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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kan möjligtvis inte rättfärdiga yttrandet, men detta är min favoritbok
This has been languishing on my shelves ever since I started working in the bookshop. I bought it as it was one of the recommended books in part of the initial training, an exemplar, but at the time I was still reading a relatively narrow range of genres.
I got the opportunity to throw it in my suitcase when we took a trip up to Edinburgh as it felt like it could be the perfect train read.
An episodic travelogue where we follow the journalist Vatanen as he sloughs his past and takes on a new future for himself to deal with his bone weary disappointment with his job, wife and life in general.
Each episode seems to be a completely random development from the previous interlude, and that’s exactly what each chapter feels like, an interlude as the new Vatanen is developing with the aid of the hare that he found at the start of the book. Each chapter has its own internal coherency but adds to the whole, eventually.
The story eventually turns back on itself to a brilliant conclusion, well-written and thoughtfully translated.
This isn’t the first book translated from Finnish that I’ve read and both have had that same sort of dry but very intricate use of humour which is really my taste, loved it!
I got the opportunity to throw it in my suitcase when we took a trip up to Edinburgh as it felt like it could be the perfect train read.
An episodic travelogue where we follow the journalist Vatanen as he sloughs his past and takes on a new future for himself to deal with his bone weary disappointment with his job, wife and life in general.
Each episode seems to be a completely random development from the previous interlude, and that’s exactly what each chapter feels like, an interlude as the new Vatanen is developing with the aid of the hare that he found at the start of the book. Each chapter has its own internal coherency but adds to the whole, eventually.
The story eventually turns back on itself to a brilliant conclusion, well-written and thoughtfully translated.
This isn’t the first book translated from Finnish that I’ve read and both have had that same sort of dry but very intricate use of humour which is really my taste, loved it!
Pick up a hare, abandon everything you ever knew and start wandering around whilst accidentally committing capital offenses. Vatanen is chill like that.
I didn't think this could ever be as high as a 4 star read for me but damn. It seems I'm vulnerable when it comes to dry and depressing humor. Vatanen and the rabbit really got to me and overall I feel like this book is a great example of finnish people and their behaviour.
Vatanen as a character was something so relatable- he remained passive throughout the book, figuring his life out in the silence with his dear piece of nature.
--
(a few quotes I just want to write up for myself)
"Anyone could live this life, he reflected, provided they had the sense to give up the other way of life"
"He cried, didn't know why, but the cry came, he caressed the bear's fur, the rabbit that rested in the bag with its eyes closed"
I didn't think this could ever be as high as a 4 star read for me but damn. It seems I'm vulnerable when it comes to dry and depressing humor. Vatanen and the rabbit really got to me and overall I feel like this book is a great example of finnish people and their behaviour.
Vatanen as a character was something so relatable- he remained passive throughout the book, figuring his life out in the silence with his dear piece of nature.
--
(a few quotes I just want to write up for myself)
"Anyone could live this life, he reflected, provided they had the sense to give up the other way of life"
"He cried, didn't know why, but the cry came, he caressed the bear's fur, the rabbit that rested in the bag with its eyes closed"
The adventures of a man and his hare. A charming but dry book about a man that escapes from the inhumanity of society by caring for an animal and living on short term jobs in the woods or in the countryside. His encounters with people are more or less pleasant, often weird, and they offer the reader a chance to reflect on the rules of society and the often irrationally mean behaviors of humans. A light reading, humorous but rarely funny, it offers chances to reflect, but only if reader desires it. Otherwise the strange succession of events can be simply enjoyed and smiled upon.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
This wasn't really my kind of book. I found the story to be a bit dull and the characters I could not get attached to or relate to in any way. It's good that it was a quick read but I don't think I'll be recommending it.