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A review by jbridges99
The Cold Song by Linn Ullmann
3.0
I won this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program. It did not influence my rating or review.
Overall this was a good read and held my attention. It was different than what I expected from reading the jacket description. I wasn't sure I was going to like the writing style as it bounced back/forth between present and past but once I got used to that, it wasn't a problem and was a fairly easy and quick read. In additions, since this was originally published in Norwegian and translated to English, I was please with how well the language and concepts were translated to English and retained their meaning and context. I've read other books written in another language and then translated to English where this was not the case.
The writing was solid and the characters had depth. While I could understand their actions and have empathy for them, I didn't particularly care for any of them. They each had their own issues which made me relate to them but also dislike them. The parents are so self-absorbed with their own issues, both present and past, that they don't see the issues going on with their children, especially Alma.
I was a bit disappointed in the ending. While there was closure for some events, there was much left unanswered as to the characters' future and their relationships with each other. After all the build up and development of the characters, their issues and dysfunctions, it seemed a bit rushed in the end. If you like a book that wraps up every detail of the characters future in a nice package with a bow at end of the book, you will be left wondering with this one.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book.
Overall this was a good read and held my attention. It was different than what I expected from reading the jacket description. I wasn't sure I was going to like the writing style as it bounced back/forth between present and past but once I got used to that, it wasn't a problem and was a fairly easy and quick read. In additions, since this was originally published in Norwegian and translated to English, I was please with how well the language and concepts were translated to English and retained their meaning and context. I've read other books written in another language and then translated to English where this was not the case.
The writing was solid and the characters had depth. While I could understand their actions and have empathy for them, I didn't particularly care for any of them. They each had their own issues which made me relate to them but also dislike them. The parents are so self-absorbed with their own issues, both present and past, that they don't see the issues going on with their children, especially Alma.
I was a bit disappointed in the ending. While there was closure for some events, there was much left unanswered as to the characters' future and their relationships with each other. After all the build up and development of the characters, their issues and dysfunctions, it seemed a bit rushed in the end. If you like a book that wraps up every detail of the characters future in a nice package with a bow at end of the book, you will be left wondering with this one.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book.