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sophronisba's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed this book but I can see how other people might not. I think it helps to go into it fully aware that organization essentially doesn't exist. It's a guy telling stories about Scandinavia, and sometimes he's going to pause and pursue a tangent about the bar he's currently drinking in, and if you're in the mood to hang out and listen it's delightful and perceptive and occasionally beautiful and if you're not in the mood it's completely insufferable.
Also, there is a play in the middle, which you will either love or loathe, depending on your mood.
Also, there is a play in the middle, which you will either love or loathe, depending on your mood.
rachelwilbury's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting information, horrible book. Chapters weave ideas together and Ferguson doesn't connect the dots. Too much of it is extraneous detail about what he was drinking and what the bar he was in looked like when some alcoholic friend of his told him a long, detailed (almost encyclopedic!) story about some Scandinavian figure from years gone by.
When I got to the middle of the book and there was a PLAY, I was disgusted. It felt like the final straw in a book that was already darting wildly around. But it actually turned out to be one of the better parts.
Most frustrating: the book is very male-centric, and the portrayals of women are flat. His partiality for Norway, especially over Sweden, is thinly veiled. Very difficult to get through.
When I got to the middle of the book and there was a PLAY, I was disgusted. It felt like the final straw in a book that was already darting wildly around. But it actually turned out to be one of the better parts.
Most frustrating: the book is very male-centric, and the portrayals of women are flat. His partiality for Norway, especially over Sweden, is thinly veiled. Very difficult to get through.
h2oetry's review against another edition
5.0
Engaging writing covering the broad scope of Scandinavia
tomaustinggmailcom's review against another edition
1.0
One of the most tedious, self-indulgent, meandering books I've ever had the misfortune to read.
12roxy's review against another edition
3.0
Four stars for the idiosyncratic ramble through Scandinavian history and geography, two for the snarky close encounters with various Scandinavian authors of note, whose time and tales Ferguson takes eagerly, only to later skewer something (clothing, manners, drink, writing skills...) about them.
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