A study of the relationship between brothers and sisters, with the narrator looking back to her childhood, when she was heavily influenced by her brother Jesper. ...
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A study of the relationship between brothers and sisters, with the narrator looking back to her childhood, when she was heavily influenced by her brother Jesper. As she looks back, she reflects on the harsh reality of her life and the direction it led her.
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!
Description: Very Good. 1860464602 Condition: VERY GOOD. (Book may have one or a combination of the following characteristics: former library book, cover wear, name written inside cover, light underlining/highlighting, remainder mark, etc. Overall, the book is in solid shape. This is a blanket description. Please e us if you require a specific, detailed description of the book condition. We will typically respond within one week of your request).
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Remainder. 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.1 inches. 247pp. A Clean and Bright copy. Price sticker on Cover/DJ. Remainder Mark. Internally Clean. Lang: English. Vols: 1, Wt: 2lbs.
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Remainder. 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.1 inches. 247pp. A Clean and Bright copy. Price sticker on Cover/DJ. Remainder Mark. Internally Clean. Lang: English. Vols: 1, Wt: 2lbs.
Description: Cloth, dj, F/F. 248pp, top corner of the upper panel of the dustjacket bumped, spine sunned, otherwise a fine copy. First novel by the Norwegian Petterson who went on to win several prizes with Ut Og Stjæle Hester [ Out Stealing Horses ] between 2005-2007.
Description: Very Good. Very good condition for next-day posting from the UK. 'FNM books are renouned as a reputable and honest seller. They offer a full refund if not entirely satisfied with the book! '-SFC, London.
"OUT STEALING HORSES was one of my top picks when it was released here, and so I began reading TO SIBERIA with much excitement. Per Petterson is a writer of rare ability. His prose is so clear and crisp, so precise, as to be a sort of metaphor for the northern landscapes of his literary visions. The lyricism comes not from flowery word choices... on the contrary, Petterson eschews all such flourishes... but from his images and his tone. His voice is restrained, somewhat elegiac, and unmistakable. Pick any paragraph, they are all a pleasure to read.
This book was written in 1996, before 2003's OUT STEALING HORSES, and it is interesting to see the writer's development. Whereas OUT STEALING HORSES takes place in Norway, this book is set in rural WWII-era Denmark. The narrator is an unnamed girl and explore her relationshp with her older brother, Jesper. Jesper dreams of escaping to Morocco; the narrator longs for the cold clear openness of Siberia. And so Petterson hints that no matter how deeply these two are connected, their futures will separate them. The family is fractured -- the parents negligent at best, the grandfather commits suicide. And then the Nazi's arrive and all their lives are inevitably altered.
The first half of the book is splendid, with profoundly moving scenes -- intimate and unforgettable. The second half, wherein the narrator wanders through various Scandinavian towns, is somehow less appealing, and I found myself thinking something was missing, some focus lost. Perhaps it was because, when the siblings separate, the book losses its central metaphor. On the other hand, the girl's loneliness and isolation, her inability to form human relationships, is well crafted and effective, even though, for me, it doesn't hold the power of the book's beginning.
The end is one of those literary moments that feel achingly real, in that one wishes there was more to say and yet there simply is not. Petterson's enormous talent makes beauty out of the smallest details and tiny moments. It's a pleasure to read. If this book doesn't accomplish quite what OUT STEALING HORSES did, I can't fault it for that. It's still better than most books out there, and I can't wait to see what he writes next."
"I was left feeling desolate! The author beautifully describes the cold, harsh landscape of Denmark, reflecting the narrator's dreary life. She survives, but what's the point? She's reflecting back on her life from the vantage point of an old woman, so when the book ends abruptly I wanted answers to all the pregnant questions--pregnancy included! Was her existence futile and entirely without gratification? The last line is: " . . . I was so young then, and I remember thinking: I'm twenty-three years old, there is nothing left in life. Only the rest." I turned the page, anticipating some resolution, and discovered that was THE END."
"So much of the world around "Sistermine" is cold, wet and white. The snow and the sand and even the milk. Her brother Jesper wants to escape their cold and harsh home and parents by getting himself to the warmth of Morrocco. But the heroine thinks she'll find happiness somewhere even colder, wetter, and whiter, so she dreams about getting herself "To Siberia." I'm a fast reader, but I found myself deliberately slowing down as I read to better savor the language - so evocative of the time and place. I don't think I've ever read a novel that actually made me feel the cold so deeply. The relationship between Jesper and his sister is lovely and real, given the distance between the children and their parents. I didn't like quite as well as "Out Stealing Horses", but this was still a very good read."
"To Siberia broke my heart. Not because of any particular character or event, but rather more because of the overall tone and cadence. The language left me with a feeling of desolation. The actual events of the book are almost rendered moot as a result, as the reader is often already feeling anger or sadness when a situation arises that is meant to evoke such reactions. Especially by the end, I felt like I pretty much knew what was coming but that it hardly mattered because my chest was already appropriately tight by that point. There's this sense of the entire story being surreal, even when the scenario being discussed is a terribly normal one, because surreal is how everything feels when one has lost hope, considers happiness virtually unattainable, and life meaningless.
Truly, I've never read a book that captured the feeling of being lost and rudderless so perfectly. Rarely have I read something that focused so completely on idleness and stagnation that was this compelling. As I closed the back cover, I found myself simultaneously wanting more but questioning whether I could actually handle it if more were offered. I have no complaints about this book -- only cautious praise."
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