Reviews

The Fall of the King by Johannes V. Jensen

melguld's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

chilotte's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cilie's review against another edition

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  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

Der var tider hvor jeg synes Kongens Fald var god, men jeg havde virkelig mange issues med den:
1) Den var meget ujævn i tempo og sprog - nogen gange hurtig, fortællende og ligefrem andre gange lyrisk, dvælende og kedelig
2) Der var mange små scener og sidehistorier der virkede malplaceret, mystificerende og som aldrig fik indflydelse på det generelle plot
3) Kvindesynet er horribelt - havde den ikke været så gammel havde jeg DNF'et i scenen med Susanna og Otte - "hun ville jo godt alligevel" er ikke et synspunkt der trænger til udbredelse

Alt i alt synes jeg den var noget rodet og jeg ville virkelig godt kunne sige at den røde tråd var blevet klar mod slutningen, men det skete aldrig. Dog var der steder hvor den kunne noget og scener der var velskrevet, men den var altså ikke for mig.

morteno's review against another edition

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51% var hvad jeg magtede - under meget pres fra mig selv (og Peder).

At det skulle være den bedste danske bog nogensinde er mig en kæmpe gåde. Jeg tænker at der er gået dansk/engelsk-undervisning i den, hvor intet er for småt til at blive overfortolket. "Bogen viser det danske vægelsind" og bla bla bla.

Sproget dræbte mig konstant, dens indirekte måde at fortælle på gjorde det ikke for mig, og personerne var ikke spændende.

Til gengæld var det sjovt at høre et par DR podcasts om bogen, for at forstå hvad andre så i den.

ckjaer88's review against another edition

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2.0

Finurlig historie, men jeg har ingen idé om hvad manden vil sige med historien. Det gamle sprog er forståeligt, men lidt tungt at læse.

pleasejustletmeread's review against another edition

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3.0

3,5 stars. Historically really interesting, and worth diving into if you want to know more about a lot of different types of people in the late middle ages in Denmark and Sweden. Off course fiction so not entirely accurate, but still..
Plotwise a bit boring here and there.

stinchen_holt's review against another edition

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4.0

Selv om romanen er mørk, dyster og tragisk var den virkelig en fryd at læse. Johannes V. Jensens sprog er magisk, og jeg blev flere gange bevæget af hans naturbeskrivelser, overjordiske tillokkelser og poetiske vendinger. Ligemeget om han beskriver drømme, hesteslagtning, fisketure, nordiske myter eller voldtægter, gør han det konsekvent i samme skarpe sprog og korte, kontante sætninger, som krydres med overraskende sammenligninger og musikalsk rytme, som driver sproget fremad i et støt tempo - noget, som romanen vinder stort på med sit forholdsvis indholdsløse plot og usentimentale karakterpalette.
Ikke desto mindre gjorde det ondt at læse om Mikkels forfald. Meningsløsheden gennemsyrer ham, og man mærker som læser den livssmerte og fortabelse, som Johannes V. Jensen nådesløst insisterer på. Og alligevel formår han at skabe humor og overraskelse, når han eksempelvis beskriver hvordan de døde rejser sig fra graven og finder deres kære i det selv samme sprog.

haazex's review

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5.0


Sunset Over a Danish Fjord by Peder Mork Monsted

Human Destiny and the Claws of Time
This was quite a journey into the heart of Danish literature. I'm embarrassed to write that I had never heard about Jensen or this novel as I grew up in Sweden. It makes no sense to me that nobody ever mentioned it, assigned the novel or somehow incorporated this Nobel Prize winner into the curriculum. As I started out I did not exactly enjoy the writing style nor the story line, but it quickly grew on me. Jensen has accomplished something unique with his novel with a focal point on a man's life within the tumultuous 16th century within the kingdom of Denmark. One senses the immensity of destiny connecting all life through time and space. The more I read the more I enjoyed the novel. Jensen has a tendency to invoke the landscape, its sounds and flavor with storms and seasons revolving around human destinies. Gateways of mythical connections appear over and over throughout the story. An unpredictable swirl of human destiny prevails as time unfolds. As I completed the novel I started to understand why the Danes regard this work so highly. I had moved my internal rating from three to five stars as I moved deeper and deeper into the story. I sensed a similarity to Hamsun and Laxness in Jensen's work.
The translation was excellent! I can imagine the challenges faced by the translator as he tackled the nuances of the work. This is definitely a novel that I will revisit in a few years or so. Highly recommended!

marcusuhre's review against another edition

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5.0

……………….



homonculus…

cardbuck1720's review

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5