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mrswhite's review against another edition
5.0
Melancholily beautiful, Per Petterson's Out Stealing Horses was widely hailed as one of the best books of 2007, and for very good reason - It was. In simple, unpretentious prose Petterson tells the story of Trond Sander, a elderly man who has purchased an old house in a secluded Norwegian village in the hopes of living out the remainder of his days in quiet solitude. But this isn't to be when Trond makes an unlikely discovery, one that "if this had been something in a novel it would have been irritating;" his nearest neighbor, Lars, happens to be the sibling of his closest childhood friend, a friend who disappeared from Trond's life after a terrible tragedy. Lars's presence sets off a torrent of memories reaching back as far as fifty years, and the novel is revealed through the ebb and flow of these often painful remembrances mixing with Trond's reclusive present.
Admittedly, if you're anything like me none of this sounds particularly exciting; however, Trond's story is inarguably compelling and moving. Out Stealing Horses is a quietly beautiful book written in a masterful manner - carefully, deliberately, without wasting a single word. And since this is one of those things that really must be experienced to be appreciated, here's my favorite passage (although Petterson certainly provided me with plenty to choose from):
People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is they fill in with their own feelings and opinions and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No-one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay, because they will talk about you no matter how much you squirm, it is inevitable, and you would do the same thing yourself.
Amen.
Admittedly, if you're anything like me none of this sounds particularly exciting; however, Trond's story is inarguably compelling and moving. Out Stealing Horses is a quietly beautiful book written in a masterful manner - carefully, deliberately, without wasting a single word. And since this is one of those things that really must be experienced to be appreciated, here's my favorite passage (although Petterson certainly provided me with plenty to choose from):
People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is they fill in with their own feelings and opinions and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No-one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay, because they will talk about you no matter how much you squirm, it is inevitable, and you would do the same thing yourself.
Amen.
envenv's review against another edition
5.0
“At Çalmaya Gidiyoruz” Per Peterson’un tanınmasını sağlayan en popüler kitabı olduğu için dilimize de ilk çevrilen, benim de okuduğum ilk kitabı.
Yakınlarını kaybedeli birkaç sene olmuş, 67 yaşında bir adamın yorucu kent hayatını artık geride bırakıp Norveç’in sakin orman köylerinden birisinde inzivaya çekilmesi ile başlıyor hikaye. Ama tabi aslında bu inziva, bir anlamda hikayenin sonu, çünkü inziva hiçbir zaman geçmişle hesaplaşmadan gerçekleşmez, en azından romanlarda.
Bu hesaplaşma anlarında arka planda ikinci dünya savaşı, Norveç’in Almanlara direnişi, baba-oğul ilişkisi de geriye dönüşlerle anlatılıyor. Çevirisi de çok başarılı, oldukça akıcı.
Belirli bir noktada artık geçmişiyle yüzleşip hesaplaşabilecek duruma gelmiş, geçmişi enine boyuna tartabilen, dürüstçe yargılayabilen, kendisini nihayetinde olduğu gibi kabul edebilmeyi başarabilmiş (başaramasa da en azından çabalayan) karakterleri anlatan romanları okumayı özellikle seviyorum ben. Kitap benzer kurgusu bakımdan George Orwell’in “Boğulmamak İçin”, Dag Solstad’ın “Mahcubiyet ve Haysiyet”, Kazuo Ishiguro’nun “Günden Kalanlar” ve “Beni Asla Bırakma” gibi daha önceden severek okuduğum kitaplarla da benzerlik taşıyor.
Yakınlarını kaybedeli birkaç sene olmuş, 67 yaşında bir adamın yorucu kent hayatını artık geride bırakıp Norveç’in sakin orman köylerinden birisinde inzivaya çekilmesi ile başlıyor hikaye. Ama tabi aslında bu inziva, bir anlamda hikayenin sonu, çünkü inziva hiçbir zaman geçmişle hesaplaşmadan gerçekleşmez, en azından romanlarda.
Bu hesaplaşma anlarında arka planda ikinci dünya savaşı, Norveç’in Almanlara direnişi, baba-oğul ilişkisi de geriye dönüşlerle anlatılıyor. Çevirisi de çok başarılı, oldukça akıcı.
Belirli bir noktada artık geçmişiyle yüzleşip hesaplaşabilecek duruma gelmiş, geçmişi enine boyuna tartabilen, dürüstçe yargılayabilen, kendisini nihayetinde olduğu gibi kabul edebilmeyi başarabilmiş (başaramasa da en azından çabalayan) karakterleri anlatan romanları okumayı özellikle seviyorum ben. Kitap benzer kurgusu bakımdan George Orwell’in “Boğulmamak İçin”, Dag Solstad’ın “Mahcubiyet ve Haysiyet”, Kazuo Ishiguro’nun “Günden Kalanlar” ve “Beni Asla Bırakma” gibi daha önceden severek okuduğum kitaplarla da benzerlik taşıyor.
shareen17's review against another edition
4.0
I am the type of person that sometimes skims over descriptions in books, but I loved every word of the beautiful descriptions in this book. I just really liked his style of writing. The book is about an old man looking back on a meaningful summer in his youth.
lujam'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
3.75
dustysummers's review against another edition
5.0
"People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all decisions you have made have turned you into what you are. What they do is they fill in with their own feelings and opinions and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No-one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay, because they will talk about you no matter how much you squirm, it is inevitable, and you would do the same thing yourself."
birdlaw91's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
mahra_almarar's review against another edition
4.0
"أنت بنفسك تقرر متى تتوجع " قال له والده ذات صيف.
قرأت هذه الروايه بالصدفة ولم أعلم أنني قد أتعلق بها كل هذا التعلق.
هل هيه ترجمة سُكينه ما تفعل بي هذا؟
أم هو ريف النرويج؟ ذكريات الصيف، رائحة خشب الأشجار حينما يتبلل بماء النهر الواقع عند حدود السويد
أم هو الإحساس الذي يشعر به المرء حين يدرك مرور الزمن.
حكاية تدخل إلى عمق روحك بهدوء ثم تقلب حكايتك كالعواصف.
قرأت هذه الروايه بالصدفة ولم أعلم أنني قد أتعلق بها كل هذا التعلق.
هل هيه ترجمة سُكينه ما تفعل بي هذا؟
أم هو ريف النرويج؟ ذكريات الصيف، رائحة خشب الأشجار حينما يتبلل بماء النهر الواقع عند حدود السويد
أم هو الإحساس الذي يشعر به المرء حين يدرك مرور الزمن.
حكاية تدخل إلى عمق روحك بهدوء ثم تقلب حكايتك كالعواصف.