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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Jesus this is bleak. I would say… maybe don’t read all of them at once. A real advert against marriage in the 1950s if nothing else.
I love short stories, and these are all bangers. The last one just got me so hard.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The punch this woman packs in her sentences is astounding. Evocative, emotional, though provoking. I don't know if I can think of another writer who can write so precisely and sparingly yet offer so much.
“A whip is raised over all of us; where and whom will it hit?”
Ditlevsen is a master; her cool, terse prose is both remote and deeply entrenched in the agonizing emotion of life. Her writing is immensely compelling to me because it’s so keenly focused on the sheer horrors of domestic life- the capacity people have to irrevocably hurt each other, the realization that people you love and share lives with don’t fundamentally know you, the horrors of being abandoned…she manages to take somewhat simple short story premises and create tense atmospheres of doom.
Seriously, I got a pit in my stomach reading many of these stories. Ditlevsen also has a sort of cool apathy about human relationships- she simultaneously seems to recognize their almost compulsive importance and yet their ability to fracture your life completely. This tension- between remoteness and observation- makes her writing really unique and engaging.
Having read her memoir, it’s clear that her life seeps and bleeds into her fictional writing. Some key biographical details are replicated in stories, which made me think more about the lines that blur between authors’ realities and the art they produce.
I really think Ditlevsen was one of the finest writers of the 20th century; I’m glad more of her works have been published in English.
Ditlevsen is a master; her cool, terse prose is both remote and deeply entrenched in the agonizing emotion of life. Her writing is immensely compelling to me because it’s so keenly focused on the sheer horrors of domestic life- the capacity people have to irrevocably hurt each other, the realization that people you love and share lives with don’t fundamentally know you, the horrors of being abandoned…she manages to take somewhat simple short story premises and create tense atmospheres of doom.
Seriously, I got a pit in my stomach reading many of these stories. Ditlevsen also has a sort of cool apathy about human relationships- she simultaneously seems to recognize their almost compulsive importance and yet their ability to fracture your life completely. This tension- between remoteness and observation- makes her writing really unique and engaging.
Having read her memoir, it’s clear that her life seeps and bleeds into her fictional writing. Some key biographical details are replicated in stories, which made me think more about the lines that blur between authors’ realities and the art they produce.
I really think Ditlevsen was one of the finest writers of the 20th century; I’m glad more of her works have been published in English.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up this book in Waterstones because I liked the cover. The book is bleak and focuses on the mundane moments of life. The loss of childhood and infidelity are themes that pop up throughout the novel. The stories go well together because they are based on domestic family life + loneliness and are mainly stories about women. This book made me feel Seen and I devoured it. Glad I picked it up and I look forward to reading the Copenhagen trilogy someday.
emotional
sad
fast-paced