Reviews - Bara till naveln

198 reviews for:

Bara till naveln

Linea Maja Ernst

3.94 AVERAGE

iwarne's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

aurorasandsadnovels's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mjkoehler's review against another edition

3.5

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

thehannahwilkinson's review against another edition

4.75

I went into this expecting a nice, artsy little Danish summer read, and ended up in the middle of stickiest (that’s a good thing), sexy, emotionally fraught week in a Scandi cabin.

Five uni friends reunite at a remote Danish lake house for a week of swimming, sunbathing, drinking way too much wine, and pretending they’re still the revolutionary youths they once were. But of course, life’s moved on, they have jobs and babies, and most have emotional baggage that wouldn’t fit in EasyJet’s hand luggage.

Protagonist Sylvia is complicated, She’s smart, a bit neurotic, and harbouring feelings for Esben. Trouble is, he’s now engaged… to another friend in the group. Of course. She’s also in a long-term relationship herself with girlfriend Charlie but she’s questioning whether or not monogamy is the right path for her.

Cue lots of longing stares, passive-aggressive banter, and late-night swims that probably shouldn’t happen.
Then there’s Quince, who I loved. He’s a trans man, navigating his own shifting sense of self, and he’s easily the most grounded, emotionally intelligent character in the group. His storyline is tender and honest and offers such a rich, refreshing take on masculinity and desire. Honestly, he kind of stole the show for me.

The book is DRIPPING with yearning. There’s a constant tension between what the characters are living and what they are lusting for and the writing is gorgeous and heady without being too pretentious. If felt so Midsummer Nights Dream and I wanted to be part of this group so badly. Think warm evenings, lake swims, wine-soaked arguments about politics and poetry, and that dreamy, melancholy sense that something exciting is simmering underneath. Ugh. So good.

This is a book about desire, not just sexual, but existential. Desire for meaning, for connection, for a version of yourself you haven’t quite given up on. I genuinely couldn’t stop thinking about it after I finished.