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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Norwegian Novel
"You decide when it hurts"
Really interesting father figure--can't help but be attracted to even though severely flawed.
"You decide when it hurts"
Really interesting father figure--can't help but be attracted to even though severely flawed.
I kept waiting for something to actually happen. The dog was the best part.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Out Stealing Horses is the story of Trond, a man who sells his business in Oslo and retires to the woods without telling a soul, not even his two grown daughters. His isolation is a deliberate choice – one he’s clearly longed for and savors. In fact, he guards his privacy so carefully that he’s disturbed by even the most minor disruptions to his solitude, resenting the occasional appearances of neighbors and bemoaning necessary interactions with cashiers, mechanics, and others in his nearby town. Of those interactions, Petterson writes:
“People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is they fill in their own feelings and opinions and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No-one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay.”
In addition to sweating every social interaction he’s subjected to, Trond spends his days carefully restoring his old cottage, walking his dog Lyra, and slipping into the stream of old memories. Out Stealing Horses ping-pongs back and forth between Trond’s life as an aging man and his childhood summers spent at a cottage with his father. We read in equal measure about young Trond – exploring the woods with abandon, discovering his Dad’s secrets, and making formative friendships – and old Thoreau-like Trond – puttering about his kitchen, staring into space, and meticulously planning the rest of his lonesome life. What happened in the intervening 50 years is anyone’s guess, and those undiscussed years hang over the book like an unsolved mystery.
Though I'm an unabashed city person and relish living in a chaotic environment, I’m not immune to the romantic notion of stepping back into a simpler sort of existence. Like Marie Kondo or ASMR, Petterson’s book reads like a salve for modern life, an alternate reality of minimalism, quiet, order, and calm. But as the book progresses, that solitude begins to feel less like a triumph and more like a tragedy. On page one, Out Stealing Horses made me want to buy a tiny house deep in Connecticut. By page 200, it made me want to reach out and touch (or at least text) someone.
“People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is they fill in their own feelings and opinions and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No-one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay.”
In addition to sweating every social interaction he’s subjected to, Trond spends his days carefully restoring his old cottage, walking his dog Lyra, and slipping into the stream of old memories. Out Stealing Horses ping-pongs back and forth between Trond’s life as an aging man and his childhood summers spent at a cottage with his father. We read in equal measure about young Trond – exploring the woods with abandon, discovering his Dad’s secrets, and making formative friendships – and old Thoreau-like Trond – puttering about his kitchen, staring into space, and meticulously planning the rest of his lonesome life. What happened in the intervening 50 years is anyone’s guess, and those undiscussed years hang over the book like an unsolved mystery.
Though I'm an unabashed city person and relish living in a chaotic environment, I’m not immune to the romantic notion of stepping back into a simpler sort of existence. Like Marie Kondo or ASMR, Petterson’s book reads like a salve for modern life, an alternate reality of minimalism, quiet, order, and calm. But as the book progresses, that solitude begins to feel less like a triumph and more like a tragedy. On page one, Out Stealing Horses made me want to buy a tiny house deep in Connecticut. By page 200, it made me want to reach out and touch (or at least text) someone.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Simply good storytelling in a beautiful sparse style. Not a word is wasted. I'm always a sucker for father-son stories, but I liked the present-day lonely old-man narrator part of the story even more.
This was a highly anticipated read for me. It's a book that friends and family have recommended. My first thoughts while reading it was that I am glad I did.
It's a compelling story that is revealed bit by bit, in slowmotion, almost backwards. As soon as you think you know what is happening, the story is changing the perspective of the situation. This is what kept me reading.
A story of growing up, drama, relationships and ultimatly understanding why we are on this earth. Enjoy!
It's a compelling story that is revealed bit by bit, in slowmotion, almost backwards. As soon as you think you know what is happening, the story is changing the perspective of the situation. This is what kept me reading.
A story of growing up, drama, relationships and ultimatly understanding why we are on this earth. Enjoy!
When I was in the book store reading all the accolades in the front and back of this book I figured it was a sure thing to be a good book in my eyes. Well, let's just say it fell a tad short.
The first half moved at a nice clip and I was optimistic. It was interesting and held your attention but wasn't riviting. I like to compare it to listening to an elderly family member or neighbor recounting a tale from their youth that was interesting but a part of you acted like you were really enjoying the tale out of courtesy. It drew you in just enough that you didn't feel the need to make an excuse to cut it short. Unfortunately, you then reach the middle and end of the novel. From the middle to the end there is a lot of flipflopping between the present and the past and the manner in which it is done is very choppy and sometimes hard to get your mind around where you are...now or then. While the author gives very descriptive narratives of the scenery the problem is the author gives VERY descriptive narratives. I'm the type of reader who appreciates some elaborating but my tolerance of it isn't much and the author crossed my line a number of times. The general father/son storyline is a very heartwarming one and amusing at a number of places but the ending is very abrupt and odd (for lack of a better word).
Overall I wouldn't consider it a waste of my time although the description on the back cover is misleading. It says that after a chance meeting with his neighbor the main character is thrust back to a summer in his youth which was a turning point for him. This is true but I was expecting something more powerful then what it was.
The first half moved at a nice clip and I was optimistic. It was interesting and held your attention but wasn't riviting. I like to compare it to listening to an elderly family member or neighbor recounting a tale from their youth that was interesting but a part of you acted like you were really enjoying the tale out of courtesy. It drew you in just enough that you didn't feel the need to make an excuse to cut it short. Unfortunately, you then reach the middle and end of the novel. From the middle to the end there is a lot of flipflopping between the present and the past and the manner in which it is done is very choppy and sometimes hard to get your mind around where you are...now or then. While the author gives very descriptive narratives of the scenery the problem is the author gives VERY descriptive narratives. I'm the type of reader who appreciates some elaborating but my tolerance of it isn't much and the author crossed my line a number of times. The general father/son storyline is a very heartwarming one and amusing at a number of places but the ending is very abrupt and odd (for lack of a better word).
Overall I wouldn't consider it a waste of my time although the description on the back cover is misleading. It says that after a chance meeting with his neighbor the main character is thrust back to a summer in his youth which was a turning point for him. This is true but I was expecting something more powerful then what it was.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes