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edamamebean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
An excellent book and my first by Tove Jansson. I’m not sure how I went this long without reading one of her books, but this was exceptional. Very atmospheric, a little spooky. It reminded me of We Have Always Lived in the Castle in a lot of ways.
I found it interesting that the roles were almost reversed between these two women. Anna is elderly, but she’s very childlike and trusting. Her friends call her “Little Anna.” She keeps her parents’ house the way they like it despite the fact that they’ve been dead for years. Meanwhile, Katri is young but had to grow up very quickly in order to take care of her brother. She’s shrewd and cynical, and at times she takes an almost parental role with Anna. And even more odd, Anna seems to almost crave this parenting. It really is an expertly crafted story. There’s some fascinating symbolism, but it never feels heavy-handed.
Shout out to the ladies of the Books Unbound podcast and Kat Dennings for this recommendation!
Shout out to the ladies of the Books Unbound podcast and Kat Dennings for this recommendation!
sydneyedens's review
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
my first 5 star of the year!! finally!! lol at this point i think i would enjoy anything jansson wrote. so straightforward, profound, and minimalist but still makes me ponder over hidden meanings, bits of “truth.” i love literature that deals with art and the human condition!!
ljutavidra's review
4.0
Ovo mi se više dopalo od "Leta". Tuve baš ume da oslika atmosferu i to joj je najjači adut - sama radnja romana malo opada u drugoj etapi, ali i dalje sasvim solidna knjižica.
chd7's review against another edition
5.0
Different, it made you think about people’s actions and the consequences of those actions.
sumlittlebee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.5
underthejunipertree's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The distrust bred between Anna and Katri was unnerving! The eeriness of their interactions where both cannot admit the effect of the other brings about garbage on the ice, flashing yellow eyes, a dog's madness . It's uncomfortable to read because of how starkly the story brushes against the ethics of deception (e.g. What lies do you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?). This short story is so unexpectedly powerful, I hurried to finish.