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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Insightful short stories that reprise themes from There Lives a Young Girl… powerful assessments of people’s lives and relationships.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eine bedrückende Sammlung an Kurzgeschichten, die das Düstere in der häuslichen Sphäre in den Mittelpunkt rücken. Wir treffen entfremdete Eheleute, unglückliche Frauen, einsame Kinder und kalte Männer in kurzen Momentaufnahmen ihres Lebens. Flüchtige Einblicke, die vorallem Beziehungen und Gefühle vermitteln. Glück so scheint es ist für niemand erreichbar, dass Zuhause ein emotionales Minenfeld.
Tove Ditlevsens schreibt aus einer so überzeugend trüben und unerbittlichen Perspektive über Einsamkeit, Isolation und Desillusion, dass es manchmal schwer zu ertragen ist. Dabei sind es die kleinen Momente, in den Familien- und Paardynamiken, die den größten Schaden anrichten und großen Dramen unnötig machen.
Obwohl die Geschichten sich sehr intim anfühlen, da es sehr um das Innere der Menschen geht, wird durch den nüchternen Stil eine Distanz aufgebaut, hier wird nicht versucht Sympathie zu wecken, sondern einfach erzählt wie es ist und dadurch gewinnen Geschichten an Stärke.
Meine drei Favoriten waren: Ein gutes Geschäft, Abend und Das eigensinnige Leben.
Tove Ditlevsens schreibt aus einer so überzeugend trüben und unerbittlichen Perspektive über Einsamkeit, Isolation und Desillusion, dass es manchmal schwer zu ertragen ist. Dabei sind es die kleinen Momente, in den Familien- und Paardynamiken, die den größten Schaden anrichten und großen Dramen unnötig machen.
Obwohl die Geschichten sich sehr intim anfühlen, da es sehr um das Innere der Menschen geht, wird durch den nüchternen Stil eine Distanz aufgebaut, hier wird nicht versucht Sympathie zu wecken, sondern einfach erzählt wie es ist und dadurch gewinnen Geschichten an Stärke.
Meine drei Favoriten waren: Ein gutes Geschäft, Abend und Das eigensinnige Leben.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
slow-paced
4.5
She has an incredible talent for finding tragedy and complexity in the mundane, and the undercurrents of fraught emotion which run beneath every day life. And she does it with an economy of prose which makes it all the more poignant.
And that’s to say nothing of how good it is to read about the inner lives of these women - that is to say ‘ordinary’ women - who rarely have their interior lives examined in literature.
Took off half a star just because these stories are relentlessly sad and bleak. And there were a couple that didn’t quite land. But an almost perfect collection - I will be reading the rest of her work now certainly!
She has an incredible talent for finding tragedy and complexity in the mundane, and the undercurrents of fraught emotion which run beneath every day life. And she does it with an economy of prose which makes it all the more poignant.
And that’s to say nothing of how good it is to read about the inner lives of these women - that is to say ‘ordinary’ women - who rarely have their interior lives examined in literature.
Took off half a star just because these stories are relentlessly sad and bleak. And there were a couple that didn’t quite land. But an almost perfect collection - I will be reading the rest of her work now certainly!
sad
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In "The Trouble with Happiness: And Other Stories," Tove Ditlevsen masterfully weaves a tapestry of narratives, each illuminating the complex, often shadowed contours of human emotion and experience. This collection, with its unflinching gaze into the heart of domestic life, captures the often invisible tremors that underlie our daily existence.
What stands out in Ditlevsen's work is her extraordinary ability to distill profound emotional truths from the mundane. In stories like “The Method” and “A Fine Business,” she navigates the intricate labyrinths of marriage and motherhood, revealing how these roles, often romanticized, can become conduits for unspoken angst and quiet despair. Particularly compelling is the story “A Nice Boy,” where the struggle of an adopted child to find his place in a new family is portrayed with heartrending clarity. This narrative highlights Ditlevsen’s exceptional skill in exploring the emotional landscapes of children, a demographic often overlooked in literature.
Ditlevsen's prose is a study in minimalism, yet it resonates with a depth of feeling that is rarely achieved. She offers a window into the lives of her characters, allowing us to witness their most vulnerable moments without ever veering into melodrama. This subtlety is her strength, making the stories' impacts all the more potent.
Interestingly, despite the specificity of its setting in mid-century Copenhagen, the collection transcends geographical and temporal boundaries. Ditlevsen's exploration of human psychology and relationships speaks to universal experiences, making her stories accessible and relatable to a wide audience.
However, it is important to approach this collection with a certain mindset. The stories are not designed for rapid consumption; rather, they demand contemplation and reflection. Initially, one might find the narrative style stark, even disquieting, but with patience, the layers of meaning and emotion begin to unfold. The culminating story, "The trouble with happiness," is a testament to this gradual revelation, offering a narrative shift that recontextualizes all that precedes it.