I love post-apocalyptic fiction centered on the human experience and on what humanity means. Just like Station Eleven or Never Let Me Go which the GooI love post-apocalyptic fiction centered on the human experience and on what humanity means. Just like Station Eleven or Never Let Me Go which the Goodreads description compares this book to. (Although Never Let Me Go is definitely much darker).
To be fair, it's not all post-apocalyptic, it jumps back and forth between ages, so some of it takes place in a more distant past, sort of in the spirit of Cloud Atlas. The premise plays on our not-so-implausible fear that the bees might one day fade from existence, leaving our food production systems in shambles. I loved the author's writing style too and her power of bringing vivid images to our minds. Recommended. ...more
A horrifying and gutwrenchingly sad story, because we all remember the pretty fresh cultural trauma of this right-wing terror attack from a few years A horrifying and gutwrenchingly sad story, because we all remember the pretty fresh cultural trauma of this right-wing terror attack from a few years ago. It reads fast though not easily (I mean, not in a lighthearted way), more similar in style to an epic novel than to non-fiction, journalistic investigation, which is, of course, a most compelling testament to the author's writing.
Seierstad's tone of voice manages to be extremely compassionate to all those involved, including Breivik, who is portrayed from his youth onwards, from the fragile, shy boy passionate about graffiti to the toxic white fragility monument he became. Her empathetic voice makes you almost care about him, right along with his victims, whom we also get to know before we get to the moment of the horrific action on the island....more
The second read in this series of European mythology and lore, Giants of the Frost deals with well-known Norse characters, rearranged in a novel way aThe second read in this series of European mythology and lore, Giants of the Frost deals with well-known Norse characters, rearranged in a novel way and with extra layers. I like the author's creative playfulness using classic sources as her starting point. The story was ok as well. ...more
I read this is one sitting, full of semi-morbid fascination, dread, pity and revulsion for the author's controversial political sympathies and his lifI read this is one sitting, full of semi-morbid fascination, dread, pity and revulsion for the author's controversial political sympathies and his life background (portrayed here in Hunger).
I still don't know how I feel about the work of controversial men - especially in the context of recent debates on brilliant films made by men like Woody Allen, Weinstein or Polanski and so on. Even though not by the same degree, I sort of felt Hamsun to be one of these cases where you don't know how you feel about their work because they are more or less dubious as people.
Of course, the context revealed in the book of the precariousness of existence and how this erodes and diminishes the character's will, reason and dignity makes you feel bad just for thinking any of the above ideas. Therefore, a pretty uncomfortable cocktail of pity and self-questioning and mixed feelings.
Whatever this book may be, it definitely is not bad writing. ...more
Simple and clean style of writing, beautiful, entertaining narrative, and that haunting level of deep insight which kids sometimes have.
Part detectivSimple and clean style of writing, beautiful, entertaining narrative, and that haunting level of deep insight which kids sometimes have.
Part detective story (chasing after the orange girl) and part aftermath of a complex family situation (dealing with a new husband, father and half-sibling). I really liked it, nothing is over-dramatic (yet still spectacular) and all fits together really well....more
A brilliant approach to boredom, a topic considered by traditional philosophy as too mundane or too much in the sphere of psychology.
I like how the aA brilliant approach to boredom, a topic considered by traditional philosophy as too mundane or too much in the sphere of psychology.
I like how the author employed an actualized version of phenomenology to approach this, and how it proved that the constant search for distractions to escape our own misery is, in fact, our greatest misery. The self's need for illusions with which to distract itself leads to inevitable disappointment which, in turn, needs to an even greater need for escapism.
It's a cute theoretical approach that should hold a good level of appeal for people outside the field of scholarly philosophy, especially if they favor classical culture. ...more
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