Scan barcode
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.
lkthomas07's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t read many books that have been translated, so I feel like that in itself caused me to take a star off - more on me than the book itself.
The setting was lovely and I enjoyed how the book was written. I just wanted more. I had a lot of unanswered questions in the end.
I only picked this up bc I saw one line from it in a fanfic and it sounded just so lovely. I wasn’t let down on that end!
This was the quote, “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.”
The setting was lovely and I enjoyed how the book was written. I just wanted more. I had a lot of unanswered questions in the end.
I only picked this up bc I saw one line from it in a fanfic and it sounded just so lovely. I wasn’t let down on that end!
This was the quote, “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.”
arielamandah's review against another edition
5.0
Crystal-clear prose, deft organization/structure. Highly-readable.
To me, this book is what Banville's "The Sea" wanted to be but never achieved.
To me, this book is what Banville's "The Sea" wanted to be but never achieved.
margyly's review against another edition
4.0
Kate Gridley chose this for our new women’s book group. Beautiful if strange. Norwegian family drama, with logging.
baileyana's review against another edition
5.0
This multi-award winning Norwegian novel is an excellent, one-of-a-kind book. Trond, a 67yr old man, has retired alone with his dog in a cottage near the Swedish border. He recalls memories of a summer in the 1940s that had significant implications for his life. An excellently written page-turner, with lovely descriptions of Norwegian nature, farm work, and the emotions we experience alone as we go through life. A great read.
kbogdano80's review against another edition
3.0
We were going out stealing horses, Trond Sander remembers his friend Jon saying during the summer of 1948, when both boys were fifteen. Years later, an older Trond reflects on that day and that summer, which would prove to have drastic, devastating effects on both boys.
A quiet, sparse novel with beautiful writing, Out Stealing Horses shifts focus between present-day Trond, living along in a rustic cabin in an isolated area of Norway, and his memories and reflections of that fateful summer which changed his life.
A quiet, sparse novel with beautiful writing, Out Stealing Horses shifts focus between present-day Trond, living along in a rustic cabin in an isolated area of Norway, and his memories and reflections of that fateful summer which changed his life.
susanbrooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm kind of a sucker for stories where the main character sets out
to live by her/himself in a rustic setting and learn what they're made of
and reflect on their lives. So I loved the beginning, but as this Norwegian man reflected back on childhood events, I didn't quite see how it all fit together in the end. Beautifully written though.
to live by her/himself in a rustic setting and learn what they're made of
and reflect on their lives. So I loved the beginning, but as this Norwegian man reflected back on childhood events, I didn't quite see how it all fit together in the end. Beautifully written though.
emilyisreading2024's review against another edition
5.0
This book was on my "to read" list for quite a while and I had trouble bringing myself around to read it. Honestly, I thought it involved horses and was worried about it being a translation from Norwegian. Once I finally picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised right from the first page. As I continued reading, I discovered that it really doesn't involve horses (much) and that the language is beautiful. The book does not have a lot of action and alternates between the past and present as the narrator thinks back to a defining summer in his life. It is not at all confusing to keep up since the time periods are very distinct. I found a few parts of the book to be somewhat far-fetched, but it really didn't bother me and seemed necessary for the story to move along. I would definitely recommend this book.
bianca89279's review against another edition
4.0
Out Stealing Horses doesn't have much of a plot, but I didn't mind it in the least.
It's a very atmospheric novel. Petterson's writing, while relatively unadorned, managed to conjure vivid images of the landscape, the seasons, the rural and the city environments.
Certain events affect and shape us, and, possibly, alter our life's trajectory.
Sixty-seven-year-old Trond Sander, the narrator of this novel, reminisces about the summer of 1948, when his father disappeared from his life. The puzzle of that summer is still not completed five decades later.
This was a good little literary fiction novel, worth checking out.
It's a very atmospheric novel. Petterson's writing, while relatively unadorned, managed to conjure vivid images of the landscape, the seasons, the rural and the city environments.
Certain events affect and shape us, and, possibly, alter our life's trajectory.
Sixty-seven-year-old Trond Sander, the narrator of this novel, reminisces about the summer of 1948, when his father disappeared from his life. The puzzle of that summer is still not completed five decades later.
This was a good little literary fiction novel, worth checking out.
bookish_wendy's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautifully written books. Spare yet rich with emotion and a sense of place. I really loved this book.