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astroneatly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
christiek's review
4.0
This is a short book, but it demands to be read slowly and savored. A good demand, because the writing is wonderful.
celestemarin's review
3.0
Like his other books, it's well-written and gives insight into the less-perfect lives of people in Scandinavia than we like to imagine, which makes it rather bleak.
gabzbautista's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amysbrittain's review
Really liked "Out Stealing Horses." Couldn't get into this one and with a crush of library holds coming up at once, this one went by the wayside.
jdscott50's review against another edition
5.0
Many could compare It's Fine by Me with Catcher in the Rye, both sullen teenagers reacting to the lies of the world around him. Auden isn't like Holden though. He feels his pain and cuts himself off from everyone. Instead of reacting in a very angry and outward way, he turns inward and tries to give the appearance that he doesn't care. He does indeed care deeply. He is hurt and scared of the return of his alcoholic father. He is haunted by the death of his little brother. He doesn't show it though. When someone lets him down his only reply is, "It's Fine by Me."
I think what makes the story so powerful is the raw emotion. It isn't an outward expression but an internal burning, frustration, and helplessness. That feeling is what I liked about Out Stealing Horses. It's going over the past to try to find a way to heal from it. It never truly heals, but there is a hope of one day understanding it all. That's the journey in the story.
I've been searching for this story since Out Stealing Horses. I've read To Siberia and while that was good, it didn't have the same power. I Curse the River of time was awful. It didn't have as strong a family connection. It was more helpless flailing. It's Fine by Me is of the same caliber as Horses. It's just a fantastic story of the confusing teenage years coupled with a family coming apart and alcoholism.
Favorite parts
"I have never seen any ghosts. The ones that haunt me do not glide around at night wearing lace frocks, howling with grief." P. 67
If you are an alcoholic you're out of control. If you have no control you are finished. Then you spend the rest of your life walking through the valley of the shadow of death. You are the problem no one wants to solve. They give you a wide berth in the street, scurry behind the canned food when you're in the shop to buy beer. The woman at the cash desk is in a hurry. And then you die and no one gives a shit. P. 69
I'm supposed to be the tough guy in the class, the strongest, the best athlete and generally dour as shit. It just turns out that way. I don't know why. I stare back, they think I am strange, it's fine by me, they're like mist, I hardly see them. P.85
Quote 69, 85
I think what makes the story so powerful is the raw emotion. It isn't an outward expression but an internal burning, frustration, and helplessness. That feeling is what I liked about Out Stealing Horses. It's going over the past to try to find a way to heal from it. It never truly heals, but there is a hope of one day understanding it all. That's the journey in the story.
I've been searching for this story since Out Stealing Horses. I've read To Siberia and while that was good, it didn't have the same power. I Curse the River of time was awful. It didn't have as strong a family connection. It was more helpless flailing. It's Fine by Me is of the same caliber as Horses. It's just a fantastic story of the confusing teenage years coupled with a family coming apart and alcoholism.
Favorite parts
"I have never seen any ghosts. The ones that haunt me do not glide around at night wearing lace frocks, howling with grief." P. 67
If you are an alcoholic you're out of control. If you have no control you are finished. Then you spend the rest of your life walking through the valley of the shadow of death. You are the problem no one wants to solve. They give you a wide berth in the street, scurry behind the canned food when you're in the shop to buy beer. The woman at the cash desk is in a hurry. And then you die and no one gives a shit. P. 69
I'm supposed to be the tough guy in the class, the strongest, the best athlete and generally dour as shit. It just turns out that way. I don't know why. I stare back, they think I am strange, it's fine by me, they're like mist, I hardly see them. P.85
Quote 69, 85
jeanetterenee's review
3.0
What was it like to be a teenager in Oslo in 1970? For Audun Sletten, it's not a particularly pleasant life. He's a sullen young man, prone to drunkenness and apathy, and already quite defeated for one so young. We learn some of what made him that way as he alternates between present and past tense, telling stories from his 13th year in 1965 and his 18th year in 1970.
I have very much enjoyed some of Per Petterson's other novels, but I had to force myself to finish this one. The prose is up to Petterson's usual standards and the translation is excellent, but IT'S FINE BY ME is essentially plotless. The 1970 Audun drinks a lot, gets in fights, wanders the city aimlessly, and plays at radical politics. He goes to school, then drops out to take a dead-end job where he can't seem to stay out of trouble. He grieves for a lost brother, and lives in fear of the return of his abusive, alcoholic father. Audun's stories from 1965 give us more insight into the family dynamics that made him the way he is. I enjoyed the stories from his younger self a little more because he hadn't yet given up on the world and himself. He was still participating and trying to enjoy life.
If you've read IN THE WAKE and I CURSE THE RIVER OF TIME, you'll enjoy seeing Arvid Jansen as a youngster in this book. He's Audun's only friend, and he was the one bright spot in the story for me. Arvid sees Audun for what he truly is. He tells him, "Do you know something, Audun. Nothing's fine by you. Absolutely nothing." And he's right. We can only hope Audun will overcome some of his anger and stop keeping the world at bay. Otherwise he's doomed to remain miserable and directionless.
Those with a low tolerance for foul language may want to steer clear of this novel. The cursing is not excessive, but it's realistically regular throughout the book.
I have very much enjoyed some of Per Petterson's other novels, but I had to force myself to finish this one. The prose is up to Petterson's usual standards and the translation is excellent, but IT'S FINE BY ME is essentially plotless. The 1970 Audun drinks a lot, gets in fights, wanders the city aimlessly, and plays at radical politics. He goes to school, then drops out to take a dead-end job where he can't seem to stay out of trouble. He grieves for a lost brother, and lives in fear of the return of his abusive, alcoholic father. Audun's stories from 1965 give us more insight into the family dynamics that made him the way he is. I enjoyed the stories from his younger self a little more because he hadn't yet given up on the world and himself. He was still participating and trying to enjoy life.
If you've read IN THE WAKE and I CURSE THE RIVER OF TIME, you'll enjoy seeing Arvid Jansen as a youngster in this book. He's Audun's only friend, and he was the one bright spot in the story for me. Arvid sees Audun for what he truly is. He tells him, "Do you know something, Audun. Nothing's fine by you. Absolutely nothing." And he's right. We can only hope Audun will overcome some of his anger and stop keeping the world at bay. Otherwise he's doomed to remain miserable and directionless.
Those with a low tolerance for foul language may want to steer clear of this novel. The cursing is not excessive, but it's realistically regular throughout the book.
sshabein's review
4.0
Full of difficult beauty. When it comes to exploring melancholy, Petterson's one of the best.
(My full review appears on Glorified Love Letters.)
(My full review appears on Glorified Love Letters.)