that longing come over him, but when he felt that way, he would tell himself, "One day our children will thank us for emigrating to America." He goes on to say that "she [Kristina] must think ahead, of their children, and their children's children in time, of all the generations after them. All the ones who came after would feel and think and say that she had done right when she moved from Sweden to North America." I am sure my great-grandparents felt that longing, and I would like to say to them that I am thankful that they emigrated. We now have five generations born in the USA and are grateful for the life we have here. But we still remember our Swedish ancestors and keep alive their memories in traditions handed down through the generations.
trashmountain's review against another edition
4.0
Stundom tråkig, ständigt gripande. Jag är nu ännu mer involverad i utvandrarnas öde och väntar med spänning tills nästa del landar i brevlådan.
beckyjenson's review
4.0
This sequel was as good as the first book. I'm having a hard time putting into words why this story is so compelling. It's quietly dramatic, has lovely pacing, and really great character development. The amount of work Moberg put into researching the history of this era is evident and appreciated.
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