Reviews

The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am by Kjersti A. Skomsvold

mortemautgloria's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

sofsofbinks's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. It's a slow paced one about aging and nearing death, about love and loneliness. It sounds depressing but what I loved about it is that in the end it wasn't at all what you'd expect of such a book. I found myself both nearing tears and laughing out loud, the main character was whimsical and fun and excentric at times, and sad, insightful and lovely at others. The small and normal things of life took such a grand meaning when described throughout the character's point of view, which made the book a real page turner even though there's nearly no action to it. It is grand and ridiculous at the same time, and tells us so much about the small things in life. A definite 5 stars for me, for a perfectly balanced and interesting book !!!!!

reneete's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

A ninety-year-old main character that has the inner monologue of an antisocial teenager and is so obviously written by someone much younger, which throws off the entire narration. And makes it annoying and difficult to get through.

endaglivet's review against another edition

5.0

çok başkaydı... dokundu.

jonfaith's review against another edition

4.0

During the early 1990s I looked forward to Saturday nights. I worked two full time jobs to pay off debts and found myself working six days a week. At my local pub, I assembled a writing group and for several months, it was the focal point of my week, hell, my existence. Blame it on youth but I would alternate between Guinness and espresso throughout the night, argue until I was hoarse and then go home in the wicked light of morning, clothes reeking of smoke. Most of the group's efforts I have chosen to forget. One of my own lingers. It was an attempted insight into my grandmother, who then lived in a retirement community. My grandmother Stella has been the only bookish person in my family aside from myself. I was curious what she thought of life, her husband had died a few years before and there she was. She couldn't drive and was a terrible cook: in fact, we adjusted Thanksgiving to pizza from papa Johns for a number of years before she died. We never spoke of her ambitions and what she felt at the twilight of her life.

I really tried with that one piece I wrote for the group. It mimicked the closing monologue from Ulysses which I browsed in Ellmann's biography.

My attempt was brought to bear yesterday when I bought Skomsvold's novel yesterday. It is a fairly easy novel to climb into and the truth revealed isn't pretty but it is quite real. It also might be a likely outcome for my own life. I bought myself a collection of Deanna Durbin films as my grandmother had always lauded her. I have been deliberate in my approach. I want each of them a framing distance. I think this novel will fill in some of those blank margins.

If forced, I'd give it 3.5 stars; it did bruise despite its sleight approach.

venusinlove's review

i started reading this one at work, which might be why i disliked it so much. i mean, it did have some good points and many sad anecdotes but i saw a comment calling the woman "an old hag" and i cannot look back. 

i'm not having a good time so i'm dropping it, i have far more interesting things to read atm. sorry, grandma.

howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition

5.0

Lyrical, emotional prose without being too wordy or sentimental. Mathea is one of the most unique characters I've ever met in fiction. The way her world is presented to the reader is innovative yet simple. Sentences alternately made me feel sad for what she lost or never had, feel happy because she was delighted by so little, or laugh because she had such a wonderful way or viewing the world. It might take a few pages to feel surrounded by her world, but it is definitely worth a read.

madde22's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

hema_madavan's review

3.0

My first Norwegian Literature! yay! The reviews posted here have covered everything already. I liked how subjects of facing death, being lonely and being afraid of living life are handled with humor mixed in. This is not a page-turner, especially when you are not in the frame of mind to tackle these subjects. I just wanted to visit a foreign country without travelling. It is bittersweet, charming and, thankfully, a short read.

In India, it is available on Storytel in ebook format. Paperback and ebook formats are both expensive to purchase.

eminchica's review against another edition

2.0

Ova knjiga je idealna za jesenju, sumornu nedjelju a ja sam je čitala na plaži i jednostavno mi nije prijala. Možda samo pogrešno vrijeme, mjesto i raspoloženje...