Reviews

Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell

pattieod's review against another edition

4.0

Plot: not much
Likable hero: not really
Ends tied up by end of book: only sort of

And yet Mankell is such a good writer that it still holds the interest.

My only complaint is that the first person narrator keeps describing how he "let the dog out" or "let the cat out" and I am distracted, wondering if he's going to let them in again, or leave them out there to freeze (given that some wild animals freeze to death on his cold, northern island).

nike_'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mellanclear's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

redsoxjedi's review against another edition

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a lovable curmudgeon who has kept almost completely to himself on his ancestral family island in the fjords of Sweden for the last 12 years. Learn about how he came to be on the island, his past love and how he starts to reawaken.

casehouse's review against another edition

3.0

I read this because a member of my book club called it one of her favorite books. It looked promising from the start - thoughtful and atmospheric. It's definitely about the character development - what plot there is is slow-moving and bizarre at points. The characters aren't sympathetic, though. And there's some really out-there gross stuff - lots of death (peripheral to the story in many cases - meant to make some kind of dark point).

mazza57's review against another edition

2.0

I am being generous giving this two stars but it wasn't awful. There were too many plot lines generally unbelievable and not really going anywhere productive. Characterisation was bland

ajsterkel's review against another edition

2.0

I didn’t think it was possible, but this novel might have too much death for me. Everything that comes to the main character’s private island ends up dying, even the wildlife. It gets depressingly repetitive. I understand what the author was going for: The main character has isolated himself so much that he’s not really living anymore. This book is the story of him reclaiming his life. That’s great, but I had a hard time believing some of the characters’ behavior. The main character is insufferably selfish. If you need likeable main characters, you should probably avoid this one. It is well-written and atmospheric, though.


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karolina_numm's review against another edition

5.0

Really interesting and unique book for me. The author managed to capture the atmosphere so great! There is actually quite a lot happening and there were many surprising moments. It made me think a lot about the fundaments of human being.

bougainvillea's review against another edition

1.0

Ok, I think I started this over a year ago. I think it's safe to say I won't finish it. Did not like.

twinofarabella's review against another edition

inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0