Scan barcode
chelseaclif7's review against another edition
4.0
So I picked up this book in a store and opened it to a random page, where it read, "I began to think. What I thought about was death." (paraphrase.. I'm too lazy to go pick up the book.)
THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because I was SLIGHTLY disappointed in ONE aspect of the ending. It was important to me, but many people might not care that it wasn't addressed..
We, The Drowned spans three generations of sailors from the tiny town of Marstal. It's part historical-fiction, part sailing story, part romance, part ghost story. IT IS WONDERFUL.
THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because I was SLIGHTLY disappointed in ONE aspect of the ending. It was important to me, but many people might not care that it wasn't addressed..
We, The Drowned spans three generations of sailors from the tiny town of Marstal. It's part historical-fiction, part sailing story, part romance, part ghost story. IT IS WONDERFUL.
melledotca's review against another edition
2.0
As amazing as this book is supposed to be, I just couldn't get into it. The style just didn't work for me -- don't know if that relates to it being translated or not.
lilyevangeline's review against another edition
3.0
How do you rate a book that was, objectively, a good book, but not one with with you ever felt you ever really connected? I certainly learned a lot about Denmark, which was the goal anyway, but I don’t feel that this book has really become a part of me or that I particularly came away really liking it, though there were many parts I enjoyed. A pity, for it was a quite the book: at times an adventure story, a coming of age story, a romance, a war story, and more—I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many genres mixed together so well before. Ah, well—I can only like what I like.
bookherd's review against another edition
4.0
This is an epic story of three generations of sailors from the seafaring town of Marstal, Denmark. It is narrated alternately from a third person omniscient point of view and from the point of view of an unnamed Marstaller, which gives the impression that the town itself is narrating the story. Unlike some of my favorite seafaring novels, this book does not romanticize the life of a sailor--many of the characters, both at sea and on land, are brutal, and the conditions awful. I wondered whether I would make it through the whole book. But by the time I was sailing through Polynesia with Albert Madsen, in search of his father, the story had hooked me and I had to stay with it. I felt kinship with the youngsters in the story who survived their first brutal voyages as ships boys and came to realize that the sea had a hold on them that they did not want to escape.
This is a strange and wonderful novel.
This is a strange and wonderful novel.
amylynn79's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
_rusalka's review against another edition
4.0
I love being surprised by books. I had heard wonderful things about this book, but I wasn't won over by the blurb. I mean, a book about sailors and boats, how interesting could that really be? Aye aye Captain, loading and unloading on docks, scurvy, maggoty sea biscuits, twenty seven ways of tying a rope. Come on, 700pp of that doesn't sound like riveting reading.
But I was wrong on two counts. While there is sailing and some life on boats, there is so much more going on with these characters. The characters themselves are developed and interesting, the town Marstel is fascinating and you want it and those within it to survive, the places they visit and the adventures are intriguing. And it's riveting reading.
The sea is a character in this book. It is pervasive and lingering. It is purpose and reason for being. It is executioner and sustainer. It is complex and constant. And I have so much more of an appreciation for those who choose to live their life somewhat on it than before (don't mention that to my father, the sailor).
Please do not interpret the time it took me to read the book as a reflection of it. I picked it up and put it down as other reads and challenges came up. It was too big to take overseas. However, the ease that I could pick it up and slip back in is a testament to the writing. It is also a book that I thought of frequently when I was not reading it. And that's a pretty high recommendation when that occurs for over 9 months.
But I was wrong on two counts. While there is sailing and some life on boats, there is so much more going on with these characters. The characters themselves are developed and interesting, the town Marstel is fascinating and you want it and those within it to survive, the places they visit and the adventures are intriguing. And it's riveting reading.
The sea is a character in this book. It is pervasive and lingering. It is purpose and reason for being. It is executioner and sustainer. It is complex and constant. And I have so much more of an appreciation for those who choose to live their life somewhat on it than before (don't mention that to my father, the sailor).
Please do not interpret the time it took me to read the book as a reflection of it. I picked it up and put it down as other reads and challenges came up. It was too big to take overseas. However, the ease that I could pick it up and slip back in is a testament to the writing. It is also a book that I thought of frequently when I was not reading it. And that's a pretty high recommendation when that occurs for over 9 months.
flannery512's review against another edition
5.0
The ending was not what I expected, which may have made the book even better.
emmath's review
5.0
One of the best books I've EVER read. Just add this to your TBR straight away. Just do it.
nattygsmith's review against another edition
5.0
This was an amazing journey through the (fictional, but historically accurate) story of the small town of Marstal in Denmark, during the turn of the 20th century and advent of the first World War. The characters, who start out as legendary sailing figures from the town's folklore and evolve into the gritty, real seamen of the steam and coal-powered ships, are all spellbinding, and have tangible and real impacts on each other's histories and futures. The translation seems to have been deftly accomplished, with language that is both beautiful English writing and seems to have the air of the cold and harsh northern European waters. This is a portrait of a town as its families struggle to adapt to technological progress, then devastating warfare, all on the beautiful and unforgiving sea. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and maritime literature.