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liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
A weird, beautiful, wonderful, funny story that only gets a little dark toward the end. It flowed well until the point Vatenen, the main character, was going to have a sandwich with a professor. The next thing we know Vatenen's life has dramatically changed even more! Until that point Vatenen and his buddy the hare had led an interesting quest of just living free. It's a road trip book. It's an epiphany book. It's a funny story with very deep meanings. It's like Tim Cahill and Thoreau went on a walk in the woods over an entire country. It's a real shame more people don't know about this book. I'm going to have to see the movie now.
pino_sabatelli's review against another edition
2.0
Una storia piuttosto inverosimile, e vagamente edificante, narrata con una scrittura piana, elementare. La fuga dalla civiltà di Vatanen si sviluppa attraverso una serie di episodi abbastanza scollegati fra loro, che mi hanno fatto pensare alla Pippi Calzelunghe della Lindgren.
L'intento di denuncia della insensatezza del modello di vita occidentale è piuttosto evidente, ma viene condotto con una ingenuità e una schematicità davvero eccessive.
Come possa essere considerato un libro di culto da lettori adulti è, per me, un mistero.
L'intento di denuncia della insensatezza del modello di vita occidentale è piuttosto evidente, ma viene condotto con una ingenuità e una schematicità davvero eccessive.
Come possa essere considerato un libro di culto da lettori adulti è, per me, un mistero.
haydencooke1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ferrot_lectorapromedio's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
birgervs's review against another edition
5.0
Kan möjligtvis inte rättfärdiga yttrandet, men detta är min favoritbok
bigbeardedbookseller's review against another edition
4.0
This has been languishing on my shelves ever since I started working in the bookshop. I bought it as it was one of the recommended books in part of the initial training, an exemplar, but at the time I was still reading a relatively narrow range of genres.
I got the opportunity to throw it in my suitcase when we took a trip up to Edinburgh as it felt like it could be the perfect train read.
An episodic travelogue where we follow the journalist Vatanen as he sloughs his past and takes on a new future for himself to deal with his bone weary disappointment with his job, wife and life in general.
Each episode seems to be a completely random development from the previous interlude, and that’s exactly what each chapter feels like, an interlude as the new Vatanen is developing with the aid of the hare that he found at the start of the book. Each chapter has its own internal coherency but adds to the whole, eventually.
The story eventually turns back on itself to a brilliant conclusion, well-written and thoughtfully translated.
This isn’t the first book translated from Finnish that I’ve read and both have had that same sort of dry but very intricate use of humour which is really my taste, loved it!
I got the opportunity to throw it in my suitcase when we took a trip up to Edinburgh as it felt like it could be the perfect train read.
An episodic travelogue where we follow the journalist Vatanen as he sloughs his past and takes on a new future for himself to deal with his bone weary disappointment with his job, wife and life in general.
Each episode seems to be a completely random development from the previous interlude, and that’s exactly what each chapter feels like, an interlude as the new Vatanen is developing with the aid of the hare that he found at the start of the book. Each chapter has its own internal coherency but adds to the whole, eventually.
The story eventually turns back on itself to a brilliant conclusion, well-written and thoughtfully translated.
This isn’t the first book translated from Finnish that I’ve read and both have had that same sort of dry but very intricate use of humour which is really my taste, loved it!