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shmoley's review against another edition
5.0
Just a well written book. Feels good, in the end. Thank god! Drives in the horrors of war :-)
heeyitsamy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.75
Most of the time I really enjoyed this book but there were times the descriptions of certain events were quite graphic and hard to read. Overall, the characters and stories were interesting and engaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
gorecki's review against another edition
3.0
We, the Drowned is a compilation of the stories of people, places, and ships, that covers a period of almost a century and tells the story of a few thousand people. Starting off with the war between Denmark and Germany in 1846 and the story of Laurids Madsen, it curves forward in time through World Wars I and II and Madsen’s son Albert, his acquaintance with a young boy (grown man at the end of the book) Knud Erik, and the thousands of people living in Marstal – an important port and seafaring town in Denmark.
You can see how this book can be an interesting read with so many people and stories. It seems like things are dense and never stop happening and the events in this story always seem to develop really fast on the pages of Carsten Jensen’s novel. I must admit I was quite intimidated by the size of this book at first, but once I started reading it and noticed how readable and enjoyable the story is, I eased into it. And yes, for the first half of the book, I really did enjoy reading it and made fast and enviable progress.
After that, however, I grew a bit tired and weary. I’m afraid that as well as this book may be written, it started losing my interest and started making me feel a tad impatient quite soon. After a few hundred pages and after quite a few characters appeared, lived a life, died, and then other characters took over, I felt a bit like when you are sitting in a meeting that could have easily been an email and you are listening to someone talk on and on without actually saying much. While I understand and appreciate that this was the story of a whole marine town, maybe even a whole nation, and it actually does need to span such a long period of time and involve so many people, I personally feel I can enjoy a story a lot better if it’s more precise and condensed; more sparing with words and more detailed in its giving a glimpse into the life and experience of one individual (as opposed to a whole myriad of them). Had this been the story of Laurids or Albert Madsen, I would have given this book 5 stars. But unfortunately in this case, twice as much text, means a two-times lover rating. This simply comes from my own personal preferences as a reader – I suppose I should just accept I’m a fan of shorter fiction with a tighter storyline.
You can see how this book can be an interesting read with so many people and stories. It seems like things are dense and never stop happening and the events in this story always seem to develop really fast on the pages of Carsten Jensen’s novel. I must admit I was quite intimidated by the size of this book at first, but once I started reading it and noticed how readable and enjoyable the story is, I eased into it. And yes, for the first half of the book, I really did enjoy reading it and made fast and enviable progress.
After that, however, I grew a bit tired and weary. I’m afraid that as well as this book may be written, it started losing my interest and started making me feel a tad impatient quite soon. After a few hundred pages and after quite a few characters appeared, lived a life, died, and then other characters took over, I felt a bit like when you are sitting in a meeting that could have easily been an email and you are listening to someone talk on and on without actually saying much. While I understand and appreciate that this was the story of a whole marine town, maybe even a whole nation, and it actually does need to span such a long period of time and involve so many people, I personally feel I can enjoy a story a lot better if it’s more precise and condensed; more sparing with words and more detailed in its giving a glimpse into the life and experience of one individual (as opposed to a whole myriad of them). Had this been the story of Laurids or Albert Madsen, I would have given this book 5 stars. But unfortunately in this case, twice as much text, means a two-times lover rating. This simply comes from my own personal preferences as a reader – I suppose I should just accept I’m a fan of shorter fiction with a tighter storyline.
sfletcher26's review against another edition
3.0
This was a bit of a punt for me. It's not the sort of book of normally read but after seeing a glowing review by someone on Goodreads I thought I'd give it a go. I wish though I could give it as glowing a review.
It's good but for me it wasn't great.
I think part of my issue was the length of time it took me to read this brick of a book. Had i been able to give it more time I may well have appreciated it more.
It's good but for me it wasn't great.
I think part of my issue was the length of time it took me to read this brick of a book. Had i been able to give it more time I may well have appreciated it more.
clararolandbl's review against another edition
5.0
vidunderlig fortælling, der, uden at jeg kan sætte ord på hvorfor, alligevel tryllebundede min opmærksomhed igennem det næsten 700 siders lange maritime eventyr.
broomrider's review against another edition
4.0
I finished it and for the most part I loved it. Will add some thoughts later on.
meetmeinmalkovich's review against another edition
4.0
QUICK REVIEW
A fascinating tale of fortitude and endurance on the open ocean and the adventure of a Danish sailor, Albert Madsen. It can seem slow at times, but it's a book you should invest in, with a cup of tea perhaps to keep you warm as you read of sailors falling into the cold ocean.
A fascinating tale of fortitude and endurance on the open ocean and the adventure of a Danish sailor, Albert Madsen. It can seem slow at times, but it's a book you should invest in, with a cup of tea perhaps to keep you warm as you read of sailors falling into the cold ocean.
baubau's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kbhenrickson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
This book is challenging for me to review. It is a very long multigenerational saga made up of many stories from the interconnected lives of the residents of a small town in Denmark from the early 1800s until the end of World War II. Some of the stories are completely engrossing, some are a little tedious, many are a bit grim. It is told from a strange perspective - unnamed residents (we) observing all of the events or listening to first-person accounts being told by a different resident. Everything is filtered through a very male perspective - this is not a positive or a negative. The women characters, however, (of which there aren't many) tend to be either victims or manipulative (or both), which I found a bit tiresome. Overall, it's kind of a downer, but it is very well told. The audiobook narrator does an excellent job, and I'm glad I ended up listening to the book rather than eye-reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Murder
stuarthaynes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0