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bexlrose's review against another edition
2.0
Well. What a pointless bloody book that was. 409 pages long with teensy writing and I finally got to the end and thought 'why?'. Why did I read it? Why did someone write it? One of the most average books I've ever read. Finishes with the line 'this story has no conclusion'. And that pretty much sums it up. Onto something better methinks.
lucycf's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
If Goodreads saw fit to give us half stars, this would be a solid 3.5, but as it is I couldn't quite give it a 4. I enjoyed the book and Smilla is an excellent character, but the last third of the book dragged for me. I got tired of the cryptic nature of everyone's actions and found myself waiting for the book to end. This did change in the last twenty or so pages and I found myself very intrigued with the ending. It made me think and suited the book far more than what I expected. Given my dislike of [b:Borderliners|429631|Borderliners|Peter Høeg|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174678373s/429631.jpg|2487402], I was very pleasantly surprised and pleased.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book in a book swap about a decade ago. I had heard of the movie, but never seen it and knew little about the story.
Smilla is a single 37-year old mathematician living in an apartment building where she has befriended a little boy who lives in the building. After the boy falls to his death from the roof of the building, Smilla starts her own investigation in what lead to the boy's death.
The mystery spans from Denmark to Greenland and has lots of strange twists. Smilla is an odd duck but in part that is what makes her carry on with her investigation even when many impediments are thrown her way.
I didn't quite understand what motivated Smilla, but I feel that the author intended it to be that way. She was meant to be unusual and a bit of an enigma. The story didn't go at all where I was expecting it to which was refreshing.
This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2020 Challenge task #3: a mystery where the victim is not a woman
Smilla is a single 37-year old mathematician living in an apartment building where she has befriended a little boy who lives in the building. After the boy falls to his death from the roof of the building, Smilla starts her own investigation in what lead to the boy's death.
The mystery spans from Denmark to Greenland and has lots of strange twists. Smilla is an odd duck but in part that is what makes her carry on with her investigation even when many impediments are thrown her way.
I didn't quite understand what motivated Smilla, but I feel that the author intended it to be that way. She was meant to be unusual and a bit of an enigma. The story didn't go at all where I was expecting it to which was refreshing.
This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2020 Challenge task #3: a mystery where the victim is not a woman
kobby34's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
2.0
2.5**
From the book jacket Smilla Qaavigaaq Jaspersen is part Inuit, but she lives in Copenhagen. She is thirty-seven, single, childless, moody, and she refuses to fit in. Smilla’s six-year-old Inuit neighbor, Isaiah, manages only with a stubbornness that matches her own to befriend her. When Isaiah falls off a roof and is killed, Smilla doesn’t believe it’s an accident. She has seen his tracks in the snow, and she knows about snow. She decides to investigate and discovers that even the police don’t want her to get involved.
My reactions
I really wanted to like this. It’s been on my tbr for ages and it fits a genre I usually enjoy: Psychological thriller / mystery with a strong female lead. And Smilla is definitely a strong female heroine. She’s a keen observer, tenacious, self-reliant, and intelligent. She’s also moody and distrustful, keeping herself somewhat closed off from those around her. And perhaps it’s that quality that made the book less appealing to me. I could never get to really know Smilla or care about her.
Høeg does have a way with words, however. His writing is very atmospheric; I could practically feel the cold, smell the briny sea air, or taste the food. A couple of examples:
“His pants have frozen into an armor of ice.”
“Toward the spot where the current has hollowed out the ice so it’s as thin as a membrane, a fetal membrane. Underneath, the sea is dark and salty like blood.”
“With whipped cream so fresh and soft and yellowish white, as if they had a cow standing in back of the bakery.”
And I think this passage perfectly describes Smilla and her philosophy:
“Whining is a virus, a lethal, infectious, epidemic disease.”
There are sections of the book that were mesmerizing, but many sections that just bored me to tears. And then it just ….. ends. With no real resolution. Even after finishing it I’m not sure I understand what happened. On the whole it was a chore to read, and it took me three weeks to finish it.
From the book jacket Smilla Qaavigaaq Jaspersen is part Inuit, but she lives in Copenhagen. She is thirty-seven, single, childless, moody, and she refuses to fit in. Smilla’s six-year-old Inuit neighbor, Isaiah, manages only with a stubbornness that matches her own to befriend her. When Isaiah falls off a roof and is killed, Smilla doesn’t believe it’s an accident. She has seen his tracks in the snow, and she knows about snow. She decides to investigate and discovers that even the police don’t want her to get involved.
My reactions
I really wanted to like this. It’s been on my tbr for ages and it fits a genre I usually enjoy: Psychological thriller / mystery with a strong female lead. And Smilla is definitely a strong female heroine. She’s a keen observer, tenacious, self-reliant, and intelligent. She’s also moody and distrustful, keeping herself somewhat closed off from those around her. And perhaps it’s that quality that made the book less appealing to me. I could never get to really know Smilla or care about her.
Høeg does have a way with words, however. His writing is very atmospheric; I could practically feel the cold, smell the briny sea air, or taste the food. A couple of examples:
“His pants have frozen into an armor of ice.”
“Toward the spot where the current has hollowed out the ice so it’s as thin as a membrane, a fetal membrane. Underneath, the sea is dark and salty like blood.”
“With whipped cream so fresh and soft and yellowish white, as if they had a cow standing in back of the bakery.”
And I think this passage perfectly describes Smilla and her philosophy:
“Whining is a virus, a lethal, infectious, epidemic disease.”
There are sections of the book that were mesmerizing, but many sections that just bored me to tears. And then it just ….. ends. With no real resolution. Even after finishing it I’m not sure I understand what happened. On the whole it was a chore to read, and it took me three weeks to finish it.
hannaem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
duncan_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book reads painfully slowly at points. Everything is described in so much detail that it can be hard to read when tired. However, some things are beautifully described and the author possesses a deep understanding of many topics which are fun to learn about for those with curious minds. The plot is very interesting.
enclose9698's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0