The audiobook ended, and I just said, "Well f---". That's one hella cliffhanger to leave the reader. I liked the book and the concept, but my favoriteThe audiobook ended, and I just said, "Well f---". That's one hella cliffhanger to leave the reader. I liked the book and the concept, but my favorite character is out of the story, so I'll probably only read on if the second book falls into my hands.
Well-written, unsettling, curiously strange novel. the first part of the book left me slightly mystified, feeling that the intent was to scare off reaWell-written, unsettling, curiously strange novel. the first part of the book left me slightly mystified, feeling that the intent was to scare off readers who might be faint of heart. As the story grew, and approached a somewhat more human scale, I felt more able to engage in it. I kept thinking that the gods of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology have gotten whitewashed in our modern day thinking, that there is, in reality, a lot of violent action and deed in those stories, which were similar to the actions in this book of Father and of the librarians. It was the more human aspects of the story that drew me in, though, the stories of Steve, of Erwin. The happenings of Carolyn, of David, and the rest of the librarians, and even the library itself, felt oddly distant. ...more
Look up at the star rating I gave this book. I actually wanted to give it a 4.5, but not a 5, and rounded down, instead. But despite the high rating, Look up at the star rating I gave this book. I actually wanted to give it a 4.5, but not a 5, and rounded down, instead. But despite the high rating, I just didn't like this particular iteration of Harry. The characters continued to evolve, their depiction brilliant. The writing was fantastic. The twists and turns enough to make anyone lose their direction. But I still didn't like it. The fault is within my own psyche, I think. The damaged souls that kill others prey on my mind. I'm a healer, and I ache for all the illness, physical and mental, that esbø weaves into his stories. I care about his characters, perhaps too much. And he is perhaps too good a writer for me at times.
This was a marvelous book. It just hurt me to read it. I think I need a break from wounded male detectives of the Scandinavian sort....more
Another book read a while back, but somehow managed to not be reviewed. HAving read the full trilogy and seen all the Swedish movies, I have a hard tiAnother book read a while back, but somehow managed to not be reviewed. HAving read the full trilogy and seen all the Swedish movies, I have a hard time tweaking out what happened when, in retrospect. Of late, since the American version of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movie, we've been discussing the coffee consumption in this series. In the movie of this book, the espresso maker is a VBM One group commercial and the grinder a Macap. Not a bad setup, but coffee geeks everywhere rejoiced with the appearance of the Rancilio grinder in the American GWTDT.
And so, the trilogy of computer geek/goth girl continues....more
I still like James Thompson's writing -- I just found myself depressed by so much of this book. Kate's dysfunctional family, Kari and Kate each with tI still like James Thompson's writing -- I just found myself depressed by so much of this book. Kate's dysfunctional family, Kari and Kate each with their fears about this pregnancy and hurting each other, the war crimes depicted, and then the sexual situation with the characters involved in the initial murder. Even the side cases were depressive, involving mental illness and brutishness. I did like learning more about Finland, and found, thanks to Snow Angels and Regretsy.com (see my Snow Angels review) I could translate a couple of the curses myself. See? It is possible to learn new things after 50.
As to the ending -- everything came together in a big drunken blur, which is fitting because much of it takes place during Kari's Varpajaiset (which he explains to his brother-in-law by saying:
"Varpaat are toes. A vvarpajaiset is a party. When a man becomes a father, he's supposed to have a drink for every toe his child was born with. So I'm required to have ten drinks. I suspect you will, too. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
It will be interesting to see how Thompson chooses to continue this series, if he does. It could take some interesting pathways, considering some of the things that happened at the end. ...more
Loading...
