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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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and War
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.
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.
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: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
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.