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oliwija's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Den var alldeles för långtradig och den byggde upp en obehagskänsla bara för att få en bort från den genom att vara alldeles för långtradig. Tror personligen den hade blivit bättre och mer spännande och obehaglig att läsa om den kortats ner.
Språket var välskrivet men historien blev alldeles för långtradig och förde en bort från njutningen man hade av boken i början och gjorde att den var svår att ta sig igenom eftersom den var alldeles för långsam i sin takt. Sådana här böcker tycker jag borde ha ett fortare tempo, inte hela tiden, men mer än de var i denna. För att hålla en kvar vid de där obehagskänslorna.
Språket var välskrivet men historien blev alldeles för långtradig och förde en bort från njutningen man hade av boken i början och gjorde att den var svår att ta sig igenom eftersom den var alldeles för långsam i sin takt. Sådana här böcker tycker jag borde ha ett fortare tempo, inte hela tiden, men mer än de var i denna. För att hålla en kvar vid de där obehagskänslorna.
booksandkats's review
3.0
"Monsters. How could she possibly read that word without sneering? What she was looking for were hardly monsters, but still it was here among the monster researchers that she found her sympathisers...
'Monster' did not mean 'beast', it meant 'warning', from the Latin root 'monere'. It could also be interpreted as 'reminder'. The word 'monument' had the same origins.
But what was it a reminder of?"
I picked this up despite mixed reviews and am seriously glad I did. Stefan Spjut's "Stallo", translated from its original Swedish, is curious and clever in its combination of crime and horror with the Nordic folklore of the child-snatching, man-eating 'trolls' it expands on.
Despite it's lack of flowery description and its winding nature, Stallo is charming in a very normal way, and reads with all the nuances of the Swedish language despite being translated. It practically sparkles on the page with its blunt and 'everyday' ordinary depictions.
I absolutely loved this book though it's definitely not for everyone. Charming and magical but in no way fairytale, it leaves you with the question - in a world where the human and the not-so human live in the same land - who are the real monsters?
'Monster' did not mean 'beast', it meant 'warning', from the Latin root 'monere'. It could also be interpreted as 'reminder'. The word 'monument' had the same origins.
But what was it a reminder of?"
I picked this up despite mixed reviews and am seriously glad I did. Stefan Spjut's "Stallo", translated from its original Swedish, is curious and clever in its combination of crime and horror with the Nordic folklore of the child-snatching, man-eating 'trolls' it expands on.
Despite it's lack of flowery description and its winding nature, Stallo is charming in a very normal way, and reads with all the nuances of the Swedish language despite being translated. It practically sparkles on the page with its blunt and 'everyday' ordinary depictions.
I absolutely loved this book though it's definitely not for everyone. Charming and magical but in no way fairytale, it leaves you with the question - in a world where the human and the not-so human live in the same land - who are the real monsters?
zog_the_frog's review
2.0
Turgid! I struggled to finish this book. The writing is very heavy, but maybe this is more to do with it being translated from Swedish. I was determined to finish it, but I can't say I enjoyed it. What I did like was the first-person narrative from Susso's mother. That gave a documentary shift, almost a commentary to the book. However, it was not enough to lift a story that started to stagnate half way through. Too many characters who where never fully explained or expanded upon. Too many dull red-herrings. An interesting concept that never quite made it for me.
kat_nor's review
5.0
Folkloristen i mej jublar över denna välskrivna berättelse befolkad av varelser ur folktron, inte välvilliga, men inte heller nödvändigtvis illvilliga, i alla fall inte mer än vilda djur är illvilliga. Skrämmande, ja, och livsfarliga, definitivt, men ondskan står nog mer de mänskliga medhjälparna för, de som kidnappar barn och manipulerar och skrämmer folk till tystnad.
Definitivt läsvärd, och en bok jag kommer att rekommendera åt läsande vänner.
Definitivt läsvärd, och en bok jag kommer att rekommendera åt läsande vänner.
brian's review
2.0
Dull, tedious people in a dull, tedious landscape telling a dull, tedious story.
Nothing much happens in this until about 92% (on Kindle) of the way through. There's no explanation behind what has happened or why. Things are they way they are just because they are.
Nothing much happens in this until about 92% (on Kindle) of the way through. There's no explanation behind what has happened or why. Things are they way they are just because they are.
bookeared's review
5.0
I really enjoyed Stallo, but I was surprised to see it classified as horror (still baffles me). If I had seen that before starting to read it my expectations might have been quite different (and I may have felt disappointed). As it stands I read it as a mystery/modern folktale and it worked beautifully in that respect. If you read it as a meandering, contemplative, immersive myth-meets-modernity, you're likely to find it a great deal more successful than as a horror book I think.
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