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amynhegg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
sofijakryz's review against another edition
4.0
I had never read any Icelandic literature before, so I was not sure what to expect. Probably, Scandinavian noir.
Turned out that Arnaldur Indridason‘s „Jar City“ was a proper noir. With all the usual elements: a lonely, middle-aged detective – check, family problems – check, cold, gloomy environment – check, relatively innocent murder investigation turning into something way more complex and creepy – check.
The story begins kind of simply. Detective Erlendur ends up investigating a murder – a family from Reykjavik discover their neighbour dead. The murder would look like a usual crime but somebody leaves a note on the dead body. There are few clues on what may have happened. The dead man turns out to have been a loner; it does not look that this is burglary-gone-wrong. The only clue is an old photo of a gravestone with a name and a date.
This relative simplicity was something that made it interesting. Kind of reminded an early story on Wallander “Faceless Killers”. It is difficult for a reader to guess something; one ends up relying on Erlendur’s intuition and his investigation. The process of investigation is key here, with a search for clues, interrogations of potential witnesses and their memories. This investigation looked quite realistic – I would essentially imagine murder investigations playing out like that.
Indridason’s writing style is a bit minimalistic. Sentences, descriptions are short and to the point. There are some flashbacks on Erlendur’s past or family, although they are few and mostly scattered over descriptions of different situations. Perhaps except for the scenes where Erlendur sees his problematic daughter. There were some Nesbo-like dramatic scenes but Indridason does not go into dreary details so much. He sounds more realistic, down to earth and I liked that.
The story itself is not too bad, although I would have liked more hints for the readers, if only to try guessing things myself a bit more. It’s hardly possible to guess the culprit on your own – the readers end up relying on Erlendur and his understanding of situation. However, once that becomes clear, the very very last scenes become quite predictable.
I ended up reading through the book rapidly because it was so interesting to catch hints on what Iceland is like. Like depressive environment – it was pouring non-stop throughout the book. Like learning that as early as in October it is still dark around 8-9 a.m. and that it is already dark by 6 p.m. Like learning that when driving in a heavy downpour, one may end up in lava fields by accident… Low buildings (probably due to the earthquakes?). High consumption of lamb (characters frequently eat head of a sheep or lamb pate). Sailing/ships being a thing. Everyone knowing someone somebody knows. Names, like Ragnar…
I would so love to see Iceland.
So yes, I am really keen to read further books on Erlendur.
Turned out that Arnaldur Indridason‘s „Jar City“ was a proper noir. With all the usual elements: a lonely, middle-aged detective – check, family problems – check, cold, gloomy environment – check, relatively innocent murder investigation turning into something way more complex and creepy – check.
The story begins kind of simply. Detective Erlendur ends up investigating a murder – a family from Reykjavik discover their neighbour dead. The murder would look like a usual crime but somebody leaves a note on the dead body. There are few clues on what may have happened. The dead man turns out to have been a loner; it does not look that this is burglary-gone-wrong. The only clue is an old photo of a gravestone with a name and a date.
This relative simplicity was something that made it interesting. Kind of reminded an early story on Wallander “Faceless Killers”. It is difficult for a reader to guess something; one ends up relying on Erlendur’s intuition and his investigation. The process of investigation is key here, with a search for clues, interrogations of potential witnesses and their memories. This investigation looked quite realistic – I would essentially imagine murder investigations playing out like that.
Indridason’s writing style is a bit minimalistic. Sentences, descriptions are short and to the point. There are some flashbacks on Erlendur’s past or family, although they are few and mostly scattered over descriptions of different situations. Perhaps except for the scenes where Erlendur sees his problematic daughter. There were some Nesbo-like dramatic scenes but Indridason does not go into dreary details so much. He sounds more realistic, down to earth and I liked that.
The story itself is not too bad, although I would have liked more hints for the readers, if only to try guessing things myself a bit more. It’s hardly possible to guess the culprit on your own – the readers end up relying on Erlendur and his understanding of situation. However, once that becomes clear, the very very last scenes become quite predictable.
I ended up reading through the book rapidly because it was so interesting to catch hints on what Iceland is like. Like depressive environment – it was pouring non-stop throughout the book. Like learning that as early as in October it is still dark around 8-9 a.m. and that it is already dark by 6 p.m. Like learning that when driving in a heavy downpour, one may end up in lava fields by accident… Low buildings (probably due to the earthquakes?). High consumption of lamb (characters frequently eat head of a sheep or lamb pate). Sailing/ships being a thing. Everyone knowing someone somebody knows. Names, like Ragnar…
I would so love to see Iceland.
So yes, I am really keen to read further books on Erlendur.
sanchan's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
krobart's review against another edition
1.0
Jar City is a police procedural from the Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indriðason, who has received several awards for his books. Although I found the plot interesting, I have several criticisms of this novel. Within a few pages, I noticed a choppy, sometimes clumsy writing style. I was unable to guess whether the poor writing was the fault of the translator or the writer. Although Inspector Erlendur was developed as a character, all the other characters were pretty flat. I got no sense at all of the personalities of his fellow investigators, for example. What is more of a shame, I also got no sense of Iceland as a country or the Icelandic as a people (or even any individual Icelanders), which is one reason I like to read books from other countries.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/jar-city/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/jar-city/
jennaorava's review against another edition
4.0
Plot 4, lite förvirrande ibland
Characters 3,5
Writing 4
World-building 5, älskar alla miljöer på Island!
Enjoyment 4
Characters 3,5
Writing 4
World-building 5, älskar alla miljöer på Island!
Enjoyment 4
oblivione's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lizgrim's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoy Scandi / Nordic thrillers and saw this book in "the 50 best modern crime novels" in the Times Saturday Review of 2017. I really enjoyed it and will look for books in this series.
naranjadia's review against another edition
4.0
This Icelandic mystery shares the spare, telegraphic style of many Scandinavian police procedurals. And while it seems like you are being kept at arms length, you will be surprised by the end of the novel how much you know and care about the protagonist.
This novel uses the setting of Iceland not just as the place, but also as an integral part of the story. I learned a lot about a country I don't often hear about.
Definitely recommend.
This novel uses the setting of Iceland not just as the place, but also as an integral part of the story. I learned a lot about a country I don't often hear about.
Definitely recommend.
nuthatch's review against another edition
5.0
This is an unusual mystery set in Iceland. The plot could only take place in an isolated place with a very small homogeneous population. Highly recommended for fans of Henning Mankell.
dee9401's review against another edition
2.0
I was looking forward to trying another Scandinavian mystery, especially one set in a city that I actually visited back in 2000. The premise of the book was interesting but there was very little character development beyond two-dimensional characters and stereotypes of victims and perpetrators. The characters never jumped off the pages and sometimes acted in ways that furthered the plot rather than reflecting their back history. An example of the latter is every appearance of Erlendur's daughter, Eva Lind. Over time, she might have changed her attitude towards her father, but not at the pace set by the author. As for the story itself, it seemed a little melodramatic and overly complex and then tidied up too quickly in the end.
I gave the story two stars ("It was ok") since I truly wanted to read to the end and I wasn't shaking my head all the time. It was a quick read to boot.
I gave the story two stars ("It was ok") since I truly wanted to read to the end and I wasn't shaking my head all the time. It was a quick read to boot.