ipb1's review against another edition
4.0
3.5* An interesting take on those caught up between the opposing forces on the frontlines of war. I actually found [a:Andrey Kurkov|88420|Andrey Kurkov|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1226937159p2/88420.jpg]'s [b:Grey Bees|50374582|Grey Bees|Andrey Kurkov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1605876951l/50374582._SY75_.jpg|62633944] which cover's similar ground a much more satisfying read.
aoibhmc's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tommooney's review against another edition
4.0
Another gorgeous novel by this masterful Norwegian storyteller.
It is the beginning of the Winter War and Russian troops are invading Finland. In one small town, the last of the residents are evacuating, leaving bonfires in their homes, 'gifts to Finland' they call them, razing the homesteads to the ground so the invaders cannot use them.
But Timo refuses to leave. The village idiot, they call him, but really he is just a simple logger. He was born here and will die here and is not scared of anything. So he waits in the sooty, ruined town, for the Russians.
This is a unique and intruiging story, set in the cold, bitter, beautiful Finnish north and told with Jacobsen's trademark spare prose. Not as brilliant as his International Booker-shortlisted The Unseen, but still a very fine tale, perfect for a cold winter's eve.
It is the beginning of the Winter War and Russian troops are invading Finland. In one small town, the last of the residents are evacuating, leaving bonfires in their homes, 'gifts to Finland' they call them, razing the homesteads to the ground so the invaders cannot use them.
But Timo refuses to leave. The village idiot, they call him, but really he is just a simple logger. He was born here and will die here and is not scared of anything. So he waits in the sooty, ruined town, for the Russians.
This is a unique and intruiging story, set in the cold, bitter, beautiful Finnish north and told with Jacobsen's trademark spare prose. Not as brilliant as his International Booker-shortlisted The Unseen, but still a very fine tale, perfect for a cold winter's eve.
built_by_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
silverthane's review against another edition
2.0
The story is set in Finland during the ‘Winter War’; a little known conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union which began in late 1939 and ended less than four months later. Unwittingly caught up in the fighting is the main character; a young Finnish logger named Timo, who stubbornly refuses to leave his home town despite the imminent arrival of the Red Army. Timo is captured by the Soviets and, because of his extensive knowledge of the surrounding woodland, is put in charge of a small group of Russian misfits who are tasked with collecting firewood. It is not long before Timo forms friendships with his co-workers and is soon torn between loyalty to his new found friends or his Country.
Timo is not an easy character to understand and his motivations remain a mystery throughout most of the book. Early on in the story we learn that he is generally considered by people he meets to be simple minded;
“...the man who had spoken to me, and who was obviously an officer, returned and asked if I was the village idiot...I answered, quite simply, yes, I suppose I was”
Timo is not stupid by any stretch of the imagination but he is certainly strange. I believe he may be suffering from some form of autism but it’s hard to tell. He seems distant and detached. He views things that happen to him as someone apart, looking on as a witness rather than having any personal feelings either way. By way of example in one part of the book he is accused of being a spy for the Finns and is savagely beaten. When he recounts this story he does so as whimsically as if he had taken a walk in the park not been beaten black and blue but it’s not bluster or bravado; he just doesn’t seem to be concerned. Timo is almost completely without fear even in the face of imminent death and seems remarkably oblivious to danger or threats. He always speaks his mind even when it is very ill advised to do so and rarely mentions how he is feeling. Timo’s unashamed honesty and inability to know when to shut up, often lands him in hot water. He regularly pushes his luck with the Soviet soldiers and more than once I thought he was about to be shot for his insolence;
“’Then you’ll have to tell him’ I said, nodding towards Fjodor, ‘that I think he is a coward and I don’t trust him’
Nikolai was taken aback
‘Do you mean that?’
‘Yes’ I said
‘I know you mean it but if I say that he’ll be even more difficult to deal with’
‘Do it anyway, then he’ll know you know he’s a coward too’
The Russian prisoners he befriends are more ‘normal’ and much easier to relate to. They behave much the same as anyone in their position and their rag-tag nature is appealing, the true underdogs of the story. They are guided by Timo who does his best to protect them and look after them however due to his detachment his feelings towards them aren’t always clear.
I liked the way the book kept you guessing and the setting was very well put together. The cold, barren landscape was easy to visualise and the fight for survival was convincing. The characters are interesting and their plights are easy to empathise with.
