Hanna's Daughters

by Marianne Fredriksson

Sweeping through one hundred years of Scandinavian history, this luminous story follows three generations of Swedish women--a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter--whose lives are linked through a century of great love and great loss. Resonating with truth and revelation, this moving novel deftly explores the often difficult but enduring ties between mothers and daughters, the sacrifices, compromises, and rewards in the relationships between men and women, and the patterns of emotion that repeat themselves through generations. If you have ever wanted to connect with the past, or rediscover family, Hanna's Daughters will strike a chord in your heart. .

Paperback

Published January 1, 1994

About the author

Marianne Fredriksson was a Swedish author who worked and lived in Roslagen and Stockholm. Before becoming a novelist, she was a journalist on various Swedish newspapers and magazines, including Svenska Dagbladet.

Fredriksson published fifteen novels, most of which have been translated into English, German, Dutch and other languages. Most of her earlier books are based on biblical stories. A central theme in her writings is friendship because, as she maintained, "friendship will be more important than love" in the future.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three generations of Scandinavian women….i found myself admiring and rooting for them at the same time being annoyed and frustrated by their inability to break the chain. Sadness and grief, I wish they could find more happiness and then perhaps the story would have been up,lifting instead of a bit of a bummer.
That said, the book is well written with beautiful descriptive prose and an intro to a culture I knew little about. Many quotes and thoughts worth reading over and over as they resonated with me, as a daughter and a mother.

[LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a 3.5. It might sound silly, but the three family members Fredriksson focuses on are Anna, Hanna, and Johanna. Talk about confusing! It took me a bit of time to organize in my head who was the grandmother, who was the mother, and who was the daughter. Maybe I'm slow. It was a little bit of a slog to read, but on the other hand, I enjoyed the setting and the three different timeframes in the story.

[Berit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading this book for the WTBBL since I was able to pronounce many of the names/places, but this was not my favorite book. Unfortunately, I think there were some major issues with the translation, because many parts just didn't make sense. Or maybe it's a Swedish style? I lean more toward translation issues, since I've read other books translated from Swedish and not had this problem at all.

[Sharon A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very strange book very confusing I didn't understand reading about the different characters I really don't care for it.

[Darralyn Briskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it could be very difficult to keep up with at times (who was talking, etc) it was interesting.

[Gypsy Rambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo good, definitely cried a few times. Loved it.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look behind the generational curtain of three Swedish women who must navigate the profound changes wrought by the dynamic twentieth century. Fredriksson makes a compelling case for the power of stubborn memetic inheritance transfer. Formative cultural identities often persist in the face of all kinds of social turbulence. And sometimes, a real humanity expresses despite unrelenting expectations and patriarchal constructs.