Reviews

New Finnish Grammar by Judith Landry, Diego Marani

imscrem's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was a tragedy two steps away from being a comedy. Although I sometimes got lost in the detailed forays into Finnish myths and WWII history in Finland, the premise of the story was compelling and I appreciated the examination of language, culture, and memory as important aspects of human identity through Sampo Karjalainen, a man who lost all three.

nebulous_tide's review against another edition

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4.0

The pages of this book are rife with a boiling insanity. I am both impressed and repulsed by this surreal tragedy. The tale is dour. Like the cover, everything is grey and blurred. But there are distinct moments of clarity and focus and I feel, when it comes to the imperviousness of some of the wildest parts, the fault is with me and not the author.

I couldn’t possibly recommend this book to anyone, yet I would love for everyone I know to read it, just so we can share the wonder, and stare into each other’s eyes and see understanding reflected there.

The backdrop of war, with a Russian invasion of Finland is eerily parallel with current events in 2022.

A word should be said on behalf of the superb and highly skilled translation by Judith Landry.

isabeldotml's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I really enjoyed the discussions of language learning and language as identity, especially as they relate to Finnish. I also found some of the relationships in the book quite touching.

Unfortunately, the setting wasn't really for me and I found the protagonist's fixation on finding a past over building a present quite frustrating (I understand this is the crux of the novel but knowing that didn't help). I also found I couldn't suspend disbelief that this beautifully florid writing was reconstructed from the notes of an absolute beginner in the language.

yates9's review against another edition

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4.0

A story of identity and war, set in ww2, with a layer of Finnish culture seen from eyes of an outsider. An affective book that makes me think, and rummage in my head to find solutions...

milhe99's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

deborahgilbert5's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

akaasia's review against another edition

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5.0

I’ve read and reread this book more than a dozen times now and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it.

How important language is! Imagine if you lost you language, your words; your whole identity is gone. Marani takes you along to see what it takes to reclaim your identity through a language and through a language, culture and origin stories which have helped shape the people who claim the language as their own.

From the very first reading I did feel the misguided attempts of Sampo to grapple with the Finnish language were doomed to ring hollow. For surely, if he were a Finn, should the words not rouse even the hint of a memory?

I love this translation, the use of language is so beautiful I have sentence after sentence after passage after turn of phrase underlined in the book. Do yourself a favour a read this. More than once.

palomasstefani's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

ivellon's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

unfoldingdrama's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I read this in translation so all my comments reflect that. 
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It's a well-written book but that for me was perhaps one of its flaws. Purporting to be the reconstruction of a sailor's diary, notes and letters as he sought to reclaim his lost identity, the prose of all four main voices which form the text is equally ornate, often filled with vivid metaphors and poetical reflections, the likes of which it is difficult to reconcile with figures that have been presented behind those voices (except perhaps for the shamanistic Lutheran priest who becomes the protagonists closest connection). This adds a sense of melodrama that often feels artificial. 

As a linguist too, I appreciated Marani's understanding of language and the processes of learning but was also sometimes left wishing he had gone deeper with his research. For instance, most linguists do not believe languages evolve towards simplicity over time and in fact most people who studied language would not have identified as such until after the second world war. I can give these statements a pass though, as they can be attributed to the narrator rather than the author himself.

Having said all that, it is a good book and asks many important questions about the nature of language, belonging and identity. Ultimately though, I feel it's conclusions, implied through the perhaps unnecessary epilogue, are wrongheaded - although each persons quest for identity though language learning will inevitably be singular and shaped by the times and places they find themselves
the quest for belonging amongst people who we do not share a history or language is not a hopeless one