I was less impressed with the main character Timo, because of the way he was it was difficult to empathise with his position and I never felt as though I got to know him. I never understand why he does the things he does or why he decides to show the Russian loggers so much compassion. The war itself was hardly ever mentioned except in passing which I think was a shame as it could have added more tension to the story if there had been some combat involved. Some of the characters felt superfluous and I did not like the way the story ended.
Overall despite a few very well written ideas ultimately this book disappointed me due to its unreadable main character, unanswered questions and limp ending.
Timo is not an easy character to understand and his motivations remain a mystery throughout most of the book. Early on in the story we learn that he is generally considered by people he meets to be simple minded;
“...the man who had spoken to me, and who was obviously an officer, returned and asked if I was the village idiot...I answered, quite simply, yes, I suppose I was”
Timo is not stupid by any stretch of the imagination but he is certainly strange. I believe he may be suffering from some form of autism but it’s hard to tell. He seems distant and detached. He views things that happen to him as someone apart, looking on as a witness rather than having any personal feelings either way. By way of example in one part of the book he is accused of being a spy for the Finns and is savagely beaten. When he recounts this story he does so as whimsically as if he had taken a walk in the park not been beaten black and blue but it’s not bluster or bravado; he just doesn’t seem to be concerned. Timo is almost completely without fear even in the face of imminent death and seems remarkably oblivious to danger or threats. He always speaks his mind even when it is very ill advised to do so and rarely mentions how he is feeling. Timo’s unashamed honesty and inability to know when to shut up, often lands him in hot water. He regularly pushes his luck with the Soviet soldiers and more than once I thought he was about to be shot for his insolence;
“’Then you’ll have to tell him’ I said, nodding towards Fjodor, ‘that I think he is a coward and I don’t trust him’
Nikolai was taken aback
‘Do you mean that?’
‘Yes’ I said
‘I know you mean it but if I say that he’ll be even more difficult to deal with’
‘Do it anyway, then he’ll know you know he’s a coward too’
The Russian prisoners he befriends are more ‘normal’ and much easier to relate to. They behave much the same as anyone in their position and their rag-tag nature is appealing, the true underdogs of the story. They are guided by Timo who does his best to protect them and look after them however due to his detachment his feelings towards them aren’t always clear.
I liked the way the book kept you guessing and the setting was very well put together. The cold, barren landscape was easy to visualise and the fight for survival was convincing. The characters are interesting and their plights are easy to empathise with.
I was less impressed with the main character Timo, because of the way he was it was difficult to empathise with his position and I never felt as though I got to know him. I never understand why he does the things he does or why he decides to show the Russian loggers so much compassion. The war itself was hardly ever mentioned except in passing which I think was a shame as it could have added more tension to the story if there had been some combat involved. Some of the characters felt superfluous and I did not like the way the story ended.
Overall despite a few very well written ideas ultimately this book disappointed me due to its unreadable main character, unanswered questions and limp ending.
carolhoggart's review against another edition
4.0
What a strange book.
There is no doubt that this tale, set during the Winter War of 1939 in which Russia invaded Finland, will haunt me for years to come. If that is the test of great fiction, then The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles certainly passes. It is narrated from the point of view of an 'idiot', although the precise nature of this idiocy is is never revealed. Timo is a physically healthy specimen, if not mentally - as might be deduced from his refusal to evacuate his home town in the face of Russian invasion. In the process of cutting logs for the Russians he befriends and finally saves a group of hopeless cases - Russian recruits unfit for any duty beyond chopping trees. It is through these unlikely friends that Timo comes to understand himself and the war. The book is full of idiosyncratic insight and vivid characterisation - of the Finnish forest and climate as well as those caught up in the war. Yet ultimately, I found the story unsatisfying. It was not the lack of a happy ending, which would have been unconvincing, but the absence of conclusion in Timo's character itself.
There is no doubt that this tale, set during the Winter War of 1939 in which Russia invaded Finland, will haunt me for years to come. If that is the test of great fiction, then The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles certainly passes. It is narrated from the point of view of an 'idiot', although the precise nature of this idiocy is is never revealed. Timo is a physically healthy specimen, if not mentally - as might be deduced from his refusal to evacuate his home town in the face of Russian invasion. In the process of cutting logs for the Russians he befriends and finally saves a group of hopeless cases - Russian recruits unfit for any duty beyond chopping trees. It is through these unlikely friends that Timo comes to understand himself and the war. The book is full of idiosyncratic insight and vivid characterisation - of the Finnish forest and climate as well as those caught up in the war. Yet ultimately, I found the story unsatisfying. It was not the lack of a happy ending, which would have been unconvincing, but the absence of conclusion in Timo's character itself.
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