A review by maryehavens
Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller by Judith Thurman

5.0

This book. Wow. I'm only halfway done and feel I need to capture some thoughts.

I read Out of Africa although I don't remember much except feeling frustrated. Now I know why!! It wasn't a memoir, it wasn't a novel, it was a hodgepodge and it confused me.

I put Isak Dinesen on my list because it won the National Book Award (and I went through a phase of putting all NBAs on my list). When I got it from Interlibrary Loan, I was looking at a 450 pager with small print. "This can't be good", I thought.

I was so wrong. It's fascinating. You hate her, you love her, you laugh and sympathize with Karen/Tanne/Isak/Osceola or whatever she wants to call herself that day.

Clearly Thurman was obsessed with her in the best way possible. This book is amazing! It's so well-researched and, at 445 pages (save the very detailed bibliography), it's not an easy lifter. But the pace is quick and the details don't bog you down. The literary criticism was the only thing that was slow.

I don't think I've ever read a biography or autobiography that so clearly dissected a person and then presented that dissection in a readable format. Well done, Judith Thurman!!