About this title: With extraordinary emotional power, Olsson's stunningly well-crafted debut novel recounts the unusual and unexpected friendship that develops between two women. Set against a haunting Swedish landscape, this is a lyrical and meditative novel of love and loss.
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Description: Acceptable. Book is in good reading condition. Cover has wear at edges and corners, and may have creases. Spine has wear at edges and creases. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN-13:9780143038078ISBN:0143038079
Description: New in None as issued jacket. New, unread copy with publishers inventory mark. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Date Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN-13:9780143038078ISBN:0143038079
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780143038078. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780143038078ISBN:0143038079
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780143038078ISBN:0143038079
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Signed by author. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 259 p. Audience: General/trade. signed by author; an autographed copy read more
Edition: First US, Paperback Original, 1st Prntg.
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Penguin Books, New York, New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780143038078ISBN:0143038079
Description: As New. Signed by Author First published in New Zealand in 2005 with the title "Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs". Author's first novel. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN-13:9780143038078ISBN:0143038079
Description: Fair. Some pages have small "bumps"-possibly had gotten damp. Binding tight. No apparent writing or highlights in text. Two pages have fold marks. read more
"Astrid & Veronica is a book about two women, one young and the other elderly, who strike up an unlikely friendship. A chance encounter occurs between the two when the younger of the two moves to a small town in Sweden (Switzerland??? what's the difference?). The women find solace in one another, revealing their painful, even disturbing, past. I found the author to be a great writer (although the book was clearly translated from a foreign, germanic language, which always seems to result in a bit of plodding/bluntness); however, I found it to be melodramatic at times. Their relationship seemed to be incredibly intense, even early on. And one story told by the elderly character contains elements I found to be horrific, and made her character unrelatable and unlikeable. Think "Beloved" by Toni Morrison without proper justification. All that being said, I haven't been able to get this one out of my head, which is always a good thing."
"Beautifully written book about memory and facing the difficult memories in order to feel and live again. Olsson has a very descriptive style and I love the way she writes about the changing sky especially. Water (and its various incarnations) is a powerful metaphor for her.
Favorite passages:
" '... when I listen to my own words, I realise that they tell a different story from the one I have carried all these years. ... I think that if we can find the words, and if we can find someone to tell them to, then perhaps we can see things differently. ...' "
And this one because it reminds me of here, where it many times feels as if we don't have 4 seasons, and for the times when it's hot in the winter and I forget what season it is:
"... it was as if summer and winter were intertwined: there was summer in the midst of winter, winter in the midst of summer. And there was no autumn, no spring, no time for anticipation, no time for remembrance. Only the present."
The only quibble (very minor) I have with the book is that at times it was a bit repetitive for me; also, I balked a bit at the coincidence of these two women with their tragic stories meeting and connecting as and when they did. But that latter quibble is esp minor, as I'm willing to suspend my disbelief over things like that in good fiction."
"I found this book in a small book store at the beach under staff favs!!This story is about an unlikely deep friendship between two women. One, an old woman living alone and haunted by her past the other, a young woman who is sad and grieving over the death of her fiance. They each find a deep connection to one another and help each other work through their emotions. They grow to love,respect and learn from each other and grow richer for the friendship. The story takes you so cleverly through secrets and lost loves of their respective lives and slowly lets you into their deep sorrows. I didn't want the stroy to end but the ending was perfect. Great book for her first novel. After Linda Olssona received her Bachelor of Law degree and embarked on a career in banking she decided to take a postgraduate course, Writing the Novel. Wow, it is definitely worth the read. It's a short and easy read too."
""Amazing" is a pretty strong word for me, so I don't know if I'd go that far. Amazing was seeing a whole school of dolphins in the Sea of Cortez, heading for our ship, in formation like a big beautiful goofy army. But I did love this book. I've read a few Scandinavian authors and they've all conveyed a sort of wide-open spare wildness both geographically and emotionally. No gushiness but sincerity and a quiet love. Not romantic love but the strong time-tested kind. These are my people and I have a curiosity about the culture. There's another Nordic author I read who wrote a book about a boy living in a remote village and how his life changes when he hears his first Beatles record. It took place in the 1960's. I wish I could think of the author or title. It had that same sort of faraway bleak but humorous, touching, almost cautiously optimistic feel to it. If it sounds familiar to anyone reading this (if anyone reads this) please let me know."
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