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lannthacker's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know how I missed this author up to now but their mastery is jaw-dropping. This is a short read with tons of plot, but unlike a lot of plot-heavy stories, it's also full of beautiful language and emotional resonance. I obviously read a translation but can only assume it's a wonderful marriage between translator and text. Coming of age, and late in life ruminating, at its finest. It is worth noting that this is a very male-centric story and it contains many long wandering sentences, which I love.
mcoovert's review against another edition
4.0
It was so melancholy; a man reflecting on a summer with his father as a youth while contemplating his own mortality towards the end of life. It read a bit staccato for me, although I can't say if it is due to the translation or the style of the author. It does have one of the most beautiful phrases I have read in a long time: "A shipwrecked man without an anchor in the world except in his own liquid thoughts where time has lost its sequence."
eliathereader's review against another edition
3.0
Kimi zaman tuhaf, az konuşmalı, çok düşünmeli garip bir roman at çalmaya gidiyoruz.
ninjamunk's review
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.75
kristinvdt's review against another edition
3.0
Denne burde jeg lese på nytt. Husker den som fin, verken mer eller mindre. Men tror egentlig den er mer enn fin.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so understated that I think I need to reread it in a sensory deprivation tank. The writing is beautiful and the shifting between past and present works well. I was reminded of W.G. Sebald, with an emphasis on how the ravages of war affect those years later and exploring it diffusely. But where Sebald's books mysteriously get under one's skin by their conclusions, "Horses" never really accumulates that kind of force, and keeps it from being the classic many have claimed it to be.
livs___library's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
amysbrittain's review against another edition
3.0
I still have the images of Norwegian landscape in my mind, days after reading this book. Reminds me of Snow Falling on Cedars in that way--the landscape is an enormously important element.
This is the kind of book that would drive my mom crazy. Petterson's writing is very much blow-by-blow, to the point where I was sometimes exasperated or skimming the text, and sometimes with my mouth open in disbelief. Kind of like this imaginary example: "I chose the hammer with the worn handle, and I picked it up and grasped it and held its weight in my hand for a moment. Then I raised it and let it fall on the first nail. I surveyed what I'd done, then looked into the sky for a moment. Would it snow? I thought about fishing the next nail out of my pocket, but I didn't reach for it. Maybe in a moment." (Continue page-long discussion of hammering nail.)
There are also many, many mysterious and short-lived and not plot-centric ailments or seeming-ailments that suddenly pass and then aren't mentioned again. I kept thinking, is someone going to be caught in a jam out here in the wilderness, felled by an upset stomach and the lack of a phone to use to call for help. But no. Just obsession with lightheadedness, sore knee, etc. Huh?
The storyline wasn't riveting for me, yet Petterson's writing is beautiful in its exploration of the details of everyday life.
This is the kind of book that would drive my mom crazy. Petterson's writing is very much blow-by-blow, to the point where I was sometimes exasperated or skimming the text, and sometimes with my mouth open in disbelief. Kind of like this imaginary example: "I chose the hammer with the worn handle, and I picked it up and grasped it and held its weight in my hand for a moment. Then I raised it and let it fall on the first nail. I surveyed what I'd done, then looked into the sky for a moment. Would it snow? I thought about fishing the next nail out of my pocket, but I didn't reach for it. Maybe in a moment." (Continue page-long discussion of hammering nail.)
There are also many, many mysterious and short-lived and not plot-centric ailments or seeming-ailments that suddenly pass and then aren't mentioned again. I kept thinking, is someone going to be caught in a jam out here in the wilderness, felled by an upset stomach and the lack of a phone to use to call for help. But no. Just obsession with lightheadedness, sore knee, etc. Huh?
The storyline wasn't riveting for me, yet Petterson's writing is beautiful in its exploration of the details of everyday life.