gingernut_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Heart warming and cosy, the description of nature especially glaciers was amazing, inspired me to read more wintery books!
alixiroflife's review against another edition
5.0
-read this aloud on christmas eve with the family and honestly it was a way better choice than re-watching "a christmas story" for the umpteenth time
-the scene-setting is perfect. the slow build to the characters? perfect. everything stifter does immerses you in this small little world and makes what transpires in the story even more visceral and harrowing.
-somehow this short novella about two kids in the alps touches on themes of vulnerability, death, independence, and the true meaning of community in a way that isn't bonking you over the head with the themes
-the scene-setting is perfect. the slow build to the characters? perfect. everything stifter does immerses you in this small little world and makes what transpires in the story even more visceral and harrowing.
-somehow this short novella about two kids in the alps touches on themes of vulnerability, death, independence, and the true meaning of community in a way that isn't bonking you over the head with the themes
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is set in the Alp mountains. The writer was born in part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His birthplace is now in the Czech Republic, and he lived most of his life in Austria. The descriptions of the tiny villages at the center of this story describe villages that are cut off from one another by mountains. The setting of this story is less commercial and clings to more of the old ways. The distance between villages sometimes results in people speaking different dialects, which was common before mass communication homogenized language. It is a decent life with few luxuries, but the people are satisfied with what they have.
This edition contains a wonderful introduction written by WH Auden, and one of the two translators is the poet, Marianne Moore. I noticed the many of the sentences were very long, as the translation worked to preserve the writer's style, and indeed, the style of the time.
Two young children take off on a visit, across the mountains, to visit their grandparents on Christmas Eve. They plan to go there and back in one short winter day. Christmas Eve is a couple of days after the winter solstice when the days begin to lengthen by a minute or so a day. The children's ages aren't included but I judged the brother to be around 10 and the younger sister about 5 or 6 years old.
Not long after they begin their walk home which seemed to be a couple of hours, it begins to snow. The snow grows heavier and the children take a wrong turn and get lost. It is not a spoiler to reveal that they survive as the introduction and description of the novela reveal this. The story of the unforgiving landscape, and the children's tactics make this a memorable story.
This edition contains a wonderful introduction written by WH Auden, and one of the two translators is the poet, Marianne Moore. I noticed the many of the sentences were very long, as the translation worked to preserve the writer's style, and indeed, the style of the time.
Two young children take off on a visit, across the mountains, to visit their grandparents on Christmas Eve. They plan to go there and back in one short winter day. Christmas Eve is a couple of days after the winter solstice when the days begin to lengthen by a minute or so a day. The children's ages aren't included but I judged the brother to be around 10 and the younger sister about 5 or 6 years old.
Not long after they begin their walk home which seemed to be a couple of hours, it begins to snow. The snow grows heavier and the children take a wrong turn and get lost. It is not a spoiler to reveal that they survive as the introduction and description of the novela reveal this. The story of the unforgiving landscape, and the children's tactics make this a memorable story.
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookwormdaydreamer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
kevinmccarrick's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kentcryptid's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful little wintry tale, with some of the most vivid evocation of sense of place of any book I've ever read.
schellenbergk's review against another edition
Lovely novella perfect for Christmas. Will take place alongside ั??Christmas Carolั?ั and ั??Cricket on the Hearthั?ั as annual reads.