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sirisolh's review against another edition
3.0
It's charming and a bit unpleasant at the same time.
The setting is small town northern Sweden in late 1950s-early 1960s: there are strickt unwritten rules for approximately everything, old family feuds, a stong believe in the gift of hard work and the set roles for each gender.
We meet Matti as a young boy, who befriends the silent Niila and soon heads out on adventures. We follow the boys throughout their childhood and adolescence, how they evolve to find themselves and try to fit in somehow in both the local community and in relation to their own family. They dream of rock music, of the big stage, but they have to be at school, reading - which is a highly dangerous task dooming people for madness, and fight for social status. There's girls, siblings, father figures and amusic teacher. There's the happiness of playing in the snow, of learning the guitar, of friendship. And there's the family gatherings, the quarrels, and the beating.
When it's nice, you want to be there. To take part in it all. When it's unpleasant, you cannot read fast enough, you cringe and hope for the best. And that feeling, and the roller-coaster it sometimes is; of laughter, love, sadness and fury, describes the talent of Niemi.
Niemi's words create pictures as clear as the day, they pop out of the pages, and add the roller-coaster just mentioned, you have a book worth reading. Even if it's a bit unpleasant at times.
The setting is small town northern Sweden in late 1950s-early 1960s: there are strickt unwritten rules for approximately everything, old family feuds, a stong believe in the gift of hard work and the set roles for each gender.
We meet Matti as a young boy, who befriends the silent Niila and soon heads out on adventures. We follow the boys throughout their childhood and adolescence, how they evolve to find themselves and try to fit in somehow in both the local community and in relation to their own family. They dream of rock music, of the big stage, but they have to be at school, reading - which is a highly dangerous task dooming people for madness, and fight for social status. There's girls, siblings, father figures and amusic teacher. There's the happiness of playing in the snow, of learning the guitar, of friendship. And there's the family gatherings, the quarrels, and the beating.
When it's nice, you want to be there. To take part in it all. When it's unpleasant, you cannot read fast enough, you cringe and hope for the best. And that feeling, and the roller-coaster it sometimes is; of laughter, love, sadness and fury, describes the talent of Niemi.
Niemi's words create pictures as clear as the day, they pop out of the pages, and add the roller-coaster just mentioned, you have a book worth reading. Even if it's a bit unpleasant at times.
elinhallis's review against another edition
funny
reflective
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? No
3.25
dacejav's review against another edition
4.0
I first read it back in 2005/2006. Now, 15 years later, it was almost like reading a new book to me in terms that I did not remember much of the stories, but my overall impression, I think, is the same. I really liked it, the storytelling is vivid. There are places when dreams, nightmares, and tales mingle with the reality. Pajala is very authentic with their hard-working and hard-drinking men who are afraid to be knapsu (unmanly) and strong women who not only need to deal with all the household jobs, but also with their men. The Northern nostalgia is very peculiar and I share it to some extent as I also grew up in Northern Europe. The descriptions of cold, snow, ice in winter or midnight sun, calm evenings, mosquitos in summer also make me nostalgic. However, I believe a bit got lost in the English translation (I still own a copy in Swedish, which I might attempt to read later) and not understanding the Tornedalen Finnish. If I were from Northern Sweden, I would probably give it all five stars.
For me, the rock'n'roll music played a supporting role in the novel. It is more a coming-of-age story and an ethnographic tale of the Torne valley. The best stories were about the gruesome summer job, Niila's grandmother's funeral, and actually all the descriptions of social gatherings featuring lots of shnapps and moonshine.
For me, the rock'n'roll music played a supporting role in the novel. It is more a coming-of-age story and an ethnographic tale of the Torne valley. The best stories were about the gruesome summer job, Niila's grandmother's funeral, and actually all the descriptions of social gatherings featuring lots of shnapps and moonshine.
hannzopie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Både rå och grov på alla olika möjliga sätt, men också väldigt vacker. Framförallt skulle jag dock beskriva den som rolig!
wombat_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-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
4.0
Who would have thought life in the Swedish countryside would be no different from life in Russia?
An absolutely intoxicating book full of childhood memories. And they are exactly as they should be - touched by the haze of time and as if they were half-fictional. Pure pleasure.
An absolutely intoxicating book full of childhood memories. And they are exactly as they should be - touched by the haze of time and as if they were half-fictional. Pure pleasure.
synfje's review against another edition
challenging
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
hjortronhyllan's review against another edition
3.0
Det är den långa och smutsiga versionen av “vintersaga”. Ett förskönande av det gamla norrländska Sverige post-laestadianism med det glada supandet, pojkstreck och bastutävlingar. I första delen bjuds vi på en surrealism som jag antar ska vara en symbolism hos en ung ensam pojkes dagdrömmar som sedan tunnas ut när sprit och kvinnor (läs tissar och breda arslen) ersätter grubbel och macho eskapismen. Anekdothagel är rätt ord för denna pojkprosa och fyller faktiskt fortfarande sitt underhållningsvärde. Bukowski light. knapsu
En enkel 3a
En enkel 3a
nivasun's review against another edition
3.0
Veldig morsom, med små melankolske glimt gjennom hele. Om det å vokse opp. Billedlige beskrivelser. Godt avsluttet i en kort epilog.
«Men det farligste, det han aller mest ville advare mot, den enkeltfaktoren som alene hadde sendt skarer av unge stakkarer inn i galskapens skoddeheim, det var boklesingen.»
«Men det farligste, det han aller mest ville advare mot, den enkeltfaktoren som alene hadde sendt skarer av unge stakkarer inn i galskapens skoddeheim, det var boklesingen.»