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hannahthomnoble's review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
hunterandrew's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I spent most of this book lost, but by the end I had a decent idea of who people were and why it mattered. The writing was relatively nice, some good quotes, but I’m glad to leave it behind now.
kittymamers's review against another edition
3.0
miskipärast olen alati arvanud, et Laxness on mingi Islandi Tammsaare. kraavikaevamine ja maa õnnistus jne, teate küll. aga ohappi, see siin küll ei olnud!
ma ei oska välja mõelda, mida "The Atom Station" mulle meenutas, igasuguseid seoseid tekkis siin. mitu korda kontrollisin avaldamise aastat (1948 on õige), sest ma arvasin, et alles 60ndatel tulid laialt saadavale need ained, mille najal selliseid tekste kirjutati. see, kuidas suurel osal tegelastest polnud nimesid, vaid ainult kirjeldused (the organist, the unselfconscious policeman, the atom poet jne) meenutas Anna Burnsi "Milkmani" (60 aastat hilisem raamat). ja seda ei suutnudki välja mõelda, kus olen enne sellist jutustajat-jälgijat-minategelast kohanud - Ugla, kes tuleb väiksest külast põhjast Reykjaviki, parlamendiliikme majateenijaks ja harmooniumimängu õppima, ja keda justkui miski ei üllata ega ei kõiguta; kes räägib ja käitub absoluutselt siiralt ja midagi varjamata, aga sellest ei tule mingit probleemi (ta võib käia kommunistliku rakukese koosolekutel või panna pereliikmetele uued hüüdnimed või jääda rasedaks, ja majapidamistöid ta ka suuremat tegevat ei paista). kõik see on ääretult ebarealistlik ja seega absurdselt naljakas. kuskil nagu olen enne ka sellist võtet näinud, aga meelde ei tule, kus.
taustal kerib poliitiline lugu "riigi mahamüümisest" (see pealkirjas mainitud atom station on vist pigem ikkagi ameeriklaste sõjaväebaas kui tuumaelektrijaam) ja pool aega tundub mulle, et räägitakse mingeid siseringi nalju, millest ma ei saagi aru saada, kui ma 1940ndate Islandil ei elanud. kõigil neil orelimängijatel ja aatomipoeetidel (kes ühtlasi on jumalad, sest miks mitte?) on ilmselgelt mingid prototüübid.
no igatahes olen siis nüüd klassiku ja nobelistiga tutvust teinud. oli mis ta oli, aga Tammsaare ta küll ei olnud.
ma ei oska välja mõelda, mida "The Atom Station" mulle meenutas, igasuguseid seoseid tekkis siin. mitu korda kontrollisin avaldamise aastat (1948 on õige), sest ma arvasin, et alles 60ndatel tulid laialt saadavale need ained, mille najal selliseid tekste kirjutati. see, kuidas suurel osal tegelastest polnud nimesid, vaid ainult kirjeldused (the organist, the unselfconscious policeman, the atom poet jne) meenutas Anna Burnsi "Milkmani" (60 aastat hilisem raamat). ja seda ei suutnudki välja mõelda, kus olen enne sellist jutustajat-jälgijat-minategelast kohanud - Ugla, kes tuleb väiksest külast põhjast Reykjaviki, parlamendiliikme majateenijaks ja harmooniumimängu õppima, ja keda justkui miski ei üllata ega ei kõiguta; kes räägib ja käitub absoluutselt siiralt ja midagi varjamata, aga sellest ei tule mingit probleemi (ta võib käia kommunistliku rakukese koosolekutel või panna pereliikmetele uued hüüdnimed või jääda rasedaks, ja majapidamistöid ta ka suuremat tegevat ei paista). kõik see on ääretult ebarealistlik ja seega absurdselt naljakas. kuskil nagu olen enne ka sellist võtet näinud, aga meelde ei tule, kus.
taustal kerib poliitiline lugu "riigi mahamüümisest" (see pealkirjas mainitud atom station on vist pigem ikkagi ameeriklaste sõjaväebaas kui tuumaelektrijaam) ja pool aega tundub mulle, et räägitakse mingeid siseringi nalju, millest ma ei saagi aru saada, kui ma 1940ndate Islandil ei elanud. kõigil neil orelimängijatel ja aatomipoeetidel (kes ühtlasi on jumalad, sest miks mitte?) on ilmselgelt mingid prototüübid.
no igatahes olen siis nüüd klassiku ja nobelistiga tutvust teinud. oli mis ta oli, aga Tammsaare ta küll ei olnud.
solvihalldorsson's review against another edition
4.0
Þetta er fyrsta bókin sem ég les eftir þennan höfund (sem ég hafði lengi heyrt mikið um) og mér líkaði þessi saga mjög vel og gæti vel hugsað mér að lesa fleiri bækur eftir hann.
solaana's review against another edition
I find it genuinely difficult to read stuff in translation, so maybe that's why I felt so dippy reading this, because it was originally Icelandic. But I love Murakami, so I doubt that's why. He reads like a Scandinavian Irvine Welsh. Not that I've read Welsh.
abaddon287's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mlfarrell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
Ulga is from a small hamlet in northern Iceland: she travels to Reykjavik in order to work as a maid in the house of a politician. Ulga also wishes to learn the harmonium, so she can play in the church her family is saving to build for their community. Learning to play music introduces Ulga to a whole cast of peculiar characters, including two men who think that they are gods. This is my third Laxness novel, and the strangest I have read so far. Many of the conversation are very absurdist, putting me in mind of Beckett, while other elements of the novel are concerned with very practical issues, like abortion or alcoholism. This is also a Cold War novel: America wants to "buy" Iceland, or at least be allowed to build an atomic base there, in order to be closer to the USSR. The characters feel that they are on the brink of losing their country, their sense of self, and of annihilation in a time of nuclear war. This pushes them to strange mental spaces, such as thinking of themselves as gods, or feeling completely detached from the people around them. Ulga doesn't share this conviction: she grounds the novel, as she cares about practical matters, as well as her own personhood and her attachment to the north of Iceland. But I found the final section of the novel confusing and elliptical, and Ulga's perspective seemed to shift so we lost the sense of her as an individual. This made me lose my connection with the story. I think Laxness is trying to do a lot of interesting things in a very small space, and juggling a lot of different themes: at times this is very beautiful, and at times it doesn't really pay off. However, he remains a stimulating and original writer.
kirils's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5