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annadirknowitzki's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It seems incredibly difficult to write about a relatively minor political fight in a way that is gripping. She does such a good job of writing a relatable, likeable, existentially lost character, of putting words to the existential dread many of us have experienced. Found this book at the right time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-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
This was very interesting and in a way similar to the two other books I have read by this author (Will and Testament and Is Mother Dead?), in the sense of the struggling and spiralling main female protagonist (with a bit of an alcohol problem), who thinks a lot about herself, but is still able to hide her actual problems from herself nevertheless. But is at the same time very different, because there are a lot of reflections on society and especially on working spaces and environments. Which is very rare in fiction and therefore I was very invested. Especially because it is talking about something as mundane as postal services and not something fancy like a digital agency or a publisher (yawn).
This story is hard to describe though and I don't think it is particularly necessary to do that. If you find the blurb sounds like something you might like, go and read an excerpt. If you don't like it right from the start, then this book is not for you. Since there is a particular tone, a particular atmosphere created you have to feel drawn to or you can put the book aside immediately.
For me this year Vigdis Hjorth became one of my new favourite authors. "Unhinged" women? So much better done by Hjorth than by Cusk or by Moshfegh in my opinion.
This story is hard to describe though and I don't think it is particularly necessary to do that. If you find the blurb sounds like something you might like, go and read an excerpt. If you don't like it right from the start, then this book is not for you. Since there is a particular tone, a particular atmosphere created you have to feel drawn to or you can put the book aside immediately.
For me this year Vigdis Hjorth became one of my new favourite authors. "Unhinged" women? So much better done by Hjorth than by Cusk or by Moshfegh in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
linguaphile412's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Suicide, Mental illness, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
savvylit's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Every now and then I encounter a novel where I love the writing and the concept, but the story as a whole falls flat for me somehow. Unfortunately, that was the case with Long Live the Post Horn! Vigdis Hjorth's prose is hypnotic and anxious. Conceptually, this novel is on a topic I love; it's about a woman waking up to the ills of capitalist society and developing working-class solidarity. Ellinor, the narrator, finds purpose in dedicating her time to a political campaign undertaken by Postkom, the Norwegian postal worker's union.
Though I love reading about existential crises and labor movements, Ellinor herself often lost my attention. Hjorth seems to keep Ellinor at arm's length from the reader for the entire novel. She's spiraling and that's clear, but Hjorth never develops much characterization outside of Ellinor's constant mental highs and lows. How can I connect with her journey if I barely know how she was before it began?
Though I love reading about existential crises and labor movements, Ellinor herself often lost my attention. Hjorth seems to keep Ellinor at arm's length from the reader for the entire novel. She's spiraling and that's clear, but Hjorth never develops much characterization outside of Ellinor's constant mental highs and lows. How can I connect with her journey if I barely know how she was before it began?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Toxic relationship
burnsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
5.0
A quirky book about a woman working for a PR firm in Norway, who has to take over a project regarding the Norwegian postal service after the death of a collegue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, and Suicide
kristenhg's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Miscarriage
svmreads's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide
keegan_leech's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
I couldn't put it down, perhaps because it feels as if reading just a part of it somehow tarnishes the experience. Each moment of despair only heightens the moments of hope and joy, each moment of joy is incomplete without acknowledging the ennui that comes before it. And to think such powerful emotional moments can come from a book about post!
I'd recommend it to everyone, particularly if you like the style of authors like Han Kang—simultaneously melancholy and hopeful. If nothing else, it's hard to describe the feeling it left me with without just reciting the whole book. So I hope you go discover it for yourself.
I'd recommend it to everyone, particularly if you like the style of authors like Han Kang—simultaneously melancholy and hopeful. If nothing else, it's hard to describe the feeling it left me with without just reciting the whole book. So I hope you go discover it for yourself.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Sexual content
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