There is gorgeous spring imagery in the short story, "Peter and Rosa," by the Danish author Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). It is part of her collection,There is gorgeous spring imagery in the short story, "Peter and Rosa," by the Danish author Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). It is part of her collection, "Winter Tales," published in the early 1940s. Peter has no use for his studies with his clergyman guardian who focuses on the hereafter. He feels he has to go to sea to fulfill his destiny, even though he knows that many sailors die in shipwrecks. Rosa has dreams of a darker nature. Peter and Rosa spend a beautiful spring afternoon together around the ice on the sound. They each fulfill their destinies, but not in the way they imagined.
In the middle of the larger story, Peter tells a folktale about a sea captain and his wife that has a magical quality to it, and could be read as a stand-alone tale.
Isak Dinesen was also a painter, and her artistic eye is very visible in her lovely descriptions....more
"Meet Me at the Museum" is a delightful epistolary novel about a man and a woman who find themselves disappointed later in life. They are two stranger"Meet Me at the Museum" is a delightful epistolary novel about a man and a woman who find themselves disappointed later in life. They are two strangers who begin a correspondence by chance when Tina, a farmer's wife in England, writes to Anders, a curator at Denmark's Silkeborg Museum. She has had an interest in the Tollund Man who was found in the Danish bogs and is exhibited at the museum. At first Tina and Anders seem very different because she works with her hands at a busy, cluttered farm while Anders works with his mind in a neat office. But they are both very observant, and they understand each other emotionally since Tina is in an unfulfilling marriage and Anders is a lonely widower. They are able to help each other through some rough times through their thoughtful letters. The end of the book is ambiguous leaving the reader wondering if they will ever meet in person. There are many paths we can take in life, and this charming book makes one think about our own choices along with Tina's and Ander's choices.
Some of my favorite quotations:
"Whenever I pick raspberries, I go as carefully as possible down the row, looking for every ripe fruit. But however careful I am, when I turn around to go back the other way, I find fruit I had not seen approaching the plants from the opposite direction. Another life, I thought, might be like a second pass down the row of raspberry canes; there would be good things I had not come across in my first life, but I suspect I would find much of the fruit was already in my basket."
"Our letters have meant so much to us because we have both arrived at the same point in our lives. More behind us than ahead of us. Paths chosen that define us. Enough time left to change."
"Grendel" is a retelling of the epic poem "Beowulf" from the point of view of the monster, Grendel. The poem was written in Old English sometime betwe"Grendel" is a retelling of the epic poem "Beowulf" from the point of view of the monster, Grendel. The poem was written in Old English sometime between the 8th and 11th Century. The monster had been attacking the Scyldings in the mead hall of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes. The hero Beowulf, a Geat, destroyed Grendel. Although the poem "Beowulf" also tells of further adventures of the hero, the retelling ends with the death of Grendel.
In "Grandel" the narrator-monster has been living in a cave with his mother. He ventures out to observe the savage humans populate the area, and finally form a complex civilization. He hears the Shaper, a blind harpist-poet, tell beautiful mythical tales about ancient warriors, which inspire Hrothgar, although the stories have little factual basis.
When he reaches adulthood, Grendel asks philosophical questions of the Dragon, who has a fatalistic view of life. This confuses Grendel who has been hearing the Shapers' imaginative heroic view. The Dragon gives Grendel a magical gift--weapons could no longer penetrate Grendel's skin.
The Shaper tells the tale of the two sons of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. Cain is the ancestor of Grendel, while humans are the descendants of Abel. Although they look different, Grendel and the humans had a common language, common ways of thinking, and a shared heritage. Grendel felt isolated and lonely, and found life tedious because he had no companions to talk with.
Grendel would spy on the Scyldings in the night, and attacked them for twelve years. Boewulf and a group of Geats eventually arrive by boat to help the Scyldings destroy the monster.
The story was written in beautiful poetic prose. Even though Grendel committed terrible deeds, he also had a sympathetic lonely side to him and an appreciation of beauty. One could see life through the monster's eyes. The book was also nicely illustrated by Emil Antonucci with wonderful woodcut prints of Grendel's head....more
Nina, a nurse at the Danish Red Cross Center, got an urgent call from her friend Karin. Karin gave Nina a key to pick up something in a locker, and shNina, a nurse at the Danish Red Cross Center, got an urgent call from her friend Karin. Karin gave Nina a key to pick up something in a locker, and she found a heavy suitcase. Nina was shocked to find a naked three-year-old boy inside the suitcase. He was drugged but still breathing. Nina, who had seen many victims of child trafficking in her job, is afraid to contact the police in case they return him to a bad situation. She frantically tries to get in contact with Karin, only to find that she was fatally attacked. Nina cannot communicate with the boy who only speaks Lithuanian, but she must find out his identity before she makes her next move. Meanwhile, the boy's mother in Lithuania is desperately trying to find her son, while not frightening his captors so much that they kill or hurt him.
This book is a wonderful mystery/thriller with a great plot. I could not put it down and read the whole book late into the night. I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers....more
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