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thebooktrail88's review
4.0
Visit the locations in the novel
Translated novels are always interesting to read. When one is 100 years old and has a new translation, it’s worth more than a brief glance.
Lucky Per seems to be a simple title, but the word Lykke in Danish can mean both happiness and luck. This novel therefore looks into the difference between the two and what the relationship between them is.
An interesting novel this and one which reminded me of an adult fairy tale in the way there’s a moral side to the story and an examination of a man who breaks away from his family and seeks his own fortune
Per breaks with his religious family in order to become an engineer so has to break the constraints of his family history and social background. However, what he rejects is what he is going to need later on. The moral being be careful what you shun on the way up as you might need it on the way down, or words to that effect.
A lot depends on how the reader interprets the title – The Danish word for Lucky means both lucky and happiness and this difference is what the book is all about. Can a man be happy without luck and vice versa? The author apparently wrote some of this book from his own experiences as he himself left a religious family and potential career to train as an engineer..
The sense of place incorporates a lot of the history of Copenhagen and the religious buildings of the city. There’s a brief sejour in Berlin but the novel is firmly Danish and looks at the history and social mores of the time.
This was quite an academic text to read and it was slow and pondering in places but the overall message of the book and the story stands up on its own. A multilayered novel that seems to be as relevant to today’s world as it was when it was written. This translation in English and so will reach a new audience.
rissreviews_xx's review against another edition
4.0
I do not understand how other people have not heard of this book, it is deep and enriching. Diving into the life of one man will giveaway to the understanding that even when you can have it all, it may slip any moment. This was a hard read, sometimes I had to put it down and read it later on. But it was worth it, every page is written with such talent that I cannot ignore. High praise to this author.
caroline__b's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leanne69's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Tung bog men virkelig en man kan reflektere over og tænke på
kajsaschubeler's review against another edition
4.0
En af de der klassikere ens lærer synes, man bør læse. Om Per, der tager til storbyen for at udleve sine drømme. Et indblik i Danmark i slutningen af 1800-tallet.
Forleden skulle jeg meget kort forklare forskellen på ‘Lykke Per’ og ‘Pelle Erobreren’ til en veninde. Meget kort fortalt er den første historien om Per, der tager til til storbyen for at opnå noget stort, han bliver forlovet med en kvinde ved navn Jacobe, tager til udlandet for at blive klogere.
Per føler sig udenfor derhjemme, og han har store planer om at omdanne Jyllands kystlinje til et aktivt handelscentrum, men verden modarbejder ham hele vejen igennem. Det store spørgsmål er, om han sejre, eller om han må bøje nakken og bukke under for verdens vægt.
Jeg havde nok stadigvæk valgt at læse noget af Herman Bang, hvis jeg havde fået lov til at vælge selv, men ‘Lykke Per’ overraskede alligevel.
Det Moderne Gennembrud er en mine yndlings litterære perioder, netop fordi der sker så meget i årene op til århundredeskiftet. Samfundet forandres: Industrialiseringen, kvinderne kæmper for deres rettigheder (meget apropos i går), fagforeninger - you name it. Og det kan man tydeligt mærke i ‘Lykke Per’.
Per gik mig af og til på nerverne med hans ‘jeg er født i en forkert familie, og mine ideer skal revolutionere vores lille, sovende nation’, men ofte virkede han også alt for genkendelig. Hvem har ikke været indfanget af spotlightets tiltrækningskraft?
Men jeg holdt nok allermest af Jacobe, der, selvom hun til tider bliver en smule stereotyp, alligevel får lov til at være sin helt egen karakter med historie og tanker og følelsesliv.
Nu er det en lidt ældre bog - ingen overdrivelse - så sproget er ikke altid lige ud af landevejen. Nogle gange er jeg helt forgabt i sproget, men af og til bliver det også lidt for meget af det gode - smag og behag, ikke sandt?
Forleden skulle jeg meget kort forklare forskellen på ‘Lykke Per’ og ‘Pelle Erobreren’ til en veninde. Meget kort fortalt er den første historien om Per, der tager til til storbyen for at opnå noget stort, han bliver forlovet med en kvinde ved navn Jacobe, tager til udlandet for at blive klogere.
Per føler sig udenfor derhjemme, og han har store planer om at omdanne Jyllands kystlinje til et aktivt handelscentrum, men verden modarbejder ham hele vejen igennem. Det store spørgsmål er, om han sejre, eller om han må bøje nakken og bukke under for verdens vægt.
Jeg havde nok stadigvæk valgt at læse noget af Herman Bang, hvis jeg havde fået lov til at vælge selv, men ‘Lykke Per’ overraskede alligevel.
Det Moderne Gennembrud er en mine yndlings litterære perioder, netop fordi der sker så meget i årene op til århundredeskiftet. Samfundet forandres: Industrialiseringen, kvinderne kæmper for deres rettigheder (meget apropos i går), fagforeninger - you name it. Og det kan man tydeligt mærke i ‘Lykke Per’.
Per gik mig af og til på nerverne med hans ‘jeg er født i en forkert familie, og mine ideer skal revolutionere vores lille, sovende nation’, men ofte virkede han også alt for genkendelig. Hvem har ikke været indfanget af spotlightets tiltrækningskraft?
Men jeg holdt nok allermest af Jacobe, der, selvom hun til tider bliver en smule stereotyp, alligevel får lov til at være sin helt egen karakter med historie og tanker og følelsesliv.
Nu er det en lidt ældre bog - ingen overdrivelse - så sproget er ikke altid lige ud af landevejen. Nogle gange er jeg helt forgabt i sproget, men af og til bliver det også lidt for meget af det gode - smag og behag, ikke sandt?
katja00's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexism
bookworms_closet's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pvn's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting 100 yr old novel set in Copenhagen that is largely an exploration of the juxtaposition or relationship of happiness to luck; and success and failure. It is a fairly long, complex story written by a master, and it is a character study of the lead, as well as some interesting female secondary characters. It might be considered an adult fairytale, but that doesn't take away from its impact or the quality of writing!
Thank you very much for the opportunity to read the advanced copy.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to read the advanced copy.
athst's review against another edition
5.0
This is a novel that's hard to pin down at first, but is rewarding in the end. I first came to it in search of a Danish novel, but it surprised me in being much more than that.
The book certainly has a lot to teach about Denmark—its different regions, its culture, and what it was like at the turn of the century—but I'm not sure I'd recommend it if that's all you're looking for. It only does that so well.
Instead, what made it more fulfilling for me was its timelessness and universality. While it was written over a hundred years ago, it has much to say on themes that are current today. The past vs. the future. Tradition vs. modernity. Aesthetics vs. technology. Race. Religion. Pretty surprising. I guess that's probably why it helped win a Nobel prize?
The book certainly has a lot to teach about Denmark—its different regions, its culture, and what it was like at the turn of the century—but I'm not sure I'd recommend it if that's all you're looking for. It only does that so well.
Instead, what made it more fulfilling for me was its timelessness and universality. While it was written over a hundred years ago, it has much to say on themes that are current today. The past vs. the future. Tradition vs. modernity. Aesthetics vs. technology. Race. Religion. Pretty surprising. I guess that's probably why it helped win a Nobel prize?
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