Reviews

My, utonulí by Carsten Jensen

sve100's review against another edition

5.0

Първата по-дебела книга, която си спомням, че зачетох някъде на 7-8 години беше „Капитани на фрегати“. Помня задушните следобеди при баба ми и как бавно, но уверено напредвах през страниците. Мисля, че точно това беше моментът, в който се влюбих в четенето.
Започнах да чета „Ние, удавниците“ с очакването, че ще се насладя на подобни истории за морски битки и приключения.
Но тази книга се оказа нещо повече – цял един свят – необозрим и непредвидим.

Още няколко думи в блога -> https://dateareader.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/спасението-на-удавниците/

spopovic's review against another edition

5.0

Right up there with My Name Is Red from Orhan Pamuk as my favourite book ever.

eososray's review against another edition

3.0

There was a fair amount of interesting history contained in this book. Being typically restricted to English speaking countries in my historical fiction picks, it was great to get a Scandinavian setting.
I wasn’t a fan of the multiple separate generation stories that only really came together in the story at the end. It felt too long and drawn out, thus losing my attention and interest for large chunks of the narration. The characters were, for the most part, unlikeable. And while this is not always a problem for me, in this case it was.
It was really a 2 star book for me but good writing and an appealing setting got it an extra star.

jacijo's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

mcrammal's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A beautiful book that I will return to again and again, no doubt. The writing style was so immersive, you as the reader are immediately swallowed up into the world Jensen created. The narrator being the people of Marstal and the constant use of the pronoun “we” makes you feel connected to the characters in a way you don’t in other novels. A very wonderful tale. 

traceyreads2's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

I have an odd interest in novels and non fiction that takes place on ships. While there were a couple of brief moments in the book that I personally felt were either unnecessary or could of been written in a slightly different context I still enjoyed the vast majority of the story and would read more from this author in the future.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Rape, and Slavery

Minor: Alcoholism and Murder

lou_weed's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

bookjin's review against another edition

4.0

This is a fantastic book. The narrative voice takes a little getting used to, but it's so beautifully written (and so beautifully translated) that it's easy to lose yourself in the story.

The novel spans the course of about a century, with a focus on three generations of men -- Laurids Madsen, his son Albert, and Albert's mentee Knud Erik. The cast of characters is actually quite large, as the entire town's story is really being told here, but it mostly follows those three men as they grow up and go to sea. Now that I'm looking back on it, I feel a little bit as if I've read three books instead of one, just with how much time passes and how much happens to each man. Which is hardly a bad thing; I thoroughly enjoyed all three.

zealot_of_apathy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

rach_eb's review against another edition

5.0

I can't think of the proper adjectives to describe this incredible novel. Thrilling, haunting, epic, and magnificent all come to mind, but I believe that the best way to describe this book is by saying that it is much like its main character, the sea. It takes you to breathtaking highs and gut-wrenching lows; it is unpredictable, brutal, and above all, a glorious adventure that was an absolute, heartbreaking pleasure to read.