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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This is fast and fantastic and just the kind of gentle escapism I was looking for this week. I pulled it off a library shelf completely randomly, was encouraged by the “International Bestseller” banner on the cover, and was sold by the first sentence of the foreword: “Which of us has not had that wonderfully seditious idea: to play hooky for a while from life as we know it?”
This isn’t ha-ha funny or sanctimonious in the way a lot of off-the-grid books can be, and it was just so nice to read about someone making decisions without much of an agenda (neither in his world nor in ours). It’s not a book about what to do or how to be (or about what *not* to do or how *not* to be) but just about what can happen if you indulge your curiosity and follow where life leads you (a bit like Alice following her own rabbit, perhaps?). It reads like good popular journalism and gave me a pleasant zen-like feeling of detachment and I really enjoyed it. What a nice surprise from a Finnish novel from 1975.
This isn’t ha-ha funny or sanctimonious in the way a lot of off-the-grid books can be, and it was just so nice to read about someone making decisions without much of an agenda (neither in his world nor in ours). It’s not a book about what to do or how to be (or about what *not* to do or how *not* to be) but just about what can happen if you indulge your curiosity and follow where life leads you (a bit like Alice following her own rabbit, perhaps?). It reads like good popular journalism and gave me a pleasant zen-like feeling of detachment and I really enjoyed it. What a nice surprise from a Finnish novel from 1975.
I never read Life of Pi, but I imagine this is a Finnish sort of Life of Pi with a man and a hare in the woods instead of a man and a tiger on a boat. I hear Life of Pi is profound and spiritual and all that stuff; well, The Year of the Hare is not. It's absurdist, repetitive, tedious, not funny, and seemed to lack a point. Also, that masculine bullshit with the bear pissed me off. The bear was running away from you: LEAVE IT ALONE.
A story of about a man and his animal companion and the bond of friendship they share intrigued me. However, as I read through the hodgepodge of uninteresting events, I realized this wasn’t as much a story but a collection of disjointed events. I lost interest in the character himself as he seems to hold no significant values only to just walk away from his problems. He befriends an injured hare and then cruelly kills other animals for no other reason but revenge. Thankfully, it was easy to read and short.
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Perhaps „picaresque“ and „novel“ is a bit over the top, but definitely a good piece. A funny mix of allegory and sarcasm. The translation into English is not the best, a really bizarre decision to take British pounds as the Finnish currency…
i think i'd actually give this 3.5 stars :)
it's quirky - a fun charming little book.
i love the idea of a lost and sad man finding a hare that becomes his companion and his means of escaping his miserable life. a tale of a man finding himself and nature through the back woods of Finland. absurd in the right way this book was a perfect short read and had me smiling on several occasions.
it's quirky - a fun charming little book.
i love the idea of a lost and sad man finding a hare that becomes his companion and his means of escaping his miserable life. a tale of a man finding himself and nature through the back woods of Finland. absurd in the right way this book was a perfect short read and had me smiling on several occasions.
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
If you ever felt like quitting your job and running away but did not have the (proverbial) balls to do so, this book might be for you. If you want to dive into a country's people and nature, then this book might be for you. If you want to read a book that's easy to get through, which simply shows how pleasant life can be and does not ask you to think to deeply about life, the universe and everything, then this book might be for you. Three stars.