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annevoi's review against another edition
2.0
My friend Thelma and I have been studying Norwegian by reading books in that language. My Norwegian sister-in-law sent me The Year of the Hare (having not read it herself), and so a year or so ago--we meet once a week; it's a slow process--Thelma and I gamely took it on. Published in 1975 in Finnish, it tells the story of a dyspeptic journalist who adopts a wild hare—after he hits it with his car on a forest road—and then proceeds to leave life as he knows it (including his wife) behind, running through a series of little adventures, mostly in the far north of Finland. It's an episodic novel in which the hero, Vatanen, fights fires, cuts down trees, stumbles on German war booty, overturns a corpse, goes fishing, gets drunk, is arrested by the Soviet authorities, etc. He meets various people who might have somehow changed Vatanen (for the better, one keeps wishing), but in fact he doesn't change. The hare plays virtually no role except to be his constant companion (indeed, at moments you wonder if he'll survive, Vatanen does so little to watch out for him), and this is no animal lover's story, because over its course he metes out a gruesome death to two other animals.
The cover of the Norwegian translation calls the book a "whimsical fable from the Finnish forest," and apparently the author, Paasilinna, himself a journalist, was beloved in Scandinavia back in the 70s. Perhaps I don't share those northern sensibilities.
There is something to be said for the self-discovery, self-reinvention novel, which is ostensibly what this is. And it's possible that Vatanen ended up happier after his year of carefree vagabondage. But me, I didn't like the man: he started out selfish and unhappy, and ended up merely selfish.
As for Norwegian, after a year of struggling through this book, I feel barely more competent than before. That's a little depressing too. But masochists that we are, we're currently considering what the next book will be. Doctor Proktor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbø is in strong contention.
The cover of the Norwegian translation calls the book a "whimsical fable from the Finnish forest," and apparently the author, Paasilinna, himself a journalist, was beloved in Scandinavia back in the 70s. Perhaps I don't share those northern sensibilities.
There is something to be said for the self-discovery, self-reinvention novel, which is ostensibly what this is. And it's possible that Vatanen ended up happier after his year of carefree vagabondage. But me, I didn't like the man: he started out selfish and unhappy, and ended up merely selfish.
As for Norwegian, after a year of struggling through this book, I feel barely more competent than before. That's a little depressing too. But masochists that we are, we're currently considering what the next book will be. Doctor Proktor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbø is in strong contention.
jdylanhughes's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? Yes
3.75
clarelynnmac's review against another edition
3.0
A fun little read about a man and his rabbit. Kind of bizarre and slightly disjointed at times. Nothing spectacular.
sandrinepal's review against another edition
4.0
Fin de février finlandaise avec mon compagnon de tramway. Ben oui, Vatanen a un lièvre ; moi, j'ai un livre. On fait ce qu'on peut. Je comprends très bien que ce livre ait pu atteindre un statut culte en Finlande, avec sa représentation dorée d'un mode de vie simple, généreux et proche de la nature. Ce n'est pas pour rien que Vatanen fuit Helsinki comme la peste à deux reprises dans le livre, sans parler des étrangers qui sont juste bons à manger de la soupe aux crottes. Ça ne me donne pas spécialement envie de tout plaquer pour aller élever des chèvres dans le Larzac, mais je me suis volontiers laissée porter par ce picaresque scandinave.
beatrice_giglio's review against another edition
5.0
Esilarante dalla prima pagina, questo romanzo è qualcosa di unico. Le descrizioni di Paasilinna dei paesaggi finlandesi sono comparabili solo a quelle d’amore per un proprio partner. Le avventure del protagonista e della sua lepre hanno un che di ridicolo e allo stesso tempo di profondo.
Vorrei poterlo rileggere di nuovo per la prima volta.
Vorrei poterlo rileggere di nuovo per la prima volta